Headstash

All Good Founder Tim Walther Opens Up About The Move

Photo Courtesy of All Good

If you were to do some free association with music festivals, it’d probably go something like this:

Rothbury – Sherwood Forest

Bonnaroo – Hot and sweaty

All Good – Marvin’s Mountaintop

But after nine years on the iconic hill, All Good is moving to Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio (an iconic locale on its own merit for different reasons) for the 16th edition of the event.

Taking place July 19 to 22, the festival’s lineup is the same who’s who of the jam scene fans have come to expect with The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, Bob Weir and Bruce Hornsby, Lotus and Michael Franti and Spearhead joining The Flaming Lips, Big Gigantic, Lotus, Conspirator and Shpongle.

[BUY tickets and find more information on All Good 2012 on the festival's official website.]

The move blindsided East Coast attendees who had called the mountaintop home for nearly a decade. Rumors swirled for months about the rationale, but no concrete reasons were given.

Photo Courtesy of All Good

Despite the change in location, the mantra of All Good is still the same. There will be no overlapping sets, the family-friendly atmosphere will permeate the event and legendary bands and artists will surely collaborate and create unforgettable musical moments to be talked about for years to come.

We chatted with festival founder Tim Walther about the true reasons behind the move, what Thornville adds to the festival experience and how Chris Kuroda has some tricks up his sleeve for 2012.

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Headstash Magazine: Let’s start off with the most pressing question. Honestly, what was the impetus for the move to Ohio?

Tim Walther: We had outgrown the road system in West Virginia. Bringing 25,000 people up a one-lane, country road was difficult and brewed tension within the community.

The county officials also made it difficult for us to do business with a mass gathering ordinance directed solely at All Good and with unrighteous taxes levied upon us.

We really like the history and tradition at Legend Valley and we thought that setting it up where fans would spend their time on a highway as opposed to bumper-to-bumper in gridlock traffic on a dusty mountain road was a good thing.

The county and community surrounding Legend Valley have experienced the bigger show and they are embracing it and welcoming us to their hometown. 

 

HM: Do you think the tragic death of a festivalgoer in 2011 had anything to do with the ordinances?

TW: No, we had already planned to move and had been researching sites since December 2010. We spent a lot of time and effort to warm up to the county and community in West Virginia and it just didn’t work out in the end. We no longer felt welcome, and the road systems were not adequate for our attendance.

HM: How important is the festival location to the actual event?

TW: It's very important, both from a fan travel standpoint and how the festival patron feels about where he/she fits in at the show.  Can you make the fans more comfortable? Can you better provide for their needs?  

We had concerns in West Virginia about how long people were stranded in traffic waiting to get in and how the State officials treated them.

[FOLLOW All Good on Facebook.]

Photo Courtesy of All Good

It's always a nervous experience leaving one "home" to move to another. This is All Good's sixth home in fifteen years and each has been better than the last. We hope this one will be, too.

HM: Was it hard for you personally as the man behind the festival to move locations?

TW: Absolutely, we loved our time at Marvin's Mountaintop.

HM: Do you think the move from the East Coast to the Midwest will change anything about the festival?

TW: Sadly, we will lose some of our fans on the East Coast, who will decide it's too far to travel, although we really think front porch to campground it should be about the same considering the ease of access versus the chokepoint in West Virginia. 

The response from fans in the Midwest has been tremendous and we think we've really found a great spot for All Good for years to come.

HM: Did you look at any other locations to host All Good or was this your only option?

TW: We looked at several options, but an event of this scale is a complicated thing at the local level.  It's a tremendous boom to any local economy, since these types of festivals nearly always take place in rural settings.

[FIND complete lineups, ticketing information and analysis of all your favorite festivals via our 2012 Festival Guide.]

The downside is that many communities have a negative view of the "impact of contact" with large numbers of music fans. Sometimes, it can be a very tough sell.

Photo Courtesy of All Good

Legend Valley has a history of hosting big shows and the community knows what to expect and embraces it.

HM: What are you most excited about for the first Ohio All Good?

TW: Everyone getting in more quickly and safely. I'm looking forward to some new, smiling, happy faces at the gate.  Plus, to finally have The Allman Brothers Band on our main stage will be a special treat.

HM: Talk a little about the rest of the lineup you guys have assembled this year.

TW: Our objective this year was to mix it up with some jam band favorites, some legendary acts and a host of new bands. We are presenting 20 acts this year that have never done All Good, and we are excited to introduce them to the fans.

We are offering the fans an intertwining combination of jam, bluegrass, reggae, electronic, funk and Americana. We focus heavily on the transition from one band to the next and the flow of music throughout the day. We cannot wait for you to experience it.
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HM: Aside from the move, what else do you have going on for All Good 2012 that you’re excited about?

TW: We’ll be unleashing some new art installations. We’ll fire up a great deal of ambient lighting throughout the site headed up by Chris Kuroda and be working with some new crowd performers. There will also be some surprises you’ll have to come and see for yourself.

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The 16th annual All Good takes place in Thornville, Ohio for the first year this July 19 to 22 with The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, Bob Weir and Bruce Hornsby, Lotus, The Flaming Lips, Big Gigantic, Lotus, Conspirator and Shpongle.

For ticketing information, check out the festival's official website.or go to our 2012 Festival Guide.

Are you excited for All Good this year? Let us know in the comments below . . .