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BAM! booker Tom Neubauer is changing the face of Chicago street festivals.

Monday Jun 23, 2008.     By K. Tighe

Festivals Feed

In the city of a thousand festivals, how the hell does a person decide what to do for the weekend? My plan so far this summer has been to wander around the streets until I find one blocked off with the tell-tale barricades, a donation-gathering volunteer acting as gatekeeper to the rows of white tents, corn-hole lanes and makeshift stages. This meandering approach has paid off on a few occasions: Once, I got to pet a baby goat. Another time, I found a delicious brat. Yet in all of my weekend travels, I haven't stumbled upon the next great musical thing. In fact, I haven't happened upon a stage rotation beyond the usual slew of cover bands, crap rock and mediocre bar bands that clearly should have stayed in bed.

When I wander down to Roscoe Village this weekend, that's all gonna change.

You see, while the great musical festivals of Chicago (Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Taste) have traditionally been held in parks, there are a few Chicago fests that are taking the rock back to the street where it belongs. Leading the charge? The Belmont Arts and Music Festival, now in its second year, sports a lineup that doesn't mess around. The inaugural fest featured the Heartless Bastards, Bob Mould, The Wrens and Brighton, MA; and this year is even better—headliners include Saddlecreek mainstays Cursive, and Milwaukee indie-pop quartet Maritime on Saturday, and Chicago's own The Redwalls and The Waco Brothers closing out Sunday night. Brought to us by Big Creek Productions (who also book Wicker Park Fest), this unassuming neighborhood fest is custom built for music snobs, indie geeks and those looking to step out of the mainstream. I caught up with Tom Neubauer who, along with House Call Entertainment's Derron Swan, booked this hidden gem of a music fest:

You seem to have a pretty healthy mix of indie rock and indie-folk bands, was this intentional?
The type of music we book is indeed intentional and also a reflection of our individual strengths. Derron is an indie rock clairvoyant, he has a knack for knowing the next big underground band. My booking seems a bit schizophrenic on the surface, as it's a mix of Americana and indie rock, but I do try to create an energy flow and vibe through my band lineup.

Many local bands are represented here, is BAM! becoming a forum for local acts to play for the festival audience?
I always, always, always try to support local music first. After I go through my hit list of great locals, then I'll look to bring bands in from other markets. Even with that, it often has a local angle, like bringing in Justin Townes Earle (Steve Earle's son) who is on Chicago's Bloodshot Records. BAM! is a forum for quality music first, both local and national, but always with a local bent whenever possible. There are so many great local acts, there is usually not a big need to go beyond the Windy City talent.

Could you tell us a little bit about what it means to be able to give the stage to so many Chicagoans?
It's a unique and fun (sometimes frustrating) job to be able to book live music! I've been booking music and performers in Chicago for over 15 years, working within every genre from blues to industrial to country to rock. The amazing thing is, Chicago is always at the forefront of every music genre, which makes it exciting to go to the club down the street and look for new talent. The best part is developing friendships along the way with amazingly creative people.

How was the collaboration process between Big Creek and House Call?
Derron's style and talent pool is a bit different than mine. We both book quality, and what we end up with seems to be a really great balance between the two stages. My saga of booking BAM! this year was for sure schizophrenic as I was booking bands just before, during and just after my wife gave birth to our first son. I think the end result of that chaos was an interesting and diverse line-up.

Who are you really excited to see play at BAM! this year?
TN: I'm excited to see them all! I haven't heard a lot of the new material from Smoking Popes or The Redwalls live, so am very excited to see them from a fan's perspective. I like what Justin Townes Earle has recorded and am intrigued to see his live performance. How good is the next Earle generation? We'll find out! Are Dot Dot Dot and Rocket just stupid TV fluff bands? No! They are actually great musicians that have been playing for years! Ezra Furman, great stuff—Dylan meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. No matter when you show up, you'll see and hear great stuff both days.

How do you think this young festival is measuring up to Chicago's other music fests?
I leave that up to the public and entertainment writers to answer! I will say that we were very happy to have such a huge turn-out last year, which is never easy in Chicago's saturated festival scene. And booking indie over mainstream cover bands is never the easy road. As long as we keep getting compared to fests we respect like Pitchfork, we'll be honored.

How does the lineup embody the spirit of the Roscoe Village community?
Chicago is a city of neighborhoods and our goal with BAM!, as it is with Wicker Park Fest, is to create something unique and special to Roscoe Village. Many city festivals feel a bit the same no matter where it [takes place], so our plan has always been to be different and reflect the neighborhood we are in. I take note of residents and businesses in that neighborhood to make sure I bring them something they will enjoy, plus working to bring new people into their neighborhood.

BAM! Belmont Arts & Music Festival takes place in Roscoe Village (on Belmont between Damen and Leavitt) from Saturday June 28 to Sunday June 29. Bands include: Cursive, Maritime, Sybris, Unwed Sailor, Parlor Mob, Mark Rose, Everthus the Deadbeats, The Redwalls, The Waco Brothers, Dot Dot Dot, Steepwater, Rockit, Hey Champ, American Music Club, Johnathan Rice, Maria Taylor, Casiotone for the Painfully alone, Nik Frietas, Yourself and the Air, The Smoking Popes, Justin Townes Earle, Air This Side of Caution, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, Anne Harris Band and Cavashawn. For more info, check out bigcreekevents.com.