Drivers on Highway 83 will soon see a new The Bob Marshall Music Festival sign at the Festival grounds south of Seeley Lake. The old logo has been replaced with a bear playing a fiddle.
SEELEY LAKE – After taking over The Bob Marshall Music Festival in the middle of 2019, The Bob Music, LLC Managing Partner Max Pigman is looking forward to bringing more organization and structure to the Festival while continuing the family-friendly atmosphere concert goers have grown to love over the past four years. They are looking forward to offering a diverse line-up that people will enjoy kicking their shoes off and dancing and will be organizing more family-fun activities for people to participate in at this year's event June 19-20.
Pigman catered the Bob Marshall Music Festival in 2018 through the Tap Room with Lewis and Clark Brewing Company. Pigman said while the Festival's reputation preceded it, this was his first time attending the Festival.
"I was just really impressed by the vibe of the actual Festival," said Pigman. "It seemed to be a lot of similar type of people that come in the tap room - music loving people with families and kids and we actually sold quite a bit of beer for an event that size."
When Pigman was called about the Bob Marshall Music Festival for 2019, instead of asking if he could do the beer again, he was told there may not be a festival. He has been a big supporter of live music for more than 15 years hosting more than 800 bands in the Lewis and Clark Brewing Company Tap Room.
"I love festivals and I've been putting on a couple of festivals and sponsoring some festivals," said Pigman. "I just thought that this would be a good opportunity especially knowing that the previous management was looking to make a change."
Instead of taking a gap year and then being forced to rebuild the brand, Pigman and his other partners Rick Shelbourn and Leif Oiestad with The Bob Music, LLC jumped in with both feet to salvage the Festival. Taking over mid-stream for the 2019 Festival, they didn't have the local connections that are vital to making a successful event. Pigman thought that some of the local connections could be built with the help of the previous owner. However, this proved to be a challenge.
"The old management is no longer associated with the festival in any way. Therefore any deals, agreements, trades, etc. that may have been part of past festivals are no longer valid," wrote The Bob Music, LLC in the letter to the Seeley Lake Community.
Other challenges involved dealing with the previous ticket company and understanding some of the deals that were made with the previous owner. Pigman felt obligated to honor tickets sold that he had no record of, deals made because his brand was on the line.
"Unfortunately, due to unforeseen costs and the fact that we chose to honor tickets that were sold prior to us taking over, the Festival lost a significant amount of money," wrote The Bob Music, LLC in a letter to the Seeley Lake community.
During the Festival, some of the reactions Pigman received from the community were not positive. Following the Festival, Pigman met with the Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and other key businesses owners in the community to find out how supportive they were of the event. Even though there were a few other locations interested, his preference was to continue to hold it in Seeley but not without the community support.
"The reason we decided to stay in Seeley was because there was a response from some key players in the community, the Chamber of Commerce and other key business owners that reached out to me personally,'" said Pigman. "I think people realized that we pulled it off. It wasn't perfect, by any means, but given the time that we have now to help plan, we can continue to make this a great event for Seeley."
One of the first changes people will notice is the date for the festival is June 19-20, two weekends before the Fourth of July instead of the weekend before. Pigman said shifting earlier in June was a decision based on the feedback from the business community.
"They felt like we were a little too close to the Fourth of July which is already a huge weekend for Seeley," said Pigman. He hopes that either people will make an extended vacation and stay in the area through the Fourth of July or this will draw a whole different group a couple weeks before. This is also a weekend where there aren't several other competing music festivals.
However, shifting the Festival earlier in June poses a higher probability of inclement weather. To combat that risk, The Bob Music LLC contracted with a company to provide a very large tent. If they feel the weather will warrant the large shelter, they are committed to spending thousands of dollars to "cover" not only the performers but the audience as well. This encourages concert goers to dance and interact which is limited when tarps and umbrellas are needed.
Pigman said the camping is very popular, however, in the past it was very unorganized. This year, campsites will be mapped and designated spaces can be purchased online ahead of the event so people can choose their location, size and can reserve sites next to their friends and family.
Along with more organization in the campground, the Festival grounds will also be more organized and secure. Fencing will be added to ensure there is only one entry to the concert grounds. Also with increased staffing, not only will everyone need a ticket, they also will ensure that no outside alcohol is allowed in the Festival grounds.
Pigman said more than 50 bands are interested in playing at the Festival.
"This tells me this festival has a little bigger reputation than it maybe deserved at its current size but it is not only the vibe, it is that people love Seeley, they love the Bob Marshall, they love all the things around it," said Pigman.
While they could have filled the line-up with bands from out of state, Pigman said one of the Festival's goals will continue to be supporting local and regional musicians. He is looking forward to headlining a few top Montana bands as well as bringing in some of the big names from out of state. While the full line-up won't be released until the New Year, Pigman said there will be some returning bands and some new faces.
In addition to the music, Pigman said there will be many additional activities organized, scheduled and advertised throughout the weekend.
"There are all sorts of things we can do to create that fun environment that people may or may not want to be a part of but they at least need to know where and when it happens," said Pigman.
Pigman continued, "I think overall people will see a positive change. It will be a better organized, better run event from the check in and camping through the line up."
When asked how much he would like to see the event grow, Pigman said they need to get the Festival up to 1,500-2,000 attendees to generate the budget to provide the infrastructure for the event and bring in top-of-the-line acts. However, they don't really want to grow past 3,500 people.
Pigman said, "We feel like we can create a great festival and keep it small."
Ultimately, Pigman's goal is to get the music to pay for its self, throw a really fun party that the Lewis and Clark Brewing Company is closely associated with, and bring people to Seeley Lake and support the community.
Early-bird tickets and camping will be available to purchase after the first of the year. They are also looking for sponsorships and support from the community.
To purchase tickets, become a sponsor or for more information, visit thebobmusic.com and follow @bobmarshallmusic on Instagram and "The Bob Marshall Music Festival" on Facebook.
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