Escape Music Festival premiers in Red Hook, Brooklyn for a two day long musical experience during Columbus Weekend. The line up for the festival includes Placebo, Yeasayer, Ra Ra Riot, Bakermat, ASTR, Tesla Boy, Basecamp and Follow Me. The electronic stage will be ruled by The Crystal Method, Neon Indian and STRFKR. #EscapeOrdinary, that’s the promise of the festival. And it has all of the potential to do exactly that! Learn more about the festival from the exclusive interview with Merritt Quirk, the founder of Escape, for Flowers In A Gun.
Flowers In A Gun: What’s the story behind the festival’s creation? How did it all come together?
Merritt Quirk: I was inspired by a lot of different things, some of them from living in NY from 2005–2010 and some of them from abroad, but my experience living in Barcelona from 2010-2012 was the main catalyst. I finished an insanely intensive year of Business School on the Friday of Sonar Music Festival. I actually got run over by an Acura SUV on my scooter that afternoon, but miraculously was OK. I danced all weekend before I was off to do a graduate internship in the Middle East… this was going to be my last fun for a while. After Sonar, my friend Ramon dragged me kicking and screaming to a club called Row 14, which hosts Saturday night at Space Ibiza now but was an after-hours club off the highway back in 2011. It’s by far the best party I’ve ever been to in my life. The vibe is amazing…words can’t begin to capture it. It was like walking into a movie…
I thought to myself “this should be in NYC!” and so my mission became to do exactly that.
F: What makes Escape Music Festival unique?
MQ: We wanted to offer fans something that was different from what was already in the market so we focused on the following:
- Location
- Affordable Ticket Prices
- Indie, Rock, Pop & Electronic
- Interactive experience
- Fall Festival
- Oldest Age Minimum for a Festival in NYC (19+)
I didn’t get into this business to sell tickets. I got into because I wanted to create really powerful and unique experiences that people could remember for a lifetime, much like I had in Spain.
F: Who is the driving force behind the festival?
MQ: I am the founder: It’s been a massive project and taken me 2 years to get off the ground. Finding the right partners has been critical. Getting the financing for a first-time event of this scale was a real challenge.There are many important people that have helped launch the festival.
F: You picked Red Hook’s Pier 9 for the festival’s location, why did you choose this place? What were your other choices?
MQ: I’ve scoured Brooklyn for most of the last 2 years looking for the right venue. We were very fortunate to find Pier 9; it fits perfectly with our vision for a Brooklyn Festival by offering a great balance of amazing views, a huge space and a cool industrial Brooklyn feel. We looked at locations in Coney Island, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and many more, probably over a 100 that varied in size and type. Pier 9 was by far the best.
We’ll feature the amazing music lineup and the venue with quality production and amplify the experience with food trucks, VIP areas, lounges, artwork and other festival amenities. Red Hook is a cool, hip, upcoming area and the perfect fit for Escape.
F: How did you decide on the line up? Can you say a few words about the selection process and the reasoning behind it?
We have some great talent buyers on both the indie/rock/pop and electronic side. We worked to create great lineups on both sides and also have that “cross-over” appeal. I’m a fan first, but it really takes a whole team to be able to put together an eclectic and successful festival lineup.
F: Will the two stages be different?
MQ: Yes, there will be two different environments and designs.
One stage has a backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. This will feature many of the indie, rock and pop artists.
The other performance area will feature a stage in between two massive industrial cranes. This stage will feature most of the electronic DJs and Producers.The VIP offerings at each stage will be similar.
F: The festival promises to create a unique interactive experience for the audience, can you expand on that? What projects are you the most excited about? How do you see the different art forms connected?
MQ: We want to give Brooklyn its first proper outdoor festival. People have tried in the past and have failed for a number of reasons. We want to turn Red Hook into a cultural hub. And of course, our primary goal is to deliver an amazing and invaluable experience to our fans.
F: It is anticipated that close to 16,000 people will attend the festival. What do you think will be the most challenging part of making sure that the people enjoy the event given the high volume of guests?
MQ: We have been working diligently to create a seamless transportation plan. We are offering our fans transport by ferry and bus. The ferry will dock on-site at the venue and the bus will be a few blocks away. In addition, the MTA will be providing additional bus service on the B61.The subway is only a 15-minute walk, which is much less than the walk festival fans make when traveling to Randall’s Island. Getting people into the venue quickly and safely is a big priority and months of planning goes into accomplishing this.
F: What are your plans going forward? Will there be another Escape Music Festival next year?
MQ: Yes, Escape Music Festival will be an annual event in New York.
Photos courtesy of Escape Music Festival.
Anna Yatskevich is Flowers In A Gun’s glamorous jazz & beyond critic! Catch more reviews from her here and follow her on Twitter @jazzaddikt.