Dear friends of UTOPiAfest,

Two years ago I attended the Second Annual UTOPiAfest put on by an incredibly determined and hard working Travis Sutherland. During the drive out there, as we passed Bandera, Leaky, and other little towns,  I quickly fell in love with the dramatic scenery of the West Texas Hill Country. My brother Jamie and I couldn’t stop commenting on how steep and beautiful the hills were. It’s semi-mountainous terrain out there with crystal clear rivers flowing alongside huge limestone cliffs with giant Cypress Trees leaning from the banks. I had been to Garner State Park as a kid and did some college camping out at Lost Maples (and maybe some skinny dipping), and it all rushed back to me. This is the most beautiful part of Texas – hands down!

When we pulled onto the Four Sisters Ranch, it took another five minutes and three cattle guards before the natural amphitheater reveled itself. It’s a breathtaking location with stretching vistas and inviting campsites in every direction. The stage is perfectly set between a steep rocky green mini-mountain and an endless view of rolling hills that doesn’t seem possible. The music wasn’t just good, it was great! The acoustics of the valley just enhanced the whole scene. When the sun went down, the fest cooled off and the crowd of a few hundred people were all dancing and smiling. The music played on and then, right behind the main stage, an intense full moon slowly emerged and lit up the entire scene. It was pure magic and that was the moment that my brother Jamie and I looked at each other and knew without saying a word that we would be coming to UTOPiAfest for years to come.

I spoke with Travis a few weeks later and told him that my company Onion Creek Productions wasn’t in the festival production business, but we were interested in helping produce UTOPiAfest. After producing tv and video content for National Geographic, Discovery, and a multitude of bands and festivals, we felt like we had a unique set of skills to bring to the table. In that initial meeting Travis, Jamie, and I all agreed that we could take UTOPiAfest to the next level together if we agreed on some core philosophies. As we prepare for the Fourth Annual UTOPiAfest, it’s important to us, the organizers, to clearly communicate our intentions with this festival. In short, we have set out to create the music festival that we’ve always wanted to attend. Therefore, here are those core philosophies for UTOPiAfest:

-Intimate: we will continue to cap the audience because no one likes to feel crowded. Here you can find friends easily and enjoy the music without fighting a crowd

-High-quality: we spend months researching and selecting the right mix of local and world-touring bands. Do they blow us away? Keep in mind, many of these bands regularly charge much higher fees and play to audiences of 30k+ fans, but they too understand how unique this festival is and they have CHOSEN to participate.

-Thoughtful: we have attended and been pretty disappointed by the lack of thought and care by many of the largest festivals. It’s easy to feel like you’re just a number for corporate sponsorship and everything is geared to getting you to spend your money. We do our best to think about every detail from the perspective of what you’d like as an audience member. That’s why we have one affordable price that includes free camping, free parking, and we’re BYOB. We will have great and affordable food options this year – or bring your own food and cook at your campsite!

Now that you have a better idea of where Travis, Jamie, and I are coming from, I’d like to invite all of you to this year’s UTOPiAfest. We of course are trying to cover our costs in this endeavor, but more importantly want to throw the absolute best music festival in the world – the one that we all want to go to year after year. You guys have made the effort in the past to buy tickets and come and enjoy the weekend. It still blows our minds that people want to come to our festival – it’s one of the most humbling things in my life. As I write this I’m choking up a bit, but that’s just me – as my family and friends will tell you, I’m a crier. But I’m not ashamed, when people work so hard at doing something positive, there’s nothing wrong with getting a little emotional. I can’t wait to see you all out in Utopia again this year. Be sure to get your tickets TODAY - the last day of our Crazy Intro Sale ($99 Buy 3 get 1 Free, thats $75 a ticket including tax and fees).

http://ocp.ticketbud.com/utopiafest2012
Don’t hesitate to say hello at the festival – that’s really my favorite part – meeting new friends and enjoying some damn good music out in the middle of nowhere.

Love,

Aaron

UTOPiAfest Director