Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit – A Guide

We are already less than two weeks away from the start of the first Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit, formerly Moogfest, and the schedule has been out for a few weeks at this point.  You’ll have had plenty of time to wrack your brain over whether you’re going to see Nine Inch Nails or Animal Collective on Saturday, Daniel Johnston or the return of Deltron 3030 on Friday, and I can’t even talk about the chaos that is Sunday night’s lineup.  And that’s before you get into all the daytime festivities, or the allure of Asheville in October.  Here is an outline of everything going on over the weekend (October 25-27) and well as a few tips to follow.

Afternoon Panels – Saturday October 26, Diana Wortham Theatre

Inventor’s Roundtable (12:30-2:00 PM)  with Paul Vo (inventor of the Moog Guitar and Vo-96 acoustic synthesizer), Richard Devine (electronic musician and sound designer), Tony Rolando (founder of Make Noise),  August Worley (inventor of the Pyradym)

•  Four pioneers in the extremely broad category of “electronic music” come together to discuss innovation, past and present.  No word yet on whether the headiest crystal ever will be present.

An Interview With Gary Numan (4:00-5:00 PM)

• One of the earliest and most influential synth pop artists (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Afrika Bambaataa and Beck among others cite him as an influence) will sit down with Geary Yelton of Electronic Muisc Magazine to discuss his career, its influence, and where he goes from here.  With any luck, some of the older fans will be out to see the legend prior to his 8:00 PM set time.

TRASH_AUDIO SYNTH EVENT 13 – Sunday October 27th 1:00-7:00 PM, The Apothecary

• Featuring Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails, How To Destroy Angels), Justin McGrath (Nine Inch Nails, former Senior Sound Designer for Motorola Mobility), Richard Devine (Recording Artist, Sound Designer), Surachai (Sound Designer, Location Sound Designer, Composer)
• From the Mountain Oasis website:  “Synth Event 13 will feature manufacturer demonstrations and hands on opportunities to interact with the products and people responsible for making them a reality. These demonstrations will be followed immediately by live performances curated by Richard Devine to close the evening.”

LOCAL ARTIST SHOWCASE – Friday and Saturday Night at The Emerald Lounge

• Local and regional electronic acts will play Friday and Saturday, entry is free to all ticketholders.  If/When the other venues fill up (more on this later) don’t sleep on some great acts here like Paper Tiger or Marley Carroll

Schedule – Friday                                                             Schedule – Saturday

8:00pm — Doors                                                                8:00pm – Doors
9:00-9:45 – The Jellyrox                                               9:00-9:45 – Moving Temple
10:00-10:45 – We Roll Like Madmen                       10:00-10:45 – Splynter
11:00-11:45 – Paper Tiger                                             11:00-11:45 – Futexture
12:00-12:45 – RBTS Win                                                12:00-12:45 – Aligning Minds
1:00-1:45 – Hi Alta                                                           1:00-1:45 – Marley Carroll

TIPS & OBSERVATIONS

• Asheville is an extremely welcoming place, and has been a great host for this music festival in its previous incarnation.  Several local stores and restaurants have special deals or hours over the weekend, so take the opportunity to stick your head in a few of the places you pass over the weekend.
• As mentioned above, there is a decent chance that the non-Civic Center venues will reach capacity for certain acts (Neutral Milk Hotel at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium 11:30PM-1:00AM, I’m looking at you).  Don’t be afraid to check out some of the other acts on the lineup.  At Moogfest last year, GZA’s show at the Orange Peel reached capacity before it even began.  As a result I stumbled into Richie Hawtin and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to, not to mention a completely new and different concert experience.  Mountain Oasis is ripe for this kind of exploration.  For example, rather than fight the crowd at Animal Collective (Saturday, 11:30PM-1:00AM Thomas Wolfe Auditorium) why not check out The Bug  and Actress (Saturday 10:45PM – 2:00 AM, The Orange Peel)?
• Speaking of the Orange Peel, if you’ve never been there before be sure to catch at least one show there over the weekend.  It is one of, if not the, premiere “club” sized venue in the Southeast and has played host to several unforgettable shows over the years.
• Dress in layers – it will probably be cold outside, and will probably be warm to hot inside.  A light jacket with a few layers than can be added or removed as needed can be key.