In order for a seed to germinate, conditions have to be precise. Temperature, moisture, and light all contribute to the unraveling of leaves and flowering of buds. The Beardfest seed swirled in a cyclone of song before falling to earth. 

 

Founders Zach LoPresti, Sam Gutman, Matt O’Neil, Ethan Feinstein, Jeremy Savo, and Kevin Savo met at the School of Rock back in high school. They played in a number of original bands before Out of the Beardspace was formed, and whenever the LoPresti parents went out of town, the young grasshoppers showcased their projects in Zach's backyard. Over time, the parties became more intricate with a schedule of bands, stages, sound systems, lights, and enlistment of friends to direct cars and work the door. 

 

Out of the Beardspace actualized and began to realize what had been planted in the LoPresti grove. It was a good vibe, and people were attracted to it. Above all else, it was an exciting outlet for their music–far better than playing to regulars at the local bar. 

 

They got away with these parties for a few years before the parents became keen on the homegrown venue that had flown under their radar for years. When the jig was finally up, all of the parents saw the value in these renegade garden parties and helped level it up in legitimization. 

 

Beardspace’s first EP release was in that backyard. Everyone pitched in: LoPresti’s parents helped set the stage, and Savo’s parents collected money at the door–you can find mama Savo at the Bearfest box office to this day.  

 

An appreciation for the earth has always been in Beard’s roots. After graduation, the group planned a six-month stay in the Virginia mountains to immerse themselves in the lifestyle of living off of the land. Jeremy was in the New Mexico desert when he received a call from Zach proposing a going-away party. This time, it would be more of a festival atmosphere. 100 people showed up to send Beardspace off on their journey.

 

Beardspace returned home with an eagerness to share their newfound lifestyle while integrating back into society and polishing Out of the Beardspace as a band. 

 

Jeremy ventured to Costa Rica for a permaculture design course. There he worked directly with Stephen Brooks, a founder of Envision Festival, on Punta Mona Farm for three weeks. In learning more about Brooks’ lifestyle, Jeremy became acquainted with the environmentally focused, workshop-driven model of Envision. 

 

Around the same time, LoPresti attended festivals Root Wire and Grass Roots, both events centric on art installations and live painting. Not to mention, he witnessed bands Consider the Source and Dopapod live, realizing, “woah, these bands are weird–just like [Out of the Beardspace] are weird–and people actually like it.”

 

As each member witnessed new pathways of possibility to grow from the traditional music festival foundation, Sam had dove into learning graphic design, web design, and video editing. 

 

When Zach and Jeremy returned to the group ready to incorporate these new aspects into an event, Sam was there with the website, graphics, and a promo video. Jeremy recalls the culmination of all these ideas as the moment they really got serious about their outdoor concerts. 

 

Zach reached out to both Consider the Source and Thank You Scientist–the first bands that they didn’t know personally and had to go through a manager for–and booked them for the backyard. Workshops, the ROMPUS art team, and vendors were also added to the roster. 

 

When 250 people showed up, they realized that they had outgrown the acreage that had become an elemental piece of their artistic journey. 

 

The second-ever Beardfest was a success, and the event was ready to replant its roots. They wanted another Beardfest, and they wanted it bigger than ever before. The following year, they sought after a new garden and found a 300-acre private property in the pines. Its current tenant claimed to have the owner’s blessing to host the 2014 event, and they began planning. The Courier Post even highlighted the festival in the paper’s weekend section. There was a serious buzz. 

 

The team was living on the grounds for two weeks in preparation: building a stage from scratch, composting toilets, and decorations galore. Once doors were open for early bird camping, things felt off in the communication with their grounds contact. Eventually, a car showed up explaining that the grounds were under different ownership, and it was only a matter of time before police would arrive to shut it all down.

 

The realization set in that Beardfest was simply not going to happen at this location, so the team went off scouting with mere hours to figure out an alternative. 

 

Mama LoPresti showed up with a Hail Mary: a venue about 15 minutes down the road called Paradise Lakes. The lakeside camp had been abandoned for years prior to its recent purchase, but Mama LoPresti convinced the new owner to host the event with hours' notice. The Beard team sprang into action, telling everyone in their web to spread the word of the new location. People even stayed behind at the initial camp to redirect cars. At 11 a.m. Friday morning–with music set to start at five that afternoon–on-site campers grabbed a piece of gear to transport over, and the entire event was en route. The music started on time that day.
 

“The fact that it went well. The fact that we managed to not crash and burn, just felt like we were meant to do this,” Jeremy recalls. He suspects that the word about this frenzy attracted even more interested visitors. 

 

Since that fateful year in 2014, Beardfest has planted its roots deep into the sands of Paradise Lakes and continues to organically grow a community around art, music, and cultivation. Robyn Mello took over as workshop director and has since expanded the program into over thirty classes. Under the leadership of Bri Barton, Kristina Seelig, and Jess Fisher, ROMPUS continues to be a key element to Beardfest’s visual art aesthetic with their live painting and shadow dancing. 

 

Nothing quite compares to a barefoot stroll through the pines of Paradise Lakes as music floats through the air. Peering through the forest trees, you’ll find hand-painted tapestries hung about,  crafting workshops in action, and people gathering in circles. Excited children run ahead of their parents to the lake. And, of course, the two Beardfest stages are overwhelmed with talent as each thoughtfully curated set of music plays on. 

 

Starting from the backyard parties that planted the seed, Beardfest spans over half of some Out of the Beardspace members’ lives. That is a lot of time to cultivate the precise conditions this special energy needed to blossom. An energy we are invited to contribute to and take away from each year.