“Philosophical Differences” Cleave Okeechobee Founders from the Fest
These have been the weirdest 12 months in the history of music festivals. New ones popped up (huzzah!), but some old favorites are now gone (Bear Creek, AURA, Wakarusa), and others are on hiatus (Gathering of the Vibes, notably). Creatures turned into a huge shitshow.
At the top of the success column was the introduction of Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival in South Florida, the largest camping festival in the state. It was bigger than Suwannee Hulaween (limited by the size of the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park). Okee ’16 was a huge success, heralded by everyone in terms of lineup, amenities and organization.
Naturally, all eyes were on the announcement in August about Okee ’17, scheduled for March 2-5. All of the buzz has been incredibly positive, optimistic about Year Two. And then we got wind of an announcement made by two of Okeechobee’s founders, sending shockwaves through the festival world.
Paul Peck, known for his work with Superfly Productions and a founder of Bonnaroo, and Steve Sybesma, a veteran of the music scene for more than 40 years, had collaborated with landowner Cliff Rosen to create OMF. To most everyone’s surprise, Peck and Sybesma announced today they were resigning from Soundslinger LLC, the company the trio had created, citing “philosphical differences.”
Let the speculation begin. Peck was the talent wrangler who took Bonnaroo from a jamband fest hosted by Widespread Panic to one of the world’s premier music festivals — across (almost) all genres, and he took his talents to Okeechobee, whose inaugural lineup included Skrillex, Hall & Oates, Kendrick Lamar, Lettuce, Mumford & Sons, Robert Plant, Kamasi Washington and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
They released a statement that indicated they plan new and exciting adventures in music. Peck said:
“We will continue to push the envelope of live music to create those indelible, once-in-a-lifetime moments of shared experience. We set out to produce a world class event in our first year at Okeechobee, and feel we exceeded that goal.”
Sybesma continued:
“We are sorry to leave but wish the remaining organizers continued success with their future endeavors. I look forward to continuing my amazing business relationship with Paul to build upon what we have achieved together.”
They plan to “continue to produce festivals and other live events, focus on content creation, offer live event consulting services, and develop a variety of exciting new initiatives.”
Great news that these two amazing talents will continue to delight us. And we certain hope that Okeechobee continues to be a musical force in Florida.
