Thanks to heated tents, 24-hour food stands and a never-ending stream of music set to go through the night and into the morning, fest organizers are dubbing this year’s Hoopla in the Hills music festival as the “largest slumber party in Ohio.”
The four-day music festival, headlined by two nights of Papadosio, will start Thursday and run through Sunday as campers, artists and music aficionados attend the eighth annual event’s new location at The Venue, W. Union St. — more commonly known to students as the Number Fest location.
Like Number Fest, free shuttles will bus people from all over Athens to the field; however, that’s where many of the similarities end.
From stage setup and parking to artistic atmosphere, Hoopla in the Hills is moving toward the likes of a transformational festival, complete with art installations and live art throughout the weekend.
“We’ve got a massive artist village and a lot of quality-reputable artists and visual performers,” said Curtis Manley, CEO of Big Events Presents Inc., which organizes the festival. “We’ve always done well providing the music, and as long as we’re providing more music, our energy is going toward all those other things that make the festival so fun — all the eye candy.”
Wherever Papadosio goes, the inclusion of art is inevitable, as the group ushered in a wave of arts inclusion in Ohio music festivals with its annual event Rootwire Music and Arts Festival. The group recently parted ways with its Rootwire business partner — EQ Endeavors — to focus on bringing the festival’s vibe to all its live shows.
Although there are legal reasons Papadosio can’t speak with press about some of the events that transpired from Rootwire’s end, drummer Mike Healy said the group would be happy to discuss it with fans at this weekend’s show.
“We have friends in Athens that have no idea what happened, but we can talk about it,” Healy said. “We’re very unhappy with how everything went down. Life throws some punches at you sometimes and things don’t work out the way you want them.”
Another Rootwire veteran will join the ranks this weekend, EOTO. The group, comprising Jason Hann and Michael Travis, puts on an electronic DJ show like no other because it’s all done 100 percent live.
Hann said there is barely anyone else out there that does a live style like EOTO does because of its degree of difficulty, especially with only two members.
The duo even recorded live for its latest two albums, getting everything in one 10-12 minute take and picking out the best five minutes from that run. But fans can also enjoy every EOTO live set, as it records every one and puts it online for download.
With 60 acts coming for Hoopla in the Hills, not all the bands can fit at regular times. Some of the festival’s biggest performers will play from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., including acts such as Cosby Sweater, Arpetrio, Sassafraz and Manitoa.
“We ended up getting really good quality acts in the middle of the night,” Manley said. “We got a lot of interest from acts saying ‘I don’t care, I’ll play at 5 a.m., at least I’ll be on the bill, at least I’ll be playing.’ ”
Jack Gould, saxophonist and manager of the Sassafraz, said the group is bringing in a number of friends to join it on stage, including additional horns and Athens rapper MC Schwartz.
Although fans will need to bring the energy to make it through the set starting at 3 a.m., Gould said he’s confident people will make it out.
@wilbur_hoffman
wh092010@ohiou.edu
