By WILLIAM STEVENS
Staff writer
A decade ago, Jerome Wincek noticed a void in the heart of Oil City. He attempted to fill the void with the sound of music by organizing the first independent music festival in June of 2007.
Now, 10 years later, Wincek continues to organize the event, with the help of his friends who make up the Oil Region Indie Music Fest planning committee.
“There was nothing like it here,” Wincek said. “It focuses on the original and a lot of times that gets pushed to the wayside in this culture.”
Wincek wanted the music festival to celebrate local original music “which you can’t get anywhere else in the world.”
The planning committee is made up of five people: Jerome Wincek, Jill Harry, Todd Harry, Corinne Carbaugh and Joanne Wheeler.
They begin preparing for Indie Fest as early as January.
“It’s like planning a really big get-together with your friends for a bunch of strangers,” planning committee member Jill Harry said.
“The festival is a living, breathing organism that we just keep moving with and manipulating, year to year,” planning committee member Corinne Carbaugh said.
According to another committee member, Joanne Wheeler, community support has grown over the course of 10 years.
Wheeler said the appeal is not limited to just one age group. In fact, she said the appeal started with the younger crowd.
She said the younger crowd would mention the event to their parents and grandparents which caused the event to grow.
“It has an appeal across generations which is not easy to do,” Wheeler said.
Harry credits some of that to the diversity of musical groups and singers that Wincek tracks down to perform at the festival.
Looking to the future, Wincek and Carbaugh said they both wanted to see more people stepping up and “influencing the local culture.”
“It’s always been trial and error for us,” Harry said.
“I think that’s why it’s succeeded because we haven’t ever given up because something didn’t work.”
“Every year we’ve dealt with the unexpected,” Wincek said. “As long as we don’t know what to expect, we’ll be fine.”
Festival schedule
The 10th annual Oil Region Indie Music Festival, is slated for Friday and Saturday, June 9-10, on the North Side of Oil City. The Seneca Street plaza is the area off Seneca Street by the new location of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce.
Several musicians are scheduled to perform.
Friday, June 9
5 p.m. – Tasana Camara, Seneca Street stage; Dan Stockwell, Pipeline Alley; Drum Circle, Venango Museum stage.
5:45 p.m. – The Random Hubiak, Seneca Street stage.
5:30 p.m. – Bruiser Beep, Pipeline Alley; Mix It Up, Venango Museum stage.
6 p.m. – Gadge, Pipeline Alley; Transit Youth, Venango Museum stage.
6:30 p.m. – Mark Rice, Seneca Street stage; Ed Gein Mystery Machine, Pipeline Alley; Sessions Band, Venango Museum stage.
7:15 p.m. – Harmony Hot Haus, Seneca Street stage; Same, Pipeline Alley; Sean Carey & The Transit Band, Venango Museum stage.
8 p.m. – Northern Gold, Seneca Street stage; Scrap Kids, Pipeline Alley.
8:45 p.m. – Bernies, Pipeline Alley.
9 p.m. – Barlow, Seneca Street stage.
Saturday, June 10
2 p.m. – The Random Hubiak, Town Square.
2:45 p.m. – Ricci Hardt, Town Square.
3:15 p.m. – Nathaniel Custer, Town Square; Truckstop Vertigo, Seneca Street plaza.
4 p.m. – Jeremy Jack, Town Square; Omission, Seneca Street plaza.
4:45 p.m. – Cody Horning, Town Square; Sick Bay, Seneca Street plaza.
5:30 p.m. – Fred Oakman, Town Square; Heel Turn, Seneca Street plaza.
6:15 p.m. – Josh Travis, Town Square; Big Time Machine, Seneca Street plaza.
7 p.m. – Lauren Joyce, Town Square; Wine & Spirit, Seneca Street plaza.
7:45 p.m. – Justin Parson, Town Square; Losing Lucy, Seneca Street plaza.
8:30 p.m. – Garrett Heath, Town Square; The Plot Twist, Seneca Street plaza.
