Given that Decibel Festival, the massive, internationally renowned, five-day electronic-music/digital-arts event that's taken place in Seattle in late September over the last 12 years, is not happening in 2016, it opens opportunities for other promoters to fill the chasm. One such organizer is Michael Manahan, who's spearheading the inaugural Chance of Rain "urban arts and music festival." If anyone's equipped to seize this chance, it's Manahan. Besides co-owning established electronic-music venue Re-bar, he's a veteran DJ, promoter, Hempfest booker, owner of Starborne Sound concert sound systems, producer of Cascadia (Northwest arts and music festival), co-creator of Oracle Gatherings, and Decibel volunteer. After the jump, Manahan outlines what Chance of Rain is all about and who's behind it.
The Stranger: What will be the focus(es) and goals of Chance of Rain? Will you carry on the legacy of Decibel or strive to create your own distinctive identity?
Manahan: With Chance of Rain, we are very aware of the proverbial "shoes" we would be filling in the absence of Decibel Festival. The entire producer and manager level of the organization are previous Decibel directors as well as key Starborne Shows staffers. This all said, we intend to keep with the international and "live performance" flair musically, in an attempt to work with and play off of what has worked so well for Decibel, while incorporating local support from Seattle crews and music labels. Additionally, we will be including other creative platforms such as gallery works and fashion to round out the experience culturally, aiming for a progressive and metropolitan palette of inspiring atmospheres, experiences, and expressions with a distinct Seattle feel.
Do you have any acts confirmed yet? If so, can you reveal names?
We are in talks with key agencies and partners for the bookings. We are not at liberty to divulge any names quite yet, but guarantee that it will be stellar and along the lines of what people would expect for that particular weekend.
Who else is working on the event with you?
Our team is still in formation, to some degree, but our producer body is firm with myself as lead producer, Alison Pugh as administrative director, and Jessica Brockish as the managing director. Many others from the Decibel crew are coming on board to take up their respective roles, as well.
Where will the festival take place?
We are still working out details around what venues we want to work with, but firmly booked venues are: Q, Re-bar, Monkey Loft, Crocodile, and fingers crossed on Showbox at the Market, where we've got some key holds.
What are the most important lessons you learned from working on Decibel Festival?
I had the distinct honor to have worked as the lead producer for Decibel for some years and have played a role as producing partner, collaborator, and consultant, when needed. I immediately recognized the sheer genius of Sean Horton's curation and wanted to lean into the organization with full support.
In the formative years, I became a firm believer in Decibel and Sean's intentions of weaving regional, national and international artists, showcases and ideas into comprehensive showcases. An urban festival is a completely different beast from an outdoor festival like Cascadia when it comes to booking, organizing, marketing, sponsors, venue relations, and so on. So, it was a pleasure to learn the inner workings and complexities of Decibel as an international icon and destination. This all said, [our] team is excited to press this experience forward with Chance of Rain.
