Headstash

The Werks’ Rob Chafin, Lotus’ Jesse Miller and Matt Butler Talk The Werk Out 2012

Photo Credit: Brian Hockensmith

Local legends The Werks will be joined by some of the biggest names in livetronica at the aptly named Legend Valley near Columbus, Ohio for four days of epic jams and communal atmosphere.

With Lotus, EOTO, Papadosio, Rusted Root, Greensky Bluegrass, Zoogma, Kung Fu, The Heavy Pets and many more slated to appear, the festival vows to “bring awareness to musical styles that are the backbone of the vibrant music scene in the Midwest.”

[BUY tickets to The Werk Out via the festival's official website.]

Check out what Lotus’ Jesse Miller (the elder statesman), Everyone Orchestra’s Matt Butler (the maestro) festival organizer Lara Bauer (the unsung hero) and The Werks’ Rob Chafin (the man behind the curtain) had to say about this weekend’s festival, taking place September 20 to 23.

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Headstash Magazine: What makes The Werk Out a particularly unique event?

Rob Chafin: The goal is to bring together our friends and "extended" family with the acts that we have made friends with over the years and put it all in one place.

We have an amazing team that is totally a grassroots organization.  We bring that community feel to the festival, and its definitely noticeable for those in attendance.  

[FOLLOW The Werk Out and The Werks on Facebook.]

Matt Butler: I love band-curated festivals, as they have a family-like vibe. The Werk Out is that and then some. It makes my job of bringing musicians together for conducted improvisation that much more fun because it’s also a celebration about The Werks’ community and the musical friendships around the band.

Jesse Miller: We'll find out when we get there. This will be our first time playing.

Lara Bauer: Our main goal in organizing this event is to bring together talented musicians, artists and performers to create an experience that inspires everyone to live life to the fullest, share their talents and take this light back home with them. 

This year's theme is transformation. It's about taking a journey within, discovering what lies inside, shedding old skin and opening up to becoming the vision of what you want to be. What makes the Werk Out unique is that we're not just entertaining people – we're asking everyone to participate in this collective experience. 

HM: What's your favorite past memory of The Werk Out or with The Werks?

MB: This is my second year at The Werk Out and all I can say is that the Everyone Orchestra set at last year’s event was one of the best ever. It just was a beautiful coming together of musicians for lots of bands and also included a number of players from String Cheese Incident, which made it even more special.

Watch Everyone Orchestra’s entire 2011 Werk Out performance below:

JM: We've played many festivals with The Werks over the past few years and frequently run into the band and their crew backstage.

HM: What should fans expect from your set (or in Lara’s case, this year)?

RC: Playing is front of thousands of people is always unreal. I think we really harness the energy that comes off of The Werk Out crowd, which definitely translates into our performance and the improvisation that it entails.

If compared to sports, it would be considered "home field advantage," in a sense.

MB: Expect there to be a lot of happy musicians on stage with wide eyes and grins on their faces. Funky grooves, explosive endings and extremely dynamic eclectic melodies with just a touch of humor throughout all of it.

JM: A rock and roll dance extravaganza.

LB: This year we are adding an amazing choreographed performance during The Werks' sets that will evolve over the three days starting with a caterpillar and ending with a butterfly.  You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it.

HM: How does your musical style fit into the lineup?

JM: In some ways, I feel we might be filling the role of elder statesmen at this festival. Many of the groups on this bill have opened for Lotus.

I'd like to think that we helped carve out a musical space combining live instrumentation with dance-oriented rhythms that these younger groups are now pushing forward with.

HM: Who are you excited to see/share the bill with?

RC: Rusted Root because, hey, send me on my way!

MB: Kung Fu, Greensky Bluegrass, EOTO and The Werks!

JM: We've played shows and festivals with a large portion of the lineup, so it should be fun to catch up with some of the other artists and share some road stories.

HM: Talk about the venue and why it fits so well.

RC: Legend Valley has such a rich music history there, including All Good Music Festival and Hookahville, as well as famous Grateful Dead shows in the past. It really is a great piece of land – you can definitely feel the magic on that stage

HM: Rob, how does it feel to be able to host a big-time event with your band’s name on it?

RC: It is a huge honor, to say the least. It's really awesome to know that we have such amazing friends who are willing to perform at our music festival. We really feed off of that “home team energy” and it really translates into the music.

HM: What else do you have going on in the next few months?

RC: We have “The Funemplyoment Tour” that is starting immediately after The Werk Out. Also, big two-night New Year’s Eve run in Columbus, Ohio.

MB: Everyone Orchestra is back in Arkansas at Harvest Music Festival in October and we're also doing a three-show run at Sullivan Hall in New York City from October 26 to 28 with Jon Fishman, John Kadlecik, Zach Gill and Lebo from ALO. Lots to be excited about!

JM: We are touring through September, and then we'll be doing studio work for most of the fall. Lots of new music and recordings in the works.

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The Werk Out takes place in Thornville, Ohio from September 20 to 23, featuring The Werks, Lotus, EOTO, Papadosio, Kung Fu, The Heavy Pets and many more. For tickets and more information, check out their official website.