Jam at the Dam runs by a simple philosophy: the celebration of great music. We love the sound of that, so we spent a little time getting more familiar with this ripping little home-grown event.
Can you introduce yourself and give us a background regarding your involvement with the festival?
My name’s SJ (also known as Jack!). My brother Bart, my dad, Steph, and I throw a party once a year called Jam at the Dam to celebrate all the great music made in Ballarat!
This will be the third year for Jam… It all started a few weeks before Xmas in 2012. My parents have seven acres of property just outside of Ballarat [and] my Dad was complaining that the land doesn’t get used enough and that he fantasised about having a big Australia Day garden party out by the dam – a ‘jam at the dam’. I told him that we should just make it happen. So we got in touch with 11 local Ballarat bands [and] everyone was really keen and happy to play for beers and tacos (we ran a taco van in Ballarat at the time).
Regional areas can be a challenge, but people can also embrace these sorts of events in wild ways. How have you found putting on a festival in regional Victoria?
The theme is ‘Home-grown in Ballarat’. We want to celebrate music made in Ballarat – there is definitely something special in the water! Every band that plays has to have some sort of connection to the town, whether it be growing up here, or more loosely, by writing a song about the Eureka Rebellion! So far all bands have had at least one Ballarat member so far and the same with the line-up for this year!
It is a ‘not-for-profit’ festival. A lot of festivals claim that title these days, but I am led to believe that all profits from Jam at the Dam are going straight back into charity. What charity is this year’s event supporting and how do you work in with those for whom you are raising money?
We raised $1000 for the local CFA to help in their bush-fighting efforts. Over the years I have seen a few little fires our way – and it also looks great when the CFA rock up with a fire truck for the day!
We are pretty laid-back organisers. All money comes out of our own pockets – we get paid back and everything left over goes to the local CFA.
The line-up is simply amazing; the likes of Tully on Tully, Gold Fields and The Yard Apes, and being it’s in Ballarat it wouldn’t be complete without a bit of ‘Gaz’. How did this line-up come to be so strong? It seems as if you have garnered a lot of support from some great artists.
Everyone knows everyone in Ballarat, so I suppose we have called up a few favours this year for the line-up. But yes, we are very honoured that bands like Tully on Tully will be making the road trip (free of charge!) as well as La Bastard, Gold Fields and Gaz, who’ll probably be catching the bus up the road (think his car got stolen the other day!) – might give him a lift!
What would you say you have tried to achieve with the line-up? For me, it looks like a little mosh, a little sing-along and a little dance – something for everyone.
Over the last two years the Dam has been graced by a large host of Ballarat legends including the Dead Salesmen, The Rye Catchers, Mick Dog’s Bone Yard, The Yard Apes, Matt Doll of The Mavis’s, Juan Alban of Epicure; [also] Melbourne-based bands like La Bastard, who has a guitarist who grew up in Ballarat, more modern Ballarat rockers like Them 9’s, Apes, The Staffords and The Electric SunKings.
This year, we have tried to incorporate a little bit of everything. We want everyone to come along and we want everyone to dance, to mosh and especially strip down and waterslide.
What about the festival workings – food, toilets, parking etc. How many people do you hope to have through the gates this year?
There are sufficient toilets [and] parking has been fine over the years. However, we encourage people to get dropped off or jump in a taxi if they can. It’s only an 8-minute drive to the Ballarat CBD where we encourage jammers to visit Karova Lounge afterwards – Ballarat’s no.1 venue for checking out home-grown live music. That’s where I’ll be going at 11 o’clock for kick-ons.
The last two years we have had just over 400 go through the gate. This year we’d love 600, so big thanks Forte for spreading the word!
With so many festivals on at the moment, how have you tried to make Jam at the Dam a bit different?
We aim to create a mini Meredith. A few Ballarat music elders have come along over the years and chat to me about how it reminds them of Waterstock, a little festival that was put on by the edge of Mt Buninyong in the early ’90s.
Apparently, so the story goes, was that it was the precursor to the Meredith music festival. One of the guys that started Meredith was there and was inspired by the festival – apparently they had a big waterslide, too.
Last of all, give us all the info you think we need and anything else you would like to mention.
There are a lot of festivals, but there is nothing like this in Ballarat. It is BYO tinnies, it is super relaxed, so far there have been no dickheads, it is not-for-profit and we’re just asking for $20 to come watch 11 super talented B’town acts for the day – a parma can cost you more these days!
When&Where: 12 Taylor Court, Invermay – February 14