Interview with Erica Rucker and Rob Codey,

Festival Directors of Terrastock 7
(via e-mail)

BS: This is the 7th Terrastock festival…how did this tradition start?

Erica: From my understanding, the festival got its start as a supplement to the Ptolemaic Terrascope magazine and a way to raise money for it.

Rob: I don’t know if it made them any money, but a great idea cannot be denied, and so Terrastocks kept happening.

BS: Where does the name Terrastock/Terrascope come from?

Rob: To quote the Wikipedia entry: “According to the magazine, the name Ptolemaic Terrascope has no real meaning. Their official web page explains, “Ptolemy is a tortoise who lives at Terrascope Towers. Terrascope is a word Phil [McMullen] made up because (a) it matched the artwork we’d designed for the first issue, and (b) we like the Captain Beefheart song ‘Tarotplane’.” I like ‘Tarotplane’, too. Terrastock, the name, came about because it was obvious.

BS: We at B.S. know Louisville is a great city for music, but how did Terrastock go about choosing Louisville to host this year’s festival?

Erica: The way it happened with Mellwood was that I heard through a friend that Mellwood wanted to have another festival after hosting Forecastle. I thought it would be a long shot but I’d see if the folks in London were interested in bringing the festival to Louisville. To get London (Phil McMullen and crew) on board, it definitely took some convincing but the names “Slint” or “Squirrel Bait” work wonders. Immediately people open up about why Louisville is an important music city. Then of course after mentioning the obvious names, and including Will Oldham, Tara Jane O’Neil, etc…it becomes easy to seriously discuss Louisville as a viable venue. Why Louisville? Because it fucking rocks, damnit!

Rob: Specifically, it began one night when Erica and I were talking on the phone, and I was trying to figure out a way to see Motorpsycho again. They kicked my ass at Terrastock 5 (I liken the experience to hearing the Beatles for the first time, seriously) and figured the only way it was going to happen was to either fly to Norway for a hometown concert, or put on a Terrastock and invite them. We chose the latter.

BS: For people who have been to Terrastock in the past, how is this year going to be different?

Erica: First we’ll have an outdoor stage. We will be apologizing to our Northern European friends for the heat and humidity but it will allow the festival a bit of room to let its hair down and take its shirt off. Second the Market will be expanded and there will be other interesting happenings surrounding the festival; films and book readings. It will (hopefully) be a wonderful cultural weekend. Also, this year’s Terrastock will be donating a good portion of profits to a local charity. It is important to give something back to the community. Louisville is a very generous town. The rest of any profits will roll over into the production of the next Terrastock…hopefully in Louisville!

BS: There are already a ton of great names on the confirmed band list…(1) how did you rope them all in and (2) should we expect more (I hear Boris may be a possibility)?

Erica: Rob and Phil are powerful e-mailers. Phil has great contacts and a good report with many bands and the grapevine about Terrastock is phenomenal. I gave some ideas but those two did all the work on that.

Rob: We do have a couple more groups in the pipeline, who I shouldn’t explicitly name. I will say that one is a famous brand of silverware, and the other is a resurrected group from the early seventies who didn’t get their due until much later. But you didn’t hear that from me.

BS: How can a band go about getting a slot in the festival?

Rob: This time around, you can’t. There are no slots available. And if one should open, rest assured we’ve got a waiting list as long as your arm. Sorry. For the future, it’s all here: Terrascope FAQ’s

Erica: Also, if you’re in a band and I assume this is true for any festival, pay attention to the types of music the festival promotes. I’ve had the same awful Caribbean performer email me numerous times about playing. Terrastock’s music is in pretty definite genres. Although Caribbean music can be fine, it isn’t fine for this.

BS: You have a great venue with the Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center, any thoughts on the lay-out (one stage/two stages…)?

Erica: We will have two main stages and a small 3rd stage for impromptu performances/DJs. We’ll have a merchant/artist market and some food and drink vendors sprinkled throughout.

Rob: The two main ones are for the official line-up. There will be NO OVERLAPPING SETS!!!! You can hear every note of every artist if you so desire. I wouldn’t recommend trying it. It’s a grueling task.

BS: When can we expect tickets to go on sale (any idea as to price range)?

Rob: This month. We’re going to have an early bird sale that’ll probably last until Valentine’s Day, but then prices will go up. As we get closer to the fest, there will be day passes available, but day passes ain’t hardcore. You want the full effect, dontcha?

Erica: Tickets are definitely more than Forecastle. Terrastock is an event that involves musicians worldwide. With bands flying in from Japan, the prices for plane tickets are not cheap. The payoff of seeing someone like Mono or Acid Mother’s Temple live and close-up (and with the potential for hangtime after) is irreplaceable.

BS: In the meantime, what can Louisville music lovers do to help out?

Erica: Louisville music fans can go to shows promoted by people like Kris Abplanalp of Sapat. He’s had his fingers on the pulse of this scene for a very long time. He’s been bringing these types of bands to town for years and they are playing to tiny crowds when the music is worthy of much more. Investigate the local shows (at places like Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge, The Nachbar and The Pour Haus) before the festival. Listen to the music leading up to the festival and VOLUNTEER to work at the festival. It’s a great way to get a day pass and it will help us make this festival an important part of the Louisville music landscape.

Rob: Volunteer. Spread the word. And listen to the music. Explore. Some of these bands you probably have never heard of, but that doesn’t mean they don’t rawk.

BS: How do we sign-up?

Erica: Until I find a volunteer coordinator, contact me. Erica at Terrascope dot co dot uk. I always write it out because when it’s posted as an email addy, I get spambots in the worst way.

BS: Thanks a lot for your time and good luck with the festival. We really appreciate all your efforts in bringing Terrastock to Louisville!

A few songs to tide you over (note: not all of the bands below will be at the fest)….

Motorpsycho- Watersound

Squirrel Bait- Kid Dynomite

Captain Beefheart- Moonlight on Vermont

Slint- Good Morning, Captain

Bonnie Prince Billy- The Worlds Greatest (R.Kelly Cover)

Sapat- Dark Silver

Wooden Shjips- We Ask You To Ride

Marissa Nadler- Thinking of You

If you dig the music, please give Erica a shout and volunteer. We will be sure to give everyone updates as more info rolls in.

Older posts on Terrastock 7:

Terrastock 7 Coming to Louisville! (with confirmed band line-up)

Marissa Nadler @ Terrastock VII