Capitol Hill Block Party a sign of the times

Local music lovers pack Neumos during the 2011 Capitol Hill Block Party (Seattle Weekly photo)

When the founders of the Capitol Hill Block Party first
set up a couple of stages and launched the effort to
showcase the local music scene 11 years ago, they could
hope, but never dream it would grow to what it is now.
Ten thousand-plus people a day, major corporate sponsors
and
nearly 100 bands including national acts like Neko Case
and Fitz and The Tantrums.

So what is it with the rise of festivals these days?
Long-time producer and Capitol Hill businessman Jason
Lajeunesse says it’s simply a sign of the times. Fans
demand more for their money and bands can’t make a living
by just selling records.

“Artists have had to find other ways to make money and
really depend on touring, which is why all of a sudden
festivals like Coachella can get these amazing reunions
together because artists are needing this income,” he
says.

That’s great news for promoters like Lajeunesse, who
bought the festival from co-creators David Meinert and
Marcus Charles after working with them. He says it
makes it easier to book bigger acts, fueling the growth of
the festival and hundreds of others that have become a
thriving summer business across the country.

Along with the ability to continue drawing bigger acts,
the Capitol Hill Block Party continues to evolve. Much
like Sasquatch, Bumbershoot and many of the others, the
festival has significantly increased its non-musical
offerings.

There are films, art installations and more, all geared to
creating what Lajeunesse says is a need to create broader
experiences to keep festival goers happy and coming back.

“When we sort of hit, I think what was a reasonable
ceiling
in terms of the most people we could have at the festival
grounds before it became uncomfortable, when we realized
what our perfect capacity is, it gave us an opportunity to
think of how do we change the user experience and how do
we keep existing every year.”

And the festival is dramatically expanding its reach
beyond Capitol Hill. Renowned visual artist and Seattle
local Chase Jarvis has been enlisted to broadcast select
performances and special content online, exposing the
brand to audiences worldwide.

In all, what started as a humble local music event has
become something dramatically different. And for
Lajeunesse, who also has an ownership stake in a number of
Capitol Hill businesses, it’s become a virtually year
round undertaking.

“You know people think of it like it’s a three-day event
and
so it all gets crammed in like months beforehand or
something. It’s funny to hear people’s expectations some
times, but essentially, we’ll put Block Party down for a
minute and then pick it up again in September.”

The Capitol Hill Block Party runs Friday July 20 through
Sunday July 22.