315Music sat with Jess Novak, founder of F.I.R.E. Festival for an enlightening interview. The next F.I.R.E. Festival is scheduled for Center for the Arts of Homer on March 10. The performer list and more information can be found here Tickets here.
315Music: What inspired this idea for an all-women’s festival?
Jess Novak: It really hit me when I was at Peach Fest a few years ago. Having been to or part of many festivals, I already felt a severe lack of women on stage, but when I went to Peach Fest one year they had a side stage that was meant to promote women. Yet, most women on the stage only sang. While there’s nothing wrong with female vocalists, I felt like it was a weak representation of what women actually can do. I know too many women right here who play, sing, write, lead bands, etc…so to only show people a tiny piece of that felt lacking. It was in that moment I thought, “I think I’ll just do it myself.” For anyone who knows me, that’s no surprise since that’s exactly how my music career got started. I was a music journalist tired of writing about male musicians. So, I said, “I think I’ll just do it myself.” It’s empowering to see something that you feel needs changing and just do it. I wanted to see a festival that was top-to-bottom women. I dreamed of filling rooms with female creators. And here we are.
315Music: Why do you think women, especially now, need to be celebrated?
JN: Taylor Swift has really brought this issue to light. In her unbelievable success, she’s shown how reluctant people are to accept a talented, beautiful, powerful woman. People are so threatened by it, and I absolutely mean both men and women. Part of that is because people aren’t used to seeing it, let alone accepting it. I’ve heard it too many times that women are only successful because of what they wear or how they look. It’s just too uncomfortable for people to accept the alternative – that they deserve what they’ve earned. I think that change needs to happen through events like this which show people, in their backyards, that women are successful all the time, everywhere because of their work ethic, intelligence, and talent, not some superficial reason that helps naysayers justify why a woman has made it and perhaps they haven’t. Maybe if someone sees their neighbor do it, someone they love and respect, it will help them see the bigger picture: that women deserve to be celebrated for what they achieve.
315Music: How has the festival created a community? How do you feel empowered by it and how do you feel empowering these other artists affects them?
JN: Every woman who has been part of this has told me how they feel revitalized afterward. There is a very specific energy that comes with filling a room with women all working towards their creative goals. The community it has created is a sisterhood of women uplifting each other and celebrating their successes. I love when artists return to the festival and we all see how the others have grown. There is very little stagnation in this group. I’m constantly amazed by how everyone continues to grow and reinvent themselves, which is something I feel women are constantly made to do.
Just in my own life, shifting from a working musician to a working musician mom has been unbelievable. But we do it because we have to. I think women find empowerment in sharing these experiences through their art. We hear it in the songs, we’ll see it in the dances. I feel like this has created an environment where people feel safe and celebrated. I feel there is a major change that you experience as an artist as you age. When you begin, everyone has their sights set on “making it,” but that desire fades as your priorities shift. Sure, having total financial security through my music sounds amazing, but do I want to be famous or on tour all the time? No. I want to be home with my family. Likewise, that shift takes your focus away from yourself and moves it on to make an impression or legacy that is much bigger than yourself. Creating art is extremely important. But in doing this festival, I feel like I’m multiplying that effect exponentially. I’m helping MANY people create and share art, while also promoting women. I’m so proud of that because it feels necessary.
315Music: Music is a powerful tool and form of love and compassion. How do you see your role in sharing it with others? What’s the importance of live music to you, these women, and the world in general?
JN: “The only truth is music.” That’s a favorite quote of mine from Jack Kerouac. I really believe that. When it’s done correctly, music and art are pure. They are extensions of ourselves that other people can find comfort or relation in. That’s extremely powerful. Amanda Rogers, a performer in the festival, said to me a long time ago that she felt like more of a vessel sometimes. Like the music was coming through her, maybe not exactly from her. I also feel that. When you’re doing it right, musicians and artists are tapping into something much bigger than themselves, which is why you can have a stadium full of 2,000 people singing the same song for 2,000 different reasons.
Live music is a means of connection in a world that is completely fragmented. I feel it’s one of the last places I feel a kind of magic that you can’t find anywhere else. To help facilitate that is an honor and to do it on this scale with so many talented people is a dream. These women are not just important for creating art that people can relate to, but for, I hope, inspiring others to do the same. My biggest hope for this festival is to inspire young girls so they don’t have to be afraid like I was. I didn’t have an example to follow. I never saw a woman perform music live until I was in college. Maybe if we normalize seeing successful, powerful women for young girls much earlier, the world will start changing.
315Music: How can folks support this festival in the future as well as these artists?
JN: Come out and enjoy it! Ultimately, I just want people to attend and be amazed by these artists just like I am every time I put it on. People can also sponsor an artist with a cash donation or follow us on Instagram. I’m trying to make that page a place where people can go and see what tons of female artists are doing and creating. I want to make it a place to celebrate amazing women. People can also recommend female-owned and operated businesses, vendors, artists, and musicians for the festival. I try to keep my eyes and ears open, but there are so many women out there! And of course, go see any female artist or support a female-owned establishment. Your business and presence matter.
315Music: Being a relatively new mother, how has this changed your perspective on life, performing, and the strength it takes to juggle a career and family life?
JN: It changed everything, but mostly my priorities. The superficial things that used to dominate and waste my time have largely fallen away. Now I care about being a better person, setting a good example, and most of all creating a life where I can give my son my time more than anything. I want to be present for him. I’ve learned to juggle things based on importance, which means a lot of things fall away – and that’s ok. I think it’s a great life lesson for anyone. I also find myself performing differently. I care less about what I should be doing and focus more on what I’m feeling and want to express and share. It’s liberating. And naturally, becoming a parent makes you vividly aware of how precious time is. Selfish people who waste it on grudges are, in my view, sad and ignorant. We have a very short time here. We must cherish every moment and spend our time doing things that we believe in with people we love. The rest just doesn’t matter.
315Music: Always end with a fun couple of questions:
On tour and the road what is your favorite comfort food that makes you feel at home?
JN: I will eat mac and cheese everywhere I go for the rest of my life. I cannot resist it.
315Music: If you could go back to any moment in time in musical history, where and what would you choose?
JN: How can I possibly choose this!?!? If I have to, I think a safe bet would be to drop me in the middle of the original Woodstock. That was such a major moment for rock n’ roll history and I couldn’t imagine being there to see it happen.
F.I.R.E. Festival is happening at Center for the Arts of Homer on March 10 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for the event, which will feature performances by Novak, Sarah Blujus, Ashley Cox, Amanda Rogers, Caitlin Barry, Peg Newell, Claire Solis, and Speak and Dance CNY, are available here.
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