Next To Last

The Two-Day Next Festival Brings In Local And National Indie-Rock And Hip-Hop Acts

originally published December 5, 2007

Outdoor festivals are part of a long tradition in popular music, but it's rare for them to take place in the winter months, instead, gifting concertgoers with sunburns and heatstroke. Nor do they typically benefit local progressive groups, more often padding the wallets of promoters, vendors and sponsors.

Twenty-year-old Athenian Will Donaldson aims to break that mold this weekend, organizing the two-day Next to Last Fest on his family's property out in Bogart. This is the second such festival for Donaldson, who scheduled a similar one-day event in July of 2006 that got seriously rained out. He has invited nearly 20 musical acts to perform, as well as progressive speakers, food and craft vendors and performance artists. All proceeds will benefit local activist resource center Common Ground, as well its New Orleans counterpart.

"I lived in New Orleans the past year, and working for the Jazz & Heritage Fest there has made this possible," Donaldson says. "New Orleans was so impactful to me. What [Common Ground] does there is so much more hands on and palpable than most aid groups," he says, referring to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. "They'll provide neighborhood people with the bicycles or computers they actually need. It's on a really primal, necessary level." Common Ground Athens will be correlating the volunteer base, and provide speakers and tabling.

Unlike view-from-a-distance outdoor music festivals, Next to Last hopes to provide a more interactive musical environment. Donaldson & Co. have built a low stage so attendees can be near the artists, and he balks at comparisons to mega-fests like Bonnaroo. "It's not some grandiose environment," he says. "It's a small stage in a nice-sized field."

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Musical miscegenation is also important to Donaldson. Next to Last features singer-songwriters, hip-hop, electronic, jazz and rock artists. Saturday's headliner, Daedelus, is a Los Angeles-based electronica artist. Sunday sees Themselves - the Bay Area, CA, duo of rapper Doseone and producer Jel of indie hip-hop record label Anticon - grace the stage. Next to Last also features a dozen Athens artists, including Circulatory System, Hope For Agoldensummer and Dark Meat. "Having artists be cross-genre is real important to me," says Donaldson." Sometimes it seems Athens is unsure of what's going on. If someone is 'subjected' to a band they didn't want to see, or 'forced' to watch something they don't know, they might end up liking it."

"There is a total fantasy aspect to the artists I asked to perform, getting artists I personally love, but I also wanted ones that have something to say and will bring something new to think about," he says. Donaldson feels that the nature of the artists' music has a message of awareness, "be it in the lyrics or delivery." Daedelus plays a custom-built instrument with programmed sounds for each improvised performance, an abstract practice Donaldson cites as an example of commentary inherent in its music, whereas Themselves is lyrically direct with its message.

In addition to musical performers, Next to Last will feature several performers of the artistic and pyrotechnic kind. While specifics were still being confirmed at press time, Asheville, NC-based Unifire Theatre - a choreographed and costumed "fire arts" performance troupe that showcases Maori fire juggling called poi - plans to perform. And before the music begins Sunday morning, the festival is offering free yoga classes.

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Outdoor festivals are also notorious for the massive amounts of waste on pristine land. Next to Last will encourage vendors to recycle plastics and aluminum, and to compost food waste. With the drought looming more dangerously and frighteningly, Common Ground and Environment Georgia will be tabling and speaking on it. Attendees are encouraged to carpool to the festival, with parking prices on a sliding scale depending on the number of passengers per car. Donaldson attributes this idea to Orange Twin's Laura Carter, who used the same technique for the Olivia Tremor Control reunion shows two years ago. Tickets for just one day cost $15, while two-day passes are $20 - both are available online and at the SchoolKids and Wuxtry record shops downtown.

That brings us back to the fact the festival is outdoors and in the wintry month of December. Donaldson, for one, isn't worried. "This is Athens," he says. "It can't be drastically cold. I think it will be gorgeous." Attendees are invited to camp on the site, at which point a massive fire will go up, furthering the community vibe of the festival. "It's a chance to share something personal," he says.

An outdoor music festival in December outside of downtown Athens will instill doubt in some, but Donaldson's enthusiasm for the event is strong. Indeed, it has that much more going for it: an organized, fun event with great bands, in an intimate setting that benefits vital organizations. The long johns and puffy jackets had to come out soon; now seems an appropriate time.

Scott Reid

For directions, tickets and more details on the Next to Last Fest, visit www.nexttolastfest.com.