QUILCENE — Looking to re-create the feel of festivals from their youth during rock ‘n’ roll’s adolescence, a pair of legendary Northwest musicians are headlining Moonfest this weekend.
“We’re trying really hard to continue this great event that will have the vibe, that feel of what we used to have back when we were kids,” said Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger Fisher.
Roger Fisher and his brother, Mike Fisher, both former members of legendary rock group Heart, said they remembered festivals from the 1960s that drew thousands to hear great music in the open air.
Michael Fisher recalled the Sky River Rock Festival in the Snohomish County town of Sultan in 1968, which drew performances by Santana, Country Joe and the Fish, comedian Richard Pryor and an unscheduled gig by the Grateful Dead.
“It was completely sold-out, completely packed,” he said, remembering lying to police to get through the festival’s front gate.
“But everybody was there, feeling together, feeling happy — just enjoying rock and roll.”
“I think that’s the whole vibe of this place,” Roger Fisher said of the Moonfest site.
“In the ’60s, we all thought we could do something and change the world and make things better just through togetherness.
“I think we’ve got that special feeling back.”
Moonfest 2014 began Friday and continues today and Sunday on the banks of Lake Leland at 324 Munn Road, at the end of Snow Creek Road off U.S. Highway 101 north of Quilcene.
Tickets are available from www.brownpapertickets.com and at the site.
This year marks the fourth Moonfest on Jim Munn’s 24-acre lakeside property, and Munn said Thursday they are expecting a bigger and better crowd this year.
“It seems to be steamrolling,” he said. “I think people are really starting to hear about our setup.”
The Fishers designed the stage, light and sound systems at Munn’s property.
“We’ve got a real professional light system and sound. It’s a great time.”
Munn, a Quilcene Realtor whose family ties to the area date back to the 1880s, said his great-great-grandfather, James Hector Munn, homesteaded the property in the Peninsula’s early days.
Munn brought back the Moonfest idea from a trip to Thailand, where villagers celebrated full moons with music, arts and theater.
“I went to one of these full moon parties, and it was so powerful, so special, I wanted to bring it back,” he said.
The concert is also aimed at boosting local charities.
In its first year, Moonfest raised $2,500 for the American Cancer Society, and last year’s event benefited World Vision, a Federal Way faith-based organization that collects funds for the support of children and families.
Proceeds from this year’s edition will go toward the Clallam and Jefferson county food banks.
Attendees who bring nonperishable food items will receive a ticket for each item they donate to be entered into drawings to receive prizes ranging from Moonfest T-shirts and VIP passes to next year’s Moonfest, to autographed memorabilia from the Fishers, classic rock band Bad Company and more.
Famed for his role in Heart, and especially for playing the crunchy, galloping riff that opens the band’s 1977 hit “Barracuda,” Roger Fisher’s new band The Human Tribe headlines Moonfest 2014.
“Having the distinction of having written some of the greatest riffs in rock history, it can be difficult to be able to get out of that sometimes,” he said.
“But I just love performing, and I think people really respond to this new, richer sound.”
Fisher described the new band, stocked with Northwest musical talent, as an eclectic convergence of worldwide music built on a rock and roll foundation.
Others on the weekend playbill include Austin Jenckes and Vicci Martinez, both of whom have Seattle-area ties and appeared on the NBC singing contest television show “The Voice.”
The lineup also includes Junkyard Jane, the True Spokes, LeRoy Bell, the Staxx Brothers and Dan and the Juan De Fuca Band of Port Angeles.
Tonight’s show features a special tribute show from the Hendrix Family, relatives of Seattle-born rock guitar god Jimi Hendrix, including his brother, Leon Hendrix, and his daughter Tina Hendrix.
Roger Fisher said he’s proud to have Hendrix’s family on the bill.
“Being the only other Seattle guitarist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it means a lot to connect in whatever way I can with Jimi,” he said. “And the Hendrixes now are doing just wonderful things with young people who need a little help.
“I’ll help them in whatever way I can.”
For more, visit www.moonfest2014.com.
