Can small festivals be organized at the highest level despite a low budget?
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Rock Am Palast festival, where I also set up my own booth with my guitar effects for the first time. This intimate festival turned out to be a great opportunity to relax from the city noise, meet interesting people, and listen to live music. It was only the festival’s second edition, organized on a limited budget, but the organizing team was full of professional sound engineers and lighting technicians. Everything was top-notch, the sound was enjoyable, and the lighting perfectly complemented what was happening on the stage. The palace, where the festival took place, was also beautifully illuminated. The whole event was stunning and visible from several dozen kilometers away.
Was having my own booth a challenge?
Exhibiting my own products at such events was a perfect opportunity to showcase my pedals and meet interesting people. However, I must admit that it was quite a challenge for me as I am naturally very shy. From the very beginning, I received compliments, and the conversations with the people who visited me were very engaging. This helped me relax and eagerly engage in new conversations. At the booth, people could test 10 of my effects, including 5 from the latest Occvlt Pedals series, which hadn’t been officially released yet. The booth was open until late at night on the first day of the festival and turned into a jam session after the concerts!
Which effect generated the most interest?
The effect that generated the most interest was Into The Waves. Thanks to its unique features, many people couldn’t tear themselves away from the effect! Be sure to check out the demo of this effect! I highly recommend two great videos by Stompbox Breakdown and Andy The Guitar Geek.
On the second day of the event, we created a festival jingle together.
On Saturday, Mateusz Dźwigała and I conducted music production workshops, where I also built a special festival version of my Old Hag effect. After building the device, we ran various instruments and vocals through my effects to create unique sounds. Collaborating with other musicians turned out to be great fun! We all learned something new and expanded our horizons.
At the festival, many interesting bands performed, but my favorite was the band Body Package. Be sure to check them out on Spotify! They blend experimental post-rock with shoegaze and trip-hop. For me, it’s a perfect combination!
In the evening, I also had the opportunity to participate in a fire show with my old group, Alchemist Fireshow from Nysa. Thank you, Agata and Filip, it was a great show!
A big thanks!
I want to thank everyone who made this event exceptional! The organizers, new friends, and amazing musicians. A special thanks to Adam, who helped me prepare everything and also became the grill master at the festival, receiving praise from everyone. I hope to see you all next year!