ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - The synthesized sounds of electronica took center stage at Moogfest 2012 where Bandit Lites lit the mainstage for multiple artists to enthrall the crowd with their unique sounds.
Moogfest took place on October 26 and 27, 2012 in Asheville, North Carolina. Headliners for the event included Primus 3D, Santigold, Thomas Dolby, Orbital, Nas and Miike Snow. Moog Music hosted the event, sponsored by A.C. Entertainment, Inc., with proceeds going to the Bob Moog Foundation.
Hailed as a “musical voyage into the fourth dimension,” the annual festival pays tribute to Robert Moog, the electronic visionary of the Moog synthesizer. While electronic music is pervasive in so much of today’s music, it was a budding science in the 1960s when Moog invented his first synthesizer, an invention which would later be featured in The Beatles 1969 album, Abbey Road, and the Stanley Kubrik movie A Clockwork Orange. Today, Moog instruments can be heard in artists such as Radiohead, Kanye West, Deadmau5 and MGMT.
While some may be daunted by having to light multiple different acts, lighting designer Brooke Kimple took the challenge in stride, saying “That’s kind of always the rub; making it work for as many different bands as possible. For a festival like this, I tend to keep the floor lights out of the equation.”
Kimple kept the decks clear using double-hung, drop down trusses on the side to get low angles of side light in lieu of floor lighting. On the main stage, Kimple worked to find a balance between keeping the show simple for visiting lighting designers to utilize on their tours later, while using multiple layers and elements to have new dynamics to pull from during the shows.
As with any concert or music festival, those who attended Moogfest were immersed in the energetic music; energy Kimple sought to expound upon. “The lighting is there to help supplement and kind of act as a catalyst to the music and kind of extend what they’re doing aurally to the visual spectrum, and try to make a visually dynamic show to what they are doing musically.”
The equipment utilized for the festival included the Road Hog Full Boar, Road Hog 10 way expansion wings, VL 3500 Wash, VL 3000 Spot, Clay Paky Sharpies, Atomic Strobes, 4’ Pixelines and Impression LED heads.
Kimple worked with crew chief Sam Harden, seasoned production manager Joel Carmichael of Lambda Productions Inc. and crew member Chad Till. Kimple also worked closely with Dizzy Gosnell, general manager of Bandit Lites’ San Francisco office, to insure the festival went smoothly.
“Dizzy is absolutely indispensable,” said Kimple. “I really appreciate all the attention to detail that Bandit brings to every show that they do down to box labels and paper work packaging. All of that is prepped like a world tour even though it’s a one-off weekend event.”
Kimple also credited Bandit with alleviating any potential headaches. “This rig was not terribly simple to put up,” said Kimple. “Because everything was so organized coming in through the door, we got it up in a matter of a few hours. I could’ve seen it turning a giant disaster if it had been with another lighting company, but because Bandit came so prepared, it went definitely smoothly.”
About Bandit Lites, Inc
Bandit Lites is a global leader in the entertainment lighting marketplace. From touring productions to fixed installations, Bandit Lites has a full staff of highly trained professionals to deal with all types of lighting needs. Bandit’s global presence will insure seamless transitions no matter where your next show takes you.