When it comes to North Carolina, few cities hold a candle to the vibrant mountain town of Asheville. Hailed by many as the “San Francisco of the East,” Asheville is a hub for all things artistic, invigorating and innovative. So what better place to hold the first Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit?
Mountain Oasis, a new festival, is set to take place Oct. 25-27 in downtown Asheville, but a few things place this festival head and shoulders above its competitors.
For starters, Mountain Oasis boasts an eclectic lineup of powerhouse acts from various genres. Nine Inch Nails, Bassnectar, Animal Collective and a recently reunited Neutral Milk Hotel will perform at the festival.
Mountain Oasis shows it isn’t limited in scope to electronic music.
AC Entertainment, one of the largest music promotion companies in the nation, will run the festival. Ashley Capps heads AC Entertainment, the company behind Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee and Forecastle, KY. Until last year, the company was also in charge of Asheville’s Moogfest, an electronic festival that paid tribute to the legendary Bob Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.
“The festival that was known as Moogfest for the past three years was our vision,” Capps said. “We programmed it, produced, marketed it, staffed it and paid for it…everything.”
It was clear that Moogfest was a product of AC Entertainment.
“We were proud of what we had created, wanted to see it continue,” Capps said. “We had to rebrand our festival as Mountain Oasis.”
And the name certainly couldn’t be more aptly titled. Capps has been promoting shows in Asheville since the early ‘90s. For the past decade, Capps has been the talent buyer for The Orange Peel, a popular venue in the mountain town.
“Asheville is an amazingly fun and inspiring town,” Capps says. “[It’s] practically a festival in its own right, and we’re lucky to have it to tap into.”
Capps’ affinity for the city of Asheville is made abundantly clear when we peer into the inner workings of Mountain Oasis. The festival has collaborated with Asheville artists, restaurants, breweries and more to help shine a spotlight on the city’s rich cultural offerings.
In tandem with Asheville Brewing Company, the festival created the Electric Pale Ale, a brew that will be on display at several beer tastings throughout restaurants—just one of the ways that Mountain Oasis connects with the city.
Throughout the weekend there will also be panels that highlight some of the brightest minds in electronic music, interactive music exhibits, art shows and much more.
“We hope to further capture people’s imaginations and inspire them to explore their own creativity,” Capps said. “We hope to inspire music lovers to explore and discover new music as well as see the artists they love.”
Which, quite frankly, is exactly what festivalgoers will be able to do at Mountain Oasis. The festival perfectly tows the line between the hip and the classic. Artists such as Jessie Ware, Disclosure, XXYYXX and Robert DeLong are all swiftly rising acts in the electronic realm and they’ll be performing alongside legends such as Gary Numan.
Mountain Oasis offers five venues, which should make for an interesting combination of performances. It’s not often we see Neutral Milk Hotel bringing its jangly folk rock masterpieces to the same stage. Bassnectar melts faces and drops basses.
“Mountain Oasis is different from many other festivals,” Capps said. “The shows are indoors, and offers us the opportunity to present artists in different environments that offer different experiences.”
For example, Nine Inch Nails will perform in the 7,700 capacity ExploreAsheville.Com Arena, making for the most intimate performance of their worldwide tour.
With such an exhaustive lineup, there are plenty of incredible things to check out at Mountain Oasis. Whether it be a popular house music duo or an iconic anti-folk songwriter, festivalgoers will surely stumble upon plenty of awe-inspiring concert experiences at the festival.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable weekend,” Capps states, “and we want everyone in attendance to have the time of their lives.”
