By Ami Tajiri, Margaret Sutherland, Michaela Gilmer and Will Saunders
J207/Gateway III
June 3, 2014
Pedal power. Green. Good vibes. Dope beats. These were some of the most overheard words and phrases uttered during the duration of Eugene’s 6th Annual Bike Music Festival that occurred on the evening of Thursday, May 22.
Participants gathered on the University of Oregon campus equipped with bicycles and a hunger for good music at 5 p.m. for the start of the festival at the Erb Memorial Union amphitheater. After the opening set, performers loaded their setups onto flatbeds affixed to bikes and pulled the performers through town, creating a mobile concert through the streets of Eugene, before ending up in Skinner’s Butte Park for another concert.
The Bike Music Festival was an idea first conceived by members of a band called The Ginger Ninjas who tour by bicycle. In the spring of 2009, The Ginger Ninjas came to Eugene to perform, and as they were leaving, lead singer Kipchoge Spencer stuck his head out of the bus to shout to current UO Outdoor Program Operations Manager, David Villalobos, his crazy idea. Villalobos took the idea and ran with it, creating the Eugene chapter of Bike Music Fest.
It sounds complicated, but the concept for the Bike Music Fest is deceptively simple. Willing participants continuously pedal special bikes that are hooked to generators that create the energy to power the musical equipment for performers on stage. Simple. Almost suspiciously so. But Villalobos insists that’s all it takes.
“Pedal power revolutionizes that experience. It really gets the connection between the audience and the performer and there’s that energy that goes back and forth; the mechanical energy, the spiritual energy of that connection and it takes it to a new level. So I think it’s more about that rather than the actual, you know, how many volts and watts and what cable and so on,” said Villalobos.
Although smaller compared to than in the past, this year was no different in terms of enthusiasm, hordes of happy bikers and a lineup of diverse and talented performers.
West Eugene-based band, The Dirty Dandelions kicked off the festivities in the EMU amphitheater by playing a selection of original songs that were inspired by their concern for the environment and culture. Immediately after beginning their first song, groups of people began converging around the amphitheater to listen to the lilting tones of lead singers Rachel Sanders and Moth Hoss.
Students were especially excited to take on an active role in the festival. Within minutes of the first song, there was a line to have a turn on one of the three pedal power bikes.
“I can run for days, but twenty minutes of this was hard,” said freshman participant Alexis Busso, with a grin and a bead of sweat making its way down her nose. Spectators were welcomed and encouraged to hop on a bike for as little or as long as they like to help contribute power for the generators.
After the Dirty Dandelions’ set, the crowd mobilized and began the festival’s transition to the “live-on bike ride” accompanied by the electronic mixes of bPollen. Non-bikers stopped in their tracks to watch the colorful parade of bikes and people pass by, and the concert only grew larger as it moved through the streets of downtown Eugene.
Once at Skinner’s Butte, people were able to enjoy various activities such as Frisbee, hacky sack, and dancing as well as help power the music. Bike Music Fest was still going strong when the last group, Adventure Galley, played its electronic dance party songs.
Bike Music Fest came to a close at 10 p.m. leaving everyone there tired but happy, and with a sense that they contributed to something greater than themselves.
“The environmental impact [of Bike Music Fest] is ridiculous and what we can do with just human power is really great,” said first-timer Mary Ferris Vertulfo. “The whole idea of biking is so good for you, its good for the environment, and if we can utilize that energy in so many other ways, then why shouldn’t we? If we can use that to celebrate something like music, it’s pretty cool.”
The Bike Music Fest is, at its core, an unusual event. But what makes it so special is that it requires participants to actively be involved and creates a great community event
The appeal of an entirely green event has drawn many people in to volunteer; part of the reason this event is so successful year after year. Head Volunteer Kate Armstrong had helped coordinate the event for the first time this year, and has seen nothing but positivity come from it.
“It’s a time to celebrate bikes, not only as a form of transportation or recreation, but also as a way to entertain ourselves and to power things we care about, like music,” said Armstrong, about her enthusiasm for Bike Music Fest.
One of the main things that excite people about the Bike Music Fest is the tangible impact it has on the community and the implications it has for pedal power in the future. However, when contemplating the future of the festival, David Villalobos has some surprising thoughts.
“I hate to say it, but in some way I think the Bike Music Fest may have done its job and ran its course. However, the signature component of the festival is the live-on bike component. So actually having a live performance on a live stage on a mobile stage and that statement having hundreds of people moving through town…what better way is there to connect sustainability and the arts. But who knows what the future holds?”
The City of Eugene is excited to find out, Mr. Villalobos, and we hope to continue seeing Bike Music Fest in the years to come.