Page 11 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2018 Issue

MM: Okay, I'm in New Hampshire and there's one band in particular here that I hope finds their way to
you. And I think because we're up here in New Hampshire, it might take them an extra step or two to find
their way to you in LA or whatever. But, like you said, you'll find them. So, that's encouraging! Carolina
Rebellion is all done for this year. What goes into setting up for the next one? When's the process start?

GS: It's a 365-day siege. Or I could maybe safely say 364, because maybe we'll take a day off for the good
Lord for us to rest on the airplane ride home. But, no, we're constantly thinking and looking. And, we even
took meetings at Carolina Rebellion that weekend to discuss Carolina Rebellion 2019. So, the process is
ongoing. I mean, look, big A-plus headliner bands do work 18 to 24 months in advance sometimes, so you've
got to be on the ball. And then, in regards to the band you mentioned from New Hampshire, the internet
has helped as everything's global now. So, these bands are just a click away. And again, like I said, we look
under every rock and every stone. So, if somebody wants to send us something, you know where to find us.

MM: A few years back when my oldest son graduated high school, I asked him, "What do you want for a
graduation gift?" And he wanted to go to Germany for a music festival for a metal festival.

GS: Oh, Rock am Ring…or?

MM: No, the first one we went to was Summer Breeze 2009 and it was my first big festival like that, and
this was quite a while ago. And there really, to me, there wasn't anything like that around in the United
States. So, this kind of leads up to my question. Have you taken your cues from the European festivals?
Because from what I experienced there, it was done right. It was awesome, and I always just hoped it
would end up here -- and it seems that it has with you guys.

GS: Yeah, I think we've taken a page from the European model in the sense that we feel that they cast a
wider net too. You know, in America, things seem formatted a little too much…square pegs for square holes,
you know? We like to kind of expand the net. Like I said, where in Europe, like Down Low for example, can
you can see Fall Out Boy and Megadeath on the same festival? And, God forbid, that's the case in America,
right? But, we like to push the envelope here and not be holed into one style of rock and roll. Because we
feel that rock and roll can mean Ice Cube, it can mean Slayer, it can mean Greta Van Fleet. So, you know, I
just named three very different bands right there.

MM: Well, I saw the lineup for Louder than Life, which I'm going to go to. I was down there on behalf of
iHeartMedia up in New Hampshire as well. And so, you know what? I'm fortunate. I'm going to go to the
one in Kentucky, Louder than Life, and this will be my first experience. But I saw the lineup and it's really
broad and it's awesome.

GS: Right. But, like look, NWA made a Sex Pistols’ record. They made Nirvana’s “Nevermind” for hip-hop.
We're in that kind of iPod nation, that streaming nation, where “Straight Out of Compton” on somebody's
Spotify playlist could be right next to freaking "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, which could be right next to
"The Flower Song" by Greta Van Fleet.

MM: I think you've been peeking at my playlists.

GS: No, we recognize that. But at the same time, we know you can't. At the core, we are a rock festival -- we
will never forget it. We are a rock festival, but we're able to go left and we're able to go right.