With last year’s “Farewell to Minglewood,” many fans have been wondering about the fate of the beloved Catskill Chill Music Festival in 2016. Last week, reporters picked up on an interesting tidbit about the Chill, as organizer Dave Marzollo met with the Board of Supervisors in Lake George, NY, about potentially bringing the festival to a new location.
While Lake George may be where the festival settles, the plans are anything but set in stone. Marzollo agreed to discuss Chill’s plans with Live for Live Music, in an attempt to set the record straight. Here’s L4LM’s exclusive:
L4LM: Thanks for chatting with us! How is the search going for a new location? What are you looking for in a new site?
Dave Marzollo: The search for a new home for the Chill has been fun, to say the least. We have scoured the northeast, trying to leave no stone unturned. We have seen arenas, summer camps, towns, estates, farms, resorts, empty fields and even an airstrip in the middle of the woods. I have had the opportunity to travel around with my best friends, scoping out venues, where each new site is a blank slate that will inevitably bring an entirely different feel. It has been a real blast!
As for what we are looking for: Where to begin? We look for a great concert field, prime attendee camping, ample attendee housing options, an accepting community, late-night rage-able venues, convenient parking and of course, a site that possesses the natural beauty that we have all grown accustomed to.
L4LM: We recently learned that Catskill Chill was looking at a new location in Lake George, NY. How is that process going and how likely is the move?
DM: I love the idea of the Chill at Lake George, but nothing has been decided, despite what you may have seen or heard. We have made many visits to this popular vacation destination and it is certainly one of the top choices for our beloved Chill. That being said, I want to make sure that the ChillFam understands that this is not set in stone, by any means. As I mentioned before, we are still looking at other locations, and we still need to overcome one or two minor red-tape hurdles in Lake George to confirm that this site is a viable option for us. We won’t fully commit until we are one hundred percent certain that we have everything lined up perfectly for an amazing event.
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L4LM: Tell us about the new Lake George location. What makes it so attractive as a festival site?
DM: This town has so much to offer: a gorgeous lakeside outdoor concert filed, a late-night indoor venue that is larger than our Minglewood Mainstage, where we can maintain our tradition of great music into the wee hours, comfortable and convenient camping that is close to the music, a welcoming local government, a beautiful public beach for fans to enjoy and over 4000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the concert venues.
L4LM: Lake George isn’t in the Catskills. Any thoughts on a new name for the festival?
DM: One of our founders, Josh Cohen, was the one to coin the name “Catskill Chill” so I wouldn’t want to make any bold proclamations until I have seen what new names he comes up with. Besides, we will have to see just exactly where we land, before we can settle on a name.
L4LM: Certainly one of the charming qualities of Catskill Chill is the camp-like feeling of attending. How does the new site carry on that legacy and what ideas do you have to further it?
DM: I believe that it is not a site that makes the festival. I believe that it is the people that make the event. It starts with the enthusiasm of the artists and carries over into all of our passionate ChillFam and the way they embrace one another. It is the vendors that have been with us from the first chill, and the staff that take such good care of our patrons. Wherever we go, be it Lake George or somewhere else, we know that it is the sum of the members of our family that makes it “The Chill”.
L4LM: With all the rumors we have heard and are likely to hear, how will the fans know what to believe?
DM: As soon as we have a site locked in, we will make an announcement on our website, on our social media pages and we will put our blind faith tickets on sale. Until then, I would not recommend anyone buy their plane tickets, reserve hotel rooms or take the days off from work. Don’t worry, we are confident that we will have a definitive location and dates relatively soon.
L4LM: What’s the one thing you’re most excited about for the Chill in 2016?
DM: Well, that is an easy one. I am most excited about the lineup. I know that people are sometimes scared of change and we are standing on the brink of a major change. We have often asked ourselves: “What can we do to ensure that all of our family makes the trip to somewhere new and unknown?” and in the end we realized it is actually pretty simple. It is about the music – just like it has always been. With that in mind, we have been brainstorming tirelessly on what we can do to not only bring top talent, but find new and exciting ways to present that talent. I think that we have always been known for our creativity when it comes to our lineup and schedule and with what we have in store, we can only say that you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. This will be our biggest, best and most dynamic lineup to date, we can certainly promise you that.
Then again, it has also always been about the Chillfam, so the other thing I’m most looking forward to is the moment I see thousands of Chillfam dancing to their favorite bands and realizing that our “all love, all the time” mentality is defined by us, the Chillfam, and not any specific place or time.
Thanks again to Dave Marzollo for taking the time out and answering our questions! We can’t wait for the Chill in 2016, wherever it may roam!