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We believe that our stay on this
planet is short and that we were put here to do something
positive for humanity. Therefore our mission is to bring
people from all walks of life together through music and
art to raise awareness and inspire action regarding the
environment and other cause related pieces that encourage
positive vibrations.
Founded in 1992 by Northeastern University student Andrew Stahl, Gamelan began
as a side project dedicated to finding shows for his friends’ bands. Since
that time Gamelan has evolved from a local booking agency into a national concert
promoter known as Gamelan Productions, and finally into its current form, Gamelan
Interactive Group - a multi-faceted and full service management and promotion
company.
Gamelan earned its reputation in the Northeast by booking
and developing local Boston acts such as Soulive (Blue
Note Records), John Brown’s Body (Shanachie Records),
The New Deal (Jive Electro Records), The Slip (Rykodisc),
and Jiggle. The company’s ability to put on successful
single night events allowed it to launch a string of seasonal
concert series’ in 1997. These 6 to 10 week projects
combine 10 to 15 concerts into a common theme interconnected
by creative titles, interactive contests, and stunning
poster art designed by Gamelan’s in-house artist
Mark Thomas. Highlights from this ongoing project include
Road Trip '98 featuring Medeski, Martin, and Wood, The
String Cheese Incident, Charlie Hunter, and Galactic;
Get On To The Bus featuring Bela Fleck and the Flecktones,
Leftover Salmon, Percy Hill, and Oteil Burbridge; Fly
With The Sun featuring Parliament Funkadelic, Deep Banana
Blackout, Strangefolk, and Dispatch; and Fall Freakout
featuring moe., Yonder Mountain String Band, Soundtribe
Sector 9, and Pharcyde.
In 1998 Gamelan stepped onto the national stage when it
launched the inaugural Berkshire Mountain Music Festival,
a three day camping and music festival dedicated to the
idea of promoting diversity, ecology, and community through
music. Since it drew 1500 people in its first rain-soaked
year, Berkfest has grown into one of the highlights of
the summer festival season, drawing more than 10,000 fans
in just its third year. Berkfest 2002 was Gamelan’s
finest event to date, drawing nationally know acts like
Medeski Martin & Wood, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe,
Soulive, Spearhead, and most of the featured bands from
the various concert series. Having received nothing but
positive responses from the artists who played and the
fans who attended, Gamelan has turned Berkfest into one
of the country’s premier musical events - gaining
mention in the same breath as Bonnaroo, New Orleans Jazz
& Heritage Festival, and High Sierra Music Festival. |
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