A lot of us can say we threw a raging party on our parents’ property when we were teenagers. Not a lot of us can say we kept it going and made it into one of the biggest and most popular music festivals in the world. This is the story of Shambhala Music Festival’s founder, Jimmy Bundschuh, who put on the first one when he was only 18. After assembling a small but befitting team they threw the first Shambhala in 1998 with some 500 people in attendance on his parents’ 500-acre farm.
Now, over two decades later Jimmy has a small year-round staff, with thousands volunteering to work during the festival. What makes Shambhala extra special is that it’s been able to remain completely independent in its operations and funding all this time. The result is a completely personal and intimate festival-going experience void of big branding and advertisements. The Salmo River Ranch is a truly unique wonderland that Jimmy, his family, and his team work year
I had the pleasure of attending the 22nd Shambhala Music Festival, with this being my second consecutive year of attendance. During my 5-day stay on the farm I had the opportunity to have a conversation with the founder, Jimmy, about how it all began. We also went into detail about giving stage directors free reign, booking DJ’s in the 90s, and pushing the festival back a week earlier for 2020.
Shambhala Music Festival Founder Jimmy Bundschuh Interview
First The Obvious Question. How Did It All Start?
Jimmy told me in a simple way that back in the 90s there was a “healthy scene going on in the area” in regards to bush parties. You know. Parties in the woods. Jimmy said it was mind
Highlighting his natural entrepreneurial spirit, Jimmy said he had the idea to do it bigger and better. He had the perfect spot to throw a big festival and he knew the right people to make it happen. Again, simply put, he said “so I just reached out to a bunch of people I knew who did events and we sort of put it together the first year.” “It was a small band of people, it was amazing and we just kept it going.”
When Did The Festival Really Gain Traction?
“Everything’s been a slow evolution,” Jimmy said, “that’s what I always tell other people doing events or festivals is don’t build it too fast.” “We were always trying to get bigger artists to come in,” he told me about now booking some of the biggest names in electronic music today. “It was also great timing in the sort of lifecycle of the industry,” Jimmy said about curating an entirely electronic bill.
“Nobody ever believed that DJ’s were going to be selling out stadiums.” He also said that back in the 90s, “it used to be easier [to bring in big DJ’s], and affordable.” Back then, “you’d never get major festivals with this kind of line-up.” “A lot of our success is the wave of electronic music and great timing, great place, and a lot of hard work.”
When Did Shambhala Become A Dry Festival?
With the same elegant simplicity, Jimmy said that “I’m not sure when we started doing searches, but it was early on.” He went on to say “that was part of the scene in the 90s, everyone was against the bars, and I think the guests really fell in love with that idea.” Elaborating, he said “we re-address it sometimes, but it always comes back to peoples’ behavior and the type of vibe at the event.” “We all know that big gatherings, especially multi-gig gatherings out in the heat, with beer gardens, can definitely bring out the idiot in people.” Concluding, he said “prohibition doesn’t work so obviously some stuff still gets in, but it’s way subdued.”
Will You Ever Add More Stages?
“I don’t know where they would go,” Jimmy said with a chuckle. “Last year we decided not to grow it. “It’s still easy enough to get around,” he said in regards to the six completely unique stages at the festival that offer their own unique design and environment. “I think we’re at a good number,” Jimmy said, “I don’t want to ruin or lessen the experience.”
How Is The Music Curated For Each Stage? Who Books The Acts?
Jimmy told me with a grin that “each stage curates their own music and does their own set design.” He said, “each stage has a director and a team built around it and they have full autonomy.” “So they get a budget, they have their location, their timeline, and I think that’s part of the magic of the festival.” Still grinning, he said “they hate for me to say this but there’s a bit of rivalry that goes on between them.” Jimmy pointed out “that makes great art though.” “Unique ideas and different strategies to do the same thing.”
Who Are The Stage Directors? How Do You Pick Them?
“The directors are all DJ’s and artists,” Jimmy said coyly, “sometimes they’re a bit hard to work with.” When you’re walking around the festival you’ll notice different genres of electronic music coming from each stage. This truly emulates the personal taste of the stage directors as the festival is completely independent and doesn’t have to pander to anyone except themselves. “They’re all involved in the industry in some way,” Jimmy said about his stage directors, “the Village stage director is an engineer that makes the PK sound systems we use.” This would explain why the bass drops like no other from literally any stage’s sound system on the farm.
Why Hold The Festival A Week Earlier Next Year?
Jimmy explained to me that with the weather predictions that ended up causing a storm to roll through Shambhala’s 22nd event, pushing it a week back made for better overall weather conditions. Not to mention, with the close proximity of other big festivals such as Burning Man, the earlier date works better for everyone. Buy your tickets for the 23rd annual Shambhala Music Festival now and have a look at the official after movie of this year’s event.
