Brad Selko had no idea what he was in for when a friend asked him to host a small concert at his farm back in 1993. “It was just going to be a few friends but people just kept showing up”, Brad recalls. Now, 27 years later, Brad, along with the support of his wife Tricia, have created a local music festival that has become a summer tradition here in Maryland.
A few months ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with Brad and Tricia at their home in Monkton, MD. I was greeted in the drive-way by their three adorable dogs, who, despite their age, acted more like puppies. I was treated to a wonderful lunch while listening to Brad’s stories and experiences over the years. He took me into his office which boasted high ceilings completely lined with signed show posters from the many artists who have graced the stages of Hot August Music Festival. Brad graciously offered me several show posters, which I willingly accepted. He showed me photos from some of the “early days” when the festival was held on his farm.
Hot August Music Festival has been a labor of love for Brad and Tricia. The festival is run by the two of them in conjunction with friends and volunteers. This is definitely a home-grown DYI music festival. I asked the couple where they see the festival in the future. Tricia responded, “It is a lot of work and every year while planning, we say ‘This is the last one’! Then, the day of the festival, we see all our hard work pay off and we’re reminded of why we do this”.
The Growth of the Festival
Up until 2009, HAMF consisted of one main stage featuring 5-6 artists. Brad shared with me his love for Zydeco and for several years a Zydeco band was featured on the line-up. For 8 years, the festival was held at Brad’s farm in Monkton. However, with the word getting out, they had to come up with a larger space! In 2002, they held the festival at Big Jim’s Farm on Papermill Road. Then in 2003, they found the venue that would be the permanent festival location: Oregon Ridge Park in Hunt Valley, MD. This was a central location, easy access from Baltimore, and provided space to grow.
The festival continued with only one stage until 2010. Some highlighted artists that performed those first few years at Oregon Ridge were: John Mooney, Kelly Bell Band, JJ Grey & Mofro, and Marcia Ball. Then in 2009, Brad and Tricia were able to secure Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and The Derek Trucks Band marking the last year that HAMF would be a one stage festival.
In 2010, the festival included a Main Stage and B-Side Stage. The Main Stage featured Lyle Lovett and first festival appearance by local band, The Bridge. The B-Side Stage welcomed back regular performers such as Dean Rosenthal and Choo Choo Charlie. The two-stage setup only lasted for three years and by 2013, the festival had grown so much in size that a third stage was added. It was during these years that the festival began to really offer mainstream and larger recording artists. In addition to the local talent, bands such as Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule, and Trombone Shorty helped to play a part in the festival’s growth.
From a Blues Festival to a Music Festival
Hot August Music Festival still went under the name of Hot August Blues when the festival added a third stage in 2013. That year, the festival presented headlining performers Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and Greensky Bluegrass. This would be the last year that the festival would be called a “blues” festival. I asked Brad and Tricia about the decision to change the name. Brad explained that they realized that their audience was growing and while the festival did begin with a foundation in the blues, more variety was being offered to meet the needs of the growing festival. So, in 2014, they officially changed the name to Hot August Music Festival.
For me, my Hot August Music Festival experience started in 2014 when I went to see Dr. Dog and Old Crow Medicine Show. From that year on, I was hooked and looked forward to the line-up announcement each summer. Over the last 6 years, I have had the pleasure of seeing (and eventually photographing) some amazing artists because of this music festival. Some highlighted artists include: Shakey Graves, Counting Crows, Thievery Corporation, Turkuaz, and Cabinet.
The unique aspect of this festival is that often times, artists will return year after year to perform on the stages of HAMF. I asked Brad and Tricia about that and they responded with, “Some artists you just love working with, and when they ask every year if they can come back and play your festival, you know you’re doing something right.” Another pretty amazing aspect of this festival is watching artists grow from smaller side stage performers to headlining acts. Artists such as The Revivalists have gone from opening the festival to headlining artist a few years later!
The End of an Era
This year’s Hot August Music Festival was amazing. Matt Ruppert did a wonderful review which you can read by clicking here. However, the 2019 HAMF was bittersweet because Brad and Tricia have finally made the decision that this will be their last year.
After the festival, I followed up with Brad and Tricia to get their thoughts on the end of this era. Tricia, having married into the festival, shared, “I have never worked so hard and I have never been so exhilarated by one event. It has been my honor to help Brad over the last 17 years. But I am excited to see what we get into next”.
Brad and I share a similar view on the music industry. We have different perspectives, but the experience is pretty much the same. Brad shared with me, “The people I’ve met have been pretty amazing between bands, photographers, and guests. It’s been a great experience. The music was great. We had a good time and it was a lot of work for me. But now it’s done. I feel like it’s good to go out on a high note”.
Brad and Tricia love music and their commitment to this festival over the years is evidence of that. We are looking forward to the next project that these two will inevitably get their hands into – because whatever is next for them, we know it’s going to be great!
Enjoy these photographs of the last Hot August Music Festival – 2019 by Brandon Amos. Thank you Brad and Tricia for all the wonderful memories of Hot August that we will never forget!
Take a look back at some of Shantel’s favorite photos from Hot August Music Festival 2016, 2017, and 2018.
