The August Moon Music Festival was the first indie music festival to happen on the Ohio University campus and featured performances by six bands.
From 20 people dancing on stage with Waivada, to Angela Perley encouraging the audience to howl at the moon, a dull moment was few and far between at the August Moon Music Festival at the Scripps Hall Amphitheater.
The August Moon Music Festival is the first festival of its kind to showcase six indie bands at Ohio University. Water Witches, Knots featuring Eli Chambers, Wolfmen, Waivada, The D-Rays and Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons comprised the lineup of the night.
The festival showcased the musical acts to not only students, but the Athens community, as well. The show went on for eight hours, a purposeful plan to lead attendees into the night of a full moon.
Each of the six bands that performed at the festival had some sort connection to OU, whether they are current students or alumni.
Michael Tedesco, the director of the event, said the link between music and the university prompted him to create the festival.
“Everyone thinks this is some amazing concept, and I’m here, a refugee from the music industry, going how has this not happened yet?” he said.
Married OU alumni Mariah Roj and Wes Roj, who have been living in Athens for eight years, said they wished the festival had always been going on, especially while they went to school at OU.
Mariah said they loved the music and the overall vibe. She said they hope OU will continue to have the festival and believe that it will grow in the coming years. Mariah added that she was happy to finally see the Scripps Amphitheater put to good use for the festival.
As the fifth act of the night, The D-Rays played high energy instrumental rock music that energized the crowd.
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Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons was the last band to perform, and compared to the rest of the performances, the attendees were the most energized. The band didn’t limit its set to one genre; attendees danced along to the band’s rock, country, pop and blues sound.
With a voice similar to Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine, Angela Perley has an unorthodox instrumental style. Among Perley’s instruments of choice, she played a musical saw. Holding the tool between her knees, she bent the saw at different angles while stringing it with a violin bow to create a unique sound that left the audience intrigued.
The amphitheater worked well in encompassing the music within the area. The concert was essentially inaudible outside of the venue.
Festival attendance grew throughout the night. By the time Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons began performing, there were about 200 people watching.
Garrett Namian, the lead singer of Waivada, said he likes to play music that the audience responds well to, especially when students came up on stage to dance along to the funky music.
“It was so eclectic, and I think that was the purpose of this event — to bridge the gap between these separate entities, these separate sounds under one tree,” Namian, a senior studying audio production, said. “Having people come up on stage and dance — it’s like a dream come true.”
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