East Coast Collective, a Long Island based booking agency founded by Jake Zimmerman, recently announced the lineup for Today’s Mixtape Festival ’15. Check out line ups, learn a little bit about Mixtape, and read a short interview with Jake after the jump.
Today’s Mixtape Festival started in 2012 and has happened every year since. Mixtape ’12 was a three day festival with great lineups. Day one was headlined by Bela Kiss, The World We Knew, and King Conquer. Day two was headlined by The Wonder Years, Handguns, and With The Punches. Day Three was headlined by Such Gold, Iron Chic, and The Front Bottoms. Looking back now, I really wish that I had gone to all three days but I remember going to the day 2 show– it was amazing! You can take a look at the line ups from each day here.
Mixtape ’13 was also a three day festival with day one headlined by Defeater, Incendiary, and Iron Chic. Day two was headlined by The Story So Far, Man Overboard, and Transit. Day three was headlined by Death Threat, Backtrack, and Shai Hulud. Check out the full line ups here! There was also a Fall Mixtape ’13 show which had a smaller line up (check it out) but was, none the less, straight up awesome.
Today’s Mixtape Festival ’14 was a little different– in addition to having a show on Long Island, there was also a two day fest in Oakland, CA. I attended both days of the Long Island show– it was a ton of fun and I got to see some bands that I had previously never listened to but became a fan of after seeing them at Mixtape. Take a look at the line ups for both the east and west coast dates below.
While in NY back in March of this year I was able to go to the Spring Mixtape 2015 show on Long Island. It was a one day show headlined by Title Fight with a bunch of other talented bands including Bane, Pianos Become The Teeth, Defeater, and Superheaven. I had never heard Hotel Books before the show but I immediately fell in love with their music once I heard them. Take a look at the full lineup from Spring Mixtape 2015 here!
The lineup for Today’s Mixtape ’15 was announced this past Monday, May 11th. The entire lineup includes The Movielife, Every Time I Die, Real Friends State Champs, Incendiary, Iron Chic, Counterparts, A Loss For Words (it’s their last LI show!), On Broken Wings, Suburban Scum, Giants At Large, Gates, Knocked Loose, Gnarwolves, Bridges, Gatherers, and Commonwealth. There’s even an after party featuring Andrew W.K. Mixtape ’15 takes place August 15th & 16th in Patchouge, NY. Take a look at the event page here!
I was recently able to ask Jake Zimmerman some questions about Mixtape, booking, and future plans– check it out below.
Q: How did you get into booking shows / what was the first show that you booked?The first show I booked was at my high school and I invited a bunch of my friends bands to play. There was a ska band, a punk band and a metal band. From the start, I was interested in mixed bill shows and that feeling never went away.
Q: What’s your most memorable experience from any of the past Mixtape Festivals?One of my most memorable experiences was watching The Front Bottoms at the first Mixtape. At the time, they were no where near the band that they are today. We knew that people were excited to see them but the reaction blew everyone away. The band told me this was the best show that they’ve ever played, and the rest is history.
Q: What bands are playing Today’s Mixtape Festival ’15 that people may not have heard of, but should definitely check out?
Definitely check out Gates. They have an intense live show and are one of the best bands out there right now. Also, Incendiary because their hometown shows are straight fire.
Q: Last year there was also a Today’s Mixtape Festival in CA. Do you plan on doing that again in the future?
Yes, we will have a Mixtape in California in 2016. I can’t say any more details than that at the moment, but it will be something to look forward to.
Q: What advice do you have for anyone who is interested in booking shows but has no idea where to start?
For anyone who wants to start booking shows, I would suggest to start small and DIY. Don’t feel like you need to book the biggest band to have a good show. Book bands that you care about and that care about your scene. Try hitting up local Vfw halls, churches or even your friends parents house. The shows that really helped mold me into who the promoter I am today were booked in non traditional venues where everyone told me it wouldn’t work. Somehow, I made it work 99% of the time. That other 1%, well those were the real fun ones!
