By Brian Remick
Daily Bruin Contributor
No one would deny that Los Angeles is one of the most important
music centers in the world.
Which makes it even harder to believe that there has never been
a large-scale music festival held in Los Angeles.
Until now.
The F Musicfest is the creation of Concrete Marketing, Inc., who
has been hosting festivals of this kind for the last nine years.
Not until this year, however, have they dared to move from a single
venue.
This year, in addition to the usual film screenings and
informative panels on every aspect of the music business, the
festival will feature over 180 bands playing in 18 different venues
over a span of three nights, which  to say the least Â
is overwhelming.
Mostly unsigned or little-known bands will be playing at clubs
all over Hollywood, including the Roxy, the Troubadour, the
Whiskey, Billboard Live, and the Palace  and pretty much any
other club you could name in Hollywood. More popular bands like
Helmet, Motorhead and Body Count are also making appearances.
To highlight the festival, Van Halen will be presented with an
Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, previously given to such
bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper.
"The goal is to situate ourselves in Hollywood," says Bob
Chiappardi, president of Concrete Marketing. "We’ve been in hotels
and very contained."
In the past, what was previously called the Foundations Forum
would typically consist of a group of panels and discussions of
issues in the music industry, coupled with at most 50 bands playing
at the site, usually a hotel. But this year’s festival is a major
expansion from last year.
Festivals of this magnitude have been held for years in other
cities, such as South by Southwest in Austin, Texas  one of
the largest in the world. Many find it surprising, however, that
Los Angeles has never hosted a festival of this size before,
especially when Los Angeles is considered one of the music centers
of world.
"This town is already saturated with bands," says Doug
Heffernan, lead singer and guitarist for Three Penny Needle, who
will be playing the final day of the festival at Moguls. "It seems
like in other places there is still a passion for new music, but
here everyone is doing the same thing."
"The clubs and the live music scene have changed," says
Chiappardi, referring to the recent trend in Hollywood to be more
accepting of new music. "Logistically, it has been very
challenging."
Although traditionally it has been very difficult to promote new
music in Hollywood, an event like the F Musicfest is bound to have
some success, considering the clubs that are sponsoring it normally
feature bands that are just trying to get their foot in the door of
the industry.
"It’s really hard to get people to come to these shows
[individually]," says Heffernan. "The F Musicfest is geared toward
an audience that is into our music." A large group of clubs devoted
to promoting the same thing should attract more attendance than
would each one individually.
This is especially true since Concrete Marketing teamed up with
Goldenvoice, one of the largest concert promotion companies in the
country, to promote the event.
Despite the fact most of the promotion behind the F Musicfest is
concentrated on the bands, informational panels are being held all
day long during the festival on various issues in the music
industry, such as distribution and marketing. Anyone who wants to
get involved in the industry should definitely check these out.
MusiCares will be hosting one of the most significant panel
discussions of the festival on the increasing problem of substance
abuse in the music industry. The panel will take place at the
Palladium and will feature Eddie Money and Chris Jones, the manager
of Blind Melon, whose lead singer died of a heroin overdose.
"Obviously we’ve had enough casualties in the past year that
something has to be done," says Chiappardi. "The goal is to put a
spotlight on it to show that the industry does care about their
own. To have the media covering it is an important step [to ending
substance abuse]."
Many in favor of the panel agree that discussing the issue will
make audiences more aware of the problem so that a solution might
present itself.
Bands playing the festival, however, tend to take a different
view of the panel. "It’s great to discuss it and all, but I really
don’t think you can change anybody until they’re ready to change,"
says Ron Heathman, guitarist for the Supersuckers, who will be
playing at the Palace during the festival.
"I’m not sure if it’s much of a mystery. It’s not like it’s
something underground or hidden," says Heffernan. "I’m not sure how
much [the panel] is going to help."
Due to Concrete Marketing’s association with heavy metal, this
year’s festival is saturated with both modern rock and metal bands.
But, for once, they’re not in competition.
"Every one of these alternative guys did hammer at one time
growing up," says Heffernan, referring to the wide influence that
metal has had on alternative music. Perhaps only the F Musicfest
could bring Motorhead and the Supersuckers to the same stage on the
same night.
"We’ve never played with Motorhead," says Supersucker Heathman.
"I’m hoping to get Lemmy (Motorhead guitarist) to sign my
guitar."
Since this is the first time Concrete Marketing has tried an
event of this magnitude, even they admit that this year is going to
be somewhat of a trial.
"This is going to be really a test year. We’re being very
aggressive in what we’re trying to accomplish in the first year,"
says Chiappardi. "I think if we have a reasonable success this
year, it will make next year very special."
FESTIVAL: F Musicfest runs from Friday- Sunday
all over Hollywood. Tickets available through Ticketmaster, Tower,
Blockbuster, Robinsons May or at the Hollywood Palladium Box
Office. Tickets: $25 for one night, $75 for three nights. Also
check out http://www.themusiczone.com.