As many festivals revolving around art, both visual and musical, sprout up around Atlanta, the most recent installation of Nophest offers festival goers a bit of everything. The latest incarnation includes over 30 musical acts including bands and DJs, a bike race, an indie craft fair, three feature length films and more than a hundred short films. Pine correspondent Jason James set down with festival organizer Randy Garcia to chat about the festival, which starts Friday, Dec. 7, and will be held at Parkgrounds in Reynoldstown.

 
Jason James/Pine Magazine: How many years has Nophest been around?

Randy Garcia: 2006 was our first year, and we hold two festivals annually. The December festival marks our second (for the year) and third total festival. Sorry for the unnecessary math.

JJ: What was your main conception when designing the first Nophest?

RG: Nophest was originally conceived as a mini-festival with about 30 bands. The idea was to tie together the regional music scenes that don't normally get an opportunity to cross paths. We also wanted to get to know more people, and just have a good time away from the standard-issue bar venues. Along the way we sort of evolved into a bit more of a left-field showcase for all types of music, film and arts in the physical media. This time around we've even managed to include an aerial performer and a fixed-gear bike race.

JJ: How have your ideas developed since its inception? 

RG: In all honesty, we don't really have a development plan or concept. In fact, one of my favorite things about the Nophest festivals is that anything goes. We aren't trying to group genres together, or even really promote the concept of genre as a line of demarcation in music or art. I suppose the bottom line for Nophest is simply to let go and experience a life outside primitive classification. That is how we manage the festival... as a beautiful, loosely organized yet mostly chaotic mess.

JJ: How do your various musical projects intertwine with Nophest ideals?

RG: Well, I would say that the correlation between Nophest and my personal musical endeavors is exact. As an artist, I feel mostly compelled to experiment and improvise. I'm sure it's much the same for my business partner, Matt. I know I've seen Scott change things at Parkgrounds around quite a bit since they opened. So, between the three of us, I feel we have a good blend of things going on with our art. Change is good and variance is good. Formulas get stale.

JJ: What are your long term goals for the festival?

RG: Well, we certainly want to keep it going strong, so I'm eager to push it hard and get lots of people out to see the bands and experience the local art culture. Conversely, I would hate for it to grow too much, or go entirely corporate. There is a place for sponsorship, but for a festival like Nophest, I can only ever see it being a cross section of our artistic environment.

JJ: In what ways has the festival grown since the first year?

RG: We have more bands this year, local vendors, a dedicated movie screen, more crew to help out, and even a dedicated photographer to shoot the entire event. We are also planning a webcast and trying to get the college radio stations involved too. Parkgrounds also has considerably more space than our previous venue. Also, coffee!

JJ: Why the move from the 11:11 Tea house to ParkGrounds?

RG: 11:11 was and is a great venue for local music. However, having Nophest there presented us with some challenges in terms of space and logistics. Another reason is that ParkGrounds is in its first year of operation,  and is very receptive to new music, and art -- not to take anything away from the Teahouse, as they have been extremely open to our crazy schemes. Most importantly, I live in Reynoldstown -- about a block from ParkGrounds, which really makes it easy for me to work with Scott and crew over there. As they say, you gotta rep your hood!