Seismic Cofounders Unravel Legacy At The Concourse Project [Q+A]
![Seismic Cofounders Unravel Legacy At The Concourse Project [Q+A]](https://i3.wp.com/i0.wp.com/glassefactory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SeismicDay1-Selects-11.jpg "Seismic's founders poured an inheritance into the Concourse project [G+E].")
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On the weekend of May 19th, house and techno fans from around the world flocked to Austin, Texas to check out the newly released Seismic Spring: Light Edition Seismic Dance event. The two-day event celebrated a new "art" exhibition curated by Kelly Gray and Andrew Parsons, husband and wife business partners who launched Seismic in 2018 and are proud co-chairs of The Concourse Project, Austin's world-renowned music venue. . This past weekend, Seismic Spring hosted a stellar performance schedule from John Summitt, TESTPILOT, Sophie Tukker, Chris Liebing, Hot Since 82, DJ Hanzel and more. The next big boutique house and techno music festival, Seismic Dance Event 6.0, returns this year to Austin's The Concourse Project, November 10-12.
At Seismic Spring itself, festival organizers Gray and Parson joined Astronaut Dance to shed light on Seismic's rich heritage, the festival's origins, and the unique dance community that fostered it in Austin. Buy tickets to the Seismic Dance 6.0 event here and read an exclusive Q+A with the festival's founders below.
What sets Seismic apart from other house and techno events?
Kelly: "Besides the authenticity of the product and the authenticity of the talent acquisition, the first thing that comes to mind is the community. I talked to Coco and Breezy. They love coming here and they've built a fan base in Austin. It's seismic."
Andrew: "It's a lot of work, but because Kelly and I share the same goals, it's a lot easier, ultimately the same vision."
Kelly: “The main reason for our success and what makes it magical is the community we've created... our team. We have a very tight team that runs the Concourse project and runs our festivals. Most of the band members grew up in the company and we all have a passion for what we do, shows, music... many of us started as a DJ, producer, dancer, street band. Leaflet. It's really unique because we're not backed by a corporate body. We are self-sufficient and have always had a "we can do it" mentality. The community around us comes together to cheer, but it's definitely the team that leads.
Which came first: your romance or Seismic?
Kelly: "In We met around 2005 and were an item in 08. We played together until 2009... then we got married in 2012. In 2018 we started doing One Stage festival shows and that's when Seismic was born."
Andrew: "That's funny... we've been saying for a long time that we're going to do a festival at some point!" We spent a long time creating a brand, generating random ideas and finally Kelly came up with the whole concept of Seismic.
What inspired you to create a smaller version of the Seismic Dance event?
Kelly: “We told ourselves we wouldn't do two festivals in one year because it's too much work. We also have our own place to run and we do shows here all the time. But one day, 'what if we made a mini earthquake to enjoy the aspects of the festival we love?' I thought. It's definitely not that small, because we pay attention to every detail!'
How prepared is the team to organize the festival at home, should the weather be an issue?
Kelly: "We joke that we're experts at moving events. We're experienced in handling bad situations. The first earthquake was that we had to move four days before the event because of the weather. This outdoor space we were going to use flooded. . . . So we moved to Travis County Fairgrounds. We moved. . We had to do it and we did it. We got it, everybody had a good time. But we're used to this kind of thing.
Andrew: "The joke is that we're literally connected to the Bermuda Triangle."
Kelly: “Texas weather forecasts don't carry much weight, but once you get to a point you've got to make it or break it. If you go in with too much hope, you can easily pass the point of no return. We didn't want to risk it. So we updated [Sisic Spring] to be indoors and launched the new campus experience within a week of the event.
How do you see SEMI expanding in the future?
Andrew: "We're always trying to understand what we're doing and where it's going, especially now that we have this space. These events were real tests of our ambitions, because we had to go. In the past, we've also been trying to figure out what we want to do with Seismic Spring Yard - we definitely want to grow. But At the same time, as Kelly says, we are a close family…
Kelly: "It's important to keep that medicinal air. A lot of people think that "growth is the definition of success". High impact, and none of it is cheap.. We like to experiment and try different formats and recipes. Adding in small iterations along the way, Also hosting big events, we are here."
Featured Image: John Anderson
Categories: Features, News
