PREVIEW: Mind Blown Festival
8/30 @ Rock Hill Bakehouse, Glens Falls, NY
Banner and flyer artwork provided by Mind Blown Festival
It’s about creating a platform where creativity and community collide. Mental health, mutual aid, harm reduction, and radical self-expression are front and center.
ADK Punk Mafia and The Hub Glens Falls have announced the first edition of Mind Blown Festival, which will take place this Saturday, August 30 on the Metroland Now stage at Rock Hill Bakehouse in Glens Falls from noon to 10 p.m. with free admission and a suggested donation of $15. The festival will be an all day affair, complete with 12 musical acts spanning several genres like alternative rock, punk, ska, and hardcore as well as a lineup of vendors including Mean Max Brew Works, Given to Fry (a Pearl Jam-themed food truck!), and even the opportunity to get a fresh haircut or new tattoo. Chuck Copenspire of The Hub Gallery broke it down for me: “We've got two tattoo artists from Vixen & Viking Tattoo Studio, [and] we’ve got a barber, Rachel, from Divine Edge in Glens Falls who is going to be here.”
He also explained that this festival isn’t just about the music, it’s about creating a platform where creativity and community collide. Mental health, mutual aid, harm reduction, and radical self-expression are front and center. “For community resources, we have Alliance for Positive Health doing sexual health resources and queer resources, [along] with HeartSupport doing mental health resources.”
The small village gathered by Copenspire and Bryan Cirillo of ADK Punk Mafia has proven vital in organizing such an ambitious event. “I've been joking that this is just a favor that got out of hand,” Copenspire told me. The two met at one of the DIY shows put on by ADK Punk Mafia where Cirillo approached Copenspire for assistance in dealing with the City, acquiring sponsorship, and assisting with the business side of the event. They told me that the community buy-in was immediately more than they could have hoped for. Cirillo credited Copenspire with introducing him to Kevin Stephenson, who has been instrumental in planning for sound engineering at the event. He also explained that the connection to mental health was a cause that Copenspire brought with him to their partnership from the beginning. “That's something that Chuck introduced me to with his friend Andy French, who's actually been really helpful in promoting the show.” Andy French is affiliated with HeartSupport who are not only providing services at the festival, but also receiving a slice of the proceeds. It was described to me as mental health support by musicians and fans for musicians and fans.
“Andy’s been volunteering with HeartSupport for 10 years. They found him when he was in a hard spot and really changed his life,” Copenspire explained. “They basically train metal music fans to do peer support for other metal music fans. They won't shut you down or tell you that what you're feeling isn't real; they'll be able to talk to you on your level. I feel really passionate about that.”
Cirillo added: “It’s an organization that basically provides moral support to people at shows. They have a tent at certain festivals that they're at, like bigger shows, where if you came to the show by yourself, they have a space for you. There’s a tent for the loners, and you show up there and you meet friends. It’s like they just took the things that may have made the show experience a downer and tried to fix it.” That kind of community is what Mind Blown Festival aspires to be all about.
There is a suggested donation of $15, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. “We did this with some of our smaller DIY shows at Sweetside Records,” Cirillo explained. “We asked for $5 and not $15 since they were smaller shows, but it was a success. People were super generous and gave more than we were asking.” As for what your donation can get you, it goes beyond just an excellent lineup of local independent artists. Copenspire gave a rundown of the perks: “If you donate $15, you get a wristband that gives you discounts for some of Mind Blown’s partners inside the Shirt Factory. If you donate $25 you get a very cool festival T-shirt designed by The Hub Gallery, and if you donate more than $40, you’ll get a swag bag with stickers, pins, shirts, and all kinds of other stuff. “It's just kind of our way to say, ‘Thank you, here's a memento of this event that you contributed to,’” Copenspire said. “But if you can't afford anything, just come.”
Mind Blown Festival will surely be one of the biggest events of the year to emanate from the Arts District on Glens Falls’ East End. Its setting against the backdrop of the iconic Shirt Factory and its burgeoning Muralgarten makes for an appropriate setting for an event that seeks to emphasize the connection between artistic expression and mental health treatment and awareness. Set amongst what should be one hell of a block party, this might be the big time, end-of-summer event that you’ve been waiting for–all for an excellent cause.
For more information on Mind Blown, visit https://www.mindblownfestival.com/
For more information on HeartSupport, visit https://www.heartsupport.com/
