Recently, L4LM had the opportunity to talk with Gary Chetkof (founder of Mountain Jam Festival and principal owner of Radio Woodstock 100.1) about his great festival, some of his early musical influences, fostering new talent, as well as the community he has created and nurtured at Hunter Mountain since 2004.
Since its debut in 2004, Mountain Jam has blossomed from a one-day, one-off event into a four-day getaway, hailed as one of the premiere music and camping festivals in the country. If you’d asked founder Gary Chetkof about the growth back then, he never would have believed it himself. It has been an organic process and one that has endeared Mountain Jam, and Chetkof, to fans everywhere.
Talking to Chetkof about his early musical influences, he like many others pointed to two defining periods of his life: high school and college. As a kid growing up in Long Island, NY, Chetkof characterizes his tastes as being that of the classic rock bands of the era: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Cream, David Bowie, Neil Young, etc.
It’s no coincidence that you’ll still find these pillars of rock still in heavy rotation on Chetkof’s owned Radio Woodstock 100.1. He has never forgotten his roots, and as it happens, when I asked Chetkof about his short list of bands/musicians left to play Mountain Jam, he responded with quite the threesome: Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and Paul McCartney. As Chetkof will concede, “I dream pretty big.”
Later on at college in Atlanta, GA at Emory University, Chetkof started picking up on the new wave of music, spearheaded by the likes of the Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Elvis Costello and U2. He even remarked that he recalled thinking U2 would be the biggest rock band since The Who. He wasn’t far off with that prediction.
Chetkof has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to investing in new and fresh music. He tells me when he came back to New York from college that “something was missing” and that he eschewed from the old classic stuff. Many of the bands from his adolescence were still around, but didn’t really appeal to him. He says, “I’d rather be seeing someone in their prime as opposed to seeing nostalgia acts from the past.”
This is one of the philosophies Chetkof has held onto at both Radio Woodstock and Mountain Jam – honoring the old while making room for the new. “The station was always progressive, hip and cool. It’s just a matter of positioning the old and the new, finding it the right space and juxtaposing it with something else.”
Back in March of 1994, Chetkof was quoted in Billboard as saying “you don’t get into [a modern rock station] to make a lot of money. To me you should keep it cool and hip.” He confirmed that this notion is the same one he applies to his festivals: “Programming is the most fun. It really is an art. But there’s a business side to it as well. It’s probably the biggest creative thing I do.” It’s certainly not the only thing Chetkof does either.
“It’s a constant struggle for me to enjoy and produce it at the same time. I refuse to not have any enjoyment and not see any the music. In the beginning years, I’d be in the office working when I’d hear one of my favorite bands go on, so, I had to get some freedom to see my favorite bands.” He continued, saying how, at least for a short while, he wants to be in the music, with the artists, with the fans, enjoying the festival like everyone else.
“Everything I do in life is really based upon wanting to enjoy it. I’ve really made an effort to find the balance. I hired really good people,” he says proudly. Of course, one major change between 2004 and 2015 is improved communication.
“Texting is the greatest thing ever,” he says. “With a radio, you can’t hear it go off while you’re onstage. Texting makes me available 24/7, or for at least the 20-hour days for four days in a row [at Mountain Jam]. I literally have to go to a training program; eating right, exercise; it really is a physical/mental toll. Everyone wants to talk me. EVERYONE. I lose my voice. It’s pretty exhausting. It was a good idea on paper [running a festival], but I had no idea it would be this difficult” he adds jokingly.
Hard though it may be, it hasn’t stopped Chetkof from building up a unique community atmosphere at Hunter Mountain that shares many of the same ideals and mentalities as the Woodstock/Hudson Valley region. “The essence of the community we wanted to attract were people who really wanted to be free-thinking individuals; progressives; those embracing peace, love, and understanding… Really kind of like the Woodstock ideals that we had taken to heart at the radio station; doing more with music, and about educating and really highlighting those other aspects of life that are very important.”
Mountain Jam offers a number of educational opportunities and workshops for attendees to “try to get mind, body, and spirit on the same page,” although don’t expect to see Chetkof at Michael Franti’s Sunday Morning Yoga Session, he’ll probably be catching up on some much needed sleep.
Speaking of Franti, however, Chetkof maintains that Franti carries the spiritual side of the festival. “It means a lot to the people who come to see him. He can make people dance as well as bring people to tears.”
He also recognizes the crucial role that Gov’t Mule, along with Warren Haynes, have played in the history and legacy of Mountain Jam. “Warren is one of the nicest guys, best guitar players, and really respected and loved” by the entire Mountain Jam community. When Mountain Jam needed a headliner for that first festival, Mule stepped up. After the first festival went over well, Chetkof tells me Warren & Co. “were instrumental in convincing me to do it again” and “based on their loyalty, it just kind of grew.”
However, with growth come more problems to combat. In particular, overzealous security practices have been a hot topic surrounding Mountain Jam this “offseason.” Chetkof has made several statements over the past several months outlining what the festival has undertaken to quell the concerns, but now a little over a month away till the festival, and reaffirmed those statements decisively: “I feel a lot better about it. I made it my #1 priority. This is the first thing I’m going to be doing, is going to be at the gates making sure everyone is treated properly… There’s a lot [of people] I need to prove that to. What I said needs to be translated [into action]. I’ve done everything I can do besides cloning myself to make it work (laughs).”
Finally, we asked Chetkof what have been the biggest lessons he’s learned during his tenure running Mountain Jam. His answer was very telling as to how much he truly cares about running the festival and how much planning goes into making sure attendees have a great time:
“What makes a festival is attention to detail. I never would have realized there were so many moving parts. The saying ‘the devil is in the detail’ is so true because for hours in meetings we’ll talk about the most minute things, but if you don’t do it and execute it, you’re wiped out…[It’s about] really understanding the big picture, but focusing on the small details. That, plus hiring really, really good people and keeping them so they become experts at what they do and familiar with the festival and the intricate scenes of your venue.”
“Having a really special venue” is very important to Chetkof as well. “Something unique and beautiful; the setting has to be special, and Hunter Mountain really exudes that – you’re surrounded by nature, hiking trails, streams, camp sites, a natural amphitheatre, and there’s infrascture, too (i.e. showers and bathrooms).”
Be on the lookout for Chetkof and his trusted associates from June 4-7 in Hunter, NY, with headlining performances from moe., Robert Plant & The Sensational Shapeshifters, Railroad Earth, Gov’t Mule, Alabama Shakes, Michael Franti & Spearhead and so many more!