AC Entertainment breaks w/ Moogfest: promoter will start new Asheville EDM fest

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Below you’ll find key portions of this afternoon’s press release. The upshot is that Moog Music Inc. in Asheville decided this year not to re-licence the Moogfest name, a name Moog Music owns, to music promoter AC Entertainment.

So AC Entertainment has decided to move ahead with its own electronic dance music fest in Asheville. Details are  to follow regarding the new Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit.

No word yet on the future of Moogfest, but Moog Music Inc. CEO Mike Adams has made no bones about the fact that he has a vision of an event that is much bigger and broader in scope. Here’s what I reported in November regarding Adams and his thoughts on the future of Moogfest:

Mike Adams, president of Moog Music, said he and his colleagues are reviewing festival operations, a process that’s been conducted every year. That process, he said, may be fueling speculation around town about the possibility that Moogfest could move from Asheville or change in other ways.

Moog Music owns the Moogfest name and licenses it to promoter AC Entertainment, which stages the event at U.S. Cellular Center and other venues. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based company, which also produces Bonnaroo, brings in big-name performers for Moogfest, which this year included Primus, Nas and others.

Adams said he’s certain he wants Moogfest to remain in Asheville, but he does want to see the festival increase in size. He also wants the fest to embrace an ethos of innovation, which was what company founder and electronic music pioneer Bob Moog was all about.

“I definitely think there needs to be a component that celebrates the innovative spirit in Asheville. We need to broaden what the festival is about, and we need to make people more aware of the resources here,” Adams said.

Here’s the AC Entertainment press release:

AC Entertainment announced today that it will rename its multi-day electronic music festival in Asheville, NC, as the Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit for 2013, continuing to build on the success of the past three years when the event has been produced as Moogfest.

The re-naming of the festival comes in the wake of Moog Music Inc. electing not to re-license the Moogfest name to AC Entertainment. “We received a letter from them following this year’s festival, so we have no choice really but to re-name it. We have enjoyed booking, marketing and producing our event for our fans and want to continue with them on this creative journey,” explains Capps.”We’re taking this opportunity to rethink the event a bit and challenge ourselves. While we are still focused on Halloween weekend, that time of year has its difficulties and we’ve been encouraged to consider other options. This part of the world is a very special place – hence the name, Mountain Oasis. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and there’s so much more to explore.”

Details about Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit will be released in 2013.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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7 Comments

  1. randy December 19, 2012

    I find it odd that AC thinks what they are putting on is an “edm” festival. there were a couple decent dance music acts there for sure…but the sound, lighting and overall experience left a lot to be desired…Orbital just had a couple Ipads sitting on conference tables and the same generic rock lighting setup from the 90’s as everyone else we saw in the main arena…it was even more embarrassing that Hawtin had the same setup and only about 600ppl there….hopefully Moog can make a better “edm” festival than the hippie kings at AC

    Reply
  2. Mark from Weaverville December 10, 2012

    Also, the new festival name is a real turd.

    Reply
    1. Jason Sandford December 10, 2012

      Lol Mark. I agree.

      Reply
      1. James Fisher December 10, 2012

        Anyone recall Mtn Oasis fest,circa ’97? AC Ent/WNCW partnership that caused consternation to some. Seems interesting to use that name again. Hope we get two great festies!

        Reply
        1. ashevillain December 11, 2012

          The original Mountain Oasis Festival was October 6-8, 2000…and a completely different style of festival than this new version.

          Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
          Leftover Salmon
          Dark Star Orchestra
          David Gans
          Acoustic Syndicate
          Southern Culture on the Skids
          Donna the Buffalo
          Rowan & Rice
          etc…

          https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/alt.appalachian/wtNE7AUDonQ

          Reply
  3. Mark from Weaverville December 10, 2012

    Moogfest is dead, long live the new Moogfest!

    Kudos for Moog Music Inc. for having a vision and stepping away from the AC Entertainment based fest. It always bugged me that Moog, and the so called spirit of Moog, seemed so far removed from the actual fest. Though scant with details I like the ideas that Mike Adams and Moog Music Inc. envision for their own fest.

    Is there room in town for two perhaps similar fests? Probably not. We’ll see how this plays out, I guess.

    Reply

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