In the past decade, the music industry has seen a lot of change. ITunes began a new era for music collectors, Lil Wayne went to jail and pretty much every band signs on to play music festivals.
Whether it’s in the Tennessee sun or a Chicago park, there’s a festival for any genre. Holding it down in Ohio, jam band Ekoostik Hookah has groomed what used to be a party in the woods into a bi-annual music festival.
This year marks the 33rd Hookahville, taking place from May 28 to 31. The headlining bands are Gov’t Mule, Michael Franti & Spearhead and of course, Ekoostik Hookah. It’s the only time this year Franti or Gov’t Mule will be in Ohio.
Dave Weissman, Hookahville’s media director, said the festival hopes to attract a more diverse audience with this year’s lineup.
“It’s constantly a challenge to educate the marketplace with what’s going on,” he said.
The festival’s first appearance was in 1994 on Ekoostik Hookah keyboardist/vocalist Dave Katz’s wooded property.
The plan was to play out in the woods on Memorial Day weekend, he said. The show was well received with about 800 people in attendance, so the band decided to do it again on Labor Day weekend.
Sixteen years later the tradition continues, as Hookahville is held on those two weekends every fall and spring.
In the past, there have been a few changes in location for the festival. This year it will be held at Legend Valley, a concert venue and campground in Thornville, Ohio.
The stay at Legend Valley began in spring of 2006, continuing until 2009 when there were problems that didn’t allow Hookahville to take place on the property.
“There were some unfortunate lawsuits going on that prevented it from happening last year,” Weissman said. “For the foreseeable future it’s going to be at Legend Valley, and there are no plans to change that.”
Compared to other modern festivals, there are a few major differences, aside from being in Ohio.
The price is cheaper than other festivals, especially super-festivals, which cost a couple hundred dollars a ticket and take place far away from Ohio.
“One thing we’ve always tried to do at Hookahville is keep the ticket price low. Even today it’s $75,” Katz said.
It’s also slightly older than some of the recent music festival titans.
“Hookahville was around 8 years before Bonnaroo,” Weissman said. He explained that he doesn’t think Ekoostik Hookah fans would go to more mainstream festivals in place of Hookahville.
