The O+ Festival will return to Kingston, NY for the 15th annual exchange of art, music and wellness October 10-12th, 2025.
Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change – it can not only move us, it makes us move.
~ Ossie Davis
What is power? Who holds it? How is it sustained? When do we wield it, when do we resist it? How do we, consciously or unconsciously, uphold structures that reinforce inequitable access to it? How do we share it? What happens when it is redefined or redistributed? How do we reclaim it when attempts are made at taking it from us?
In a time marked by political turbulence and division, art emerges as a potent instrument of the people—a medium through which voices are amplified, dissent is visualized, and collective resilience is forged. Power is, however, neither inherently good nor bad—it is an omnipresent force that governs societies, shapes relationships, and defines identities in complex and often contradictory ways. Power is at once tangible and elusive, oppressive and liberating, inherent and constructed.
Friedrich Nietzsche said“Happiness is the feeling that power increases – that resistance is being overcome”perhaps defining power, in all of its forms, as a force. And perhaps possessing or harnessing power is the sense that if you push against something (whether physical, metaphysical or metaphoric), it will move.
The fascism in us all causes us to love power, to desire the very thing that dominates and exploits us.
~ Michel Foucault
The 15th Annual O+ Festival offers a space to reconsider power not just as something to be held, but as something to be shared, dismantled, or reframed. We welcome the work of artists exploring power in ways both practical and political. Structural power or the literal power grid. Renewable “green” power or economic power. Interrogations of authority, questioning of systems, celebration of movements, or even explorations of physics all present power as a force, a medium and a subject that we encounter and contend with in our everyday lives.
and the armies ceased advancing because the people had their ear and the shepherds and the soldiers lay beneath the stars exchanging visions and laying arms to waste in the dust in the form of shining valleys where the pure air recognized and my senses newly opened I awakened to the cry The people have the power ~ Patti Smith
The measure of a man is what he does with power. ~ Plato
From the heart It’s a start, a work of art To revolutionize make a change nothing’s strange People, people we are the same No we’re not the same ‘Cause we don’t know the game What we need is awareness, we can’t get careless You say what is this? My beloved lets get down to business Mental self defensive fitness Don’t rush the show You gotta go for what you know Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be Lemme hear you say Fight the power ~ Public Enemy
Submissions are welcome from artists, musicians, and writers of all mediums, genres and modalities that explore the nature of power in all of its forms, structures, expressions and complexity. We welcome work that examines how it is wielded, challenged, distributed and reimagined. The structures that sustain power, the forces that resist it, and the possibilities for its transformation. Some pieces confront systems of dominance, exposing the weight of authority, surveillance, and inequality. Others celebrate empowerment, resilience, resistance and the transformative potential of collective action. The interplay between these perspectives underscores the fluidity of power—how it shifts, adapts, and manifests in both visible and invisible ways.
Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power — not because they don’t see it, but because they see it and they don’t want it to exist.
~ Bell Hooks
In an era where institutions and services are battlegrounds for ideological control, as seen with recent political interventions in both art and healthcare, this year’s O+ Festival stands as a testament to the essential power of creative expression as a form of resistance, a catalyst for dialogue, a celebration of connection and a way to imagine new ways forward using power as a force.
New work by Singha Hon July 19th through August 15th Opening Reception Friday, July 19th 6-8pm
Statement:
The wellspring for my work comes from nature, dreams, and mythology. Through painting and drawing, I create pieces inspired by plants, animals, and emotions. Many of my pieces feature chimeric figures– people transforming into plants or animals or simply becoming subsumed into nature.
Innerworld Ecologies is an exploration of the connections/disconnections that exist between our bodies and our emotions, an examination of the relationships we have to our surroundings, each other, and our own inner worlds. They are inspired by folk tales and my own curiosity about the natural world through the lens of queer ecology and the practice of childhood joyfulness.
I look to folk tales and the natural world as a pathway to explore complex emotions–tenderness, safety, despair, desire, love, anger and hope. Through my paintings, I hope to visualize a way to return to some deeper, wilder self, one that is more easily at home in the winding river of our mythologies and planet.
Bio:
Singha is a visual and teaching artist from New York City. Through painting, drawing, and sculpture, her work is about creating visual stories inspired by plants, animals, and emotions, set in dreamlike places somewhere between reality and an imagined one bursting with chimeras and megafauna.
As an artist and illustrator, she is dedicated to using visual mediums to tell stories that highlight the beautiful and nuanced mythologies of our lives, foster hope, and nurture dreaming. She has created artwork for organizations such as the ACLU, The Museum of Modern Art, The People Paper’s Co-Op, and Womanly Magazine. She joined The W.O.W. Project–an arts and activism nonprofit in NYC’s Chinatown as their 4th Artist in Residence in 2019 and has most recently finished up a two year teaching artist residency at W.O.W. through the Creatives Rebuild New York Artist Employment Program. As a teaching artist, she has taught workshops across mediums, including ceramics, sculpture, cyanotype, drawing, and painting.
She has recently worked with O+ Positive in Kingston to create two murals, one which lives on the side of Lite Brite Neon, and one indoors at The Unicorn.
Headliners include Neko Case, Kate Pierson of the B-52’s and The Blair Witch Project 25th Anniversary Screening
Kingston, NY – The O+ Festival returns to the streets of Kingston October 11-13th, 2024 for its 14th Annual celebration of art, music, and wellness. The three day schedule features over 55 live music performances, dozens of visual and performance art activations, spoken word, a BlO+ck Party filled with vendors and a variety of health and wellness workshops open to the public.
Headlining the 2024 O+ Festival is Neko Case, whose layered lyrical choices, genre bending sound and clarion vocals have brought us over twenty years of powerful music with collaborators The New Pornographers and Case/Lang/Veirs and her critically acclaimed solo work including Fox Confessor Brings The Flood and 2022’s Wild Creatures. Case takes the stage at The Old Dutch Church Friday night of the festival with Hannah Cohen opening the evening.
Other music headliners for this year include local legend Kate Pierson of The B-52’s, Beech Creeps (with members of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Guided By Voices), Rhett Miller of Old 97’s, Milagro Verde Cumbia, Eric Redd and Tall Juan with more than 45 other music acts filling the weekend with a genre-spanning lineup.
This year’s theme NOISE is explored in an art and WO+rd lineup that features explorations of sound, chaos, and silence with work about the loudness of chronic pain or the din of electoral politics in balance with the connection that comes through shared communication.
Dance sits in the spotlight of this year’s art lineup bringing inventiveness, lyricism, storytelling, and informed, divergent movement vocabularies to explorations of the human experience. International physical theater and dance company inkBoat, founded by Shinichi Iova-Koga and winner of 6 Isadora Duncan awards, researches the interplay of dance, Japanese performance and martial arts, improvisation, site specific installation and Daoist internal arts. Stephen Pelton Dance Theater (London/San Francisco) pulls movement and imagery out of the real world and combines it with virtuosic dance to create work that feels abstract and narrative, personal and universal all at once.
While welcoming national and international acts to Kingston, more than 60% of this year’s eclectic, multifaceted lineup hails from the Hudson Valley, in keeping with O+ Festival’s commitment to celebrating and serving the local creative community. The full O+ 2024 music and art lineups will be announced @opositivefestand at opositivefestival.org the week of July 8th.
The wellness ExpO+ street fair returns bigger and bolder than ever, rebranded as BlO+ck Party. ExplO+re, the public facing wellness workshops at O+, will populate the schedule with opportunities for attendees to deep dive into a range of topics and modalities throughout the weekend. This year’s ExplO+re Wellness lineup will follow later this month and is set to include sound healing, yoga, dance, presentations from health experts, hands-on activities for families and more.
O+ will close the festival weekend this year with a 25th anniversary screening of The Blair Witch Project, one of the most profitable independent films ever made and, certainly, one of the most influential films of all time in the horror genre. Co-presented by Upstate Films and the Woodstock Film Festival, the 7pm screening on Sunday, October 13th in The Old Dutch Church will be followed by a panel discussion with original cast members including filmmaker, writer, actor and Hudson Valley resident Joshua Leonard.
With its expansive programming and exchange for healthcare, the O+ Festival is unlike any other festival. At the heart and behind the scenes of O+ Festival is the Artists’ Clinic. All artists, musicians, and volunteers access a variety of healthcare services through this pop-up clinic in exchange for their contributions to the festival – everything from dental care to acupuncture, chiropractic, reiki, dermatology, nutrition counseling, physical exams, connection with mental health professionals and so much more.
“To be able to come to the clinic and have acupuncture, speak to a nutritionist, to a naturopath, to have massage therapy… these things are very expensive on their own” said 2010/2023 alum Gail Ann Dorsey while in the Artists’ Clinic during the 2023 O+ Festival. “It’s just such a humane way to share with each other, to help each other. Having come back after playing the very first time,.. thirteen years later to play this festival (2023) has been very meaningful for me… I feel very blessed to be a part of this community so I am always here to do whatever I can to keep this kind of spirit alive .”
This exchange – the art of medicine for the medicine of art – is the core of O+’s mission. Our year round work is made possible through the support of attendees who have access to an overflowing schedule of arts and wellness programming by donating what they can for a festival wristband. At O+, we believe that everyone deserves access to healthcare and that everyone should have access to the healing power of the arts.
O+ Festival wristbands are on sale now! Every by-donation wristband sold goes directly back into the festival and helps fund our work of providing care to artists and musicians and building healthier, more resilient communities.
O+ is honored to present the work of 2021 Alum David Najib Kasir in the O+ Exchange Clinic Gallery. Safety Zones & Watermelons, an exhibition of his recent work, includes several pieces he made while at The Golden Foundation Residency Program this Spring.
Open Wed, Thurs 1-5pm, Sat 12-4pm and by appointment
In Intergalactic Planetary, artist Jennifer Zackin weaves colorful rope and scraps of fabric through late 20th century lawn furniture and tractor seats to create portals to new perspectives. Shown alongside neon works on paper, the exhibition embodies a joyfully defiant attitude and multidimensional curiosity akin to the 1998 Beastie Boys hit, “Intergalactic,” which is the namesake of the show.
The chairs Zackin uses in these works serve as a marker of a particular era, but she transforms the familiar objects with color and pattern, creating gravity-defying, day-glow sculptures reminiscent of underwater-like worlds, mountain ranges, escape hatches, and refuges. These chairs are part of Zackin’s ongoing Vortex Weaving series, and use a process of hand-knotting and weaving inspired by the handwork of traditional weavers with whom the artist studied while living in rural India and Peru. Like a Vortex, Zackin strives to create an axis of energy in her work with the power to pull us from our current perspective, opening to other possibilities.
Alongside these woven sculptures, works on paper help drive home the theme of transformation. The drawings are intuitive, abstract color studies. Some were created to support the development of the sculptures. Others use color and pattern to ruminate on the interconnected nature of the natural world. Still others are themselves Vortex Weavings – paper punctured with thread into intuitive shapes and patterns. By showing these drawings alongside the Vortex Weaving pieces, the work invites conversations about the intersection between fiber, sculpture, and painting.
Finally, in conjunction with the exhibition, the gallery will present a participatory communal weaving project on May 24th at the Old Dutch Church Yard during the O+ 365: A Benefit to Support O+’s Year-Round Clinic. Visitors are invited to weave together, contributing to a large-scale Vortex Weaving designed to bring the community together.
The O+ Festival returns for the 14th annual exchange of art, music, and wellness October 11-13, 2024. This year’s festival theme is NO+ise. Learn more about the theme HERE. O+ is accepting submissions from artists, musicians, and writers of ALL mediums, genres, and modalities from March 4th – April 28th, 2024. Submitting your work to O+ Festival is free of cost.
Please do not let any barriers – personal, perceived or technical – get in the way. Read on for frequently asked questions, answers, and helpful tips to guide you in the application process. If you need support of any kind to apply, reach out to us for assistance at info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343.
Submissions are ONLY accepted through Submittable. Click one of the links below to find the full application and be sure to fill out the form in its entirety!
What information do I need to complete the submission form?
To complete the submission form, you’ll need the following:
Name and contact information
How many people are performing (if applying as part of a band/group)
What clinic services you need/are interested in
Genre and a brief but detailed description of what you plan to perform/create
Videos, MP3s, or photos of your work – doesn’t have to be fancy but should relate to what you are proposing to present to the public!
A photo of you/your band or group for promotional purposes
Links to your site/socials if applicable
Why you want to participate in the O+ Festival
Days you’re available to perform/participate
Is there a submission fee?
Nope!
When is the deadline for submissions?
Submissions are open March 4th – April 28, 2024. All applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on April 28th in order to be considered by the relevant committee.
What if I do not have regular internet access or a computer at home OR I need help with my application?
You can contact us via email at info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343. Please do not let any barriers – personal, perceived or technical – get in the way. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We’re here to help.
Si prefieres Español, disponemos de personal que puede ayudarle con su solicitud y/o paricipación. Comuníquese con info@opositivefestival.org o (845) 399-5343.
I’ve never played/shown my work publicly before. Does that mean I can’t apply to the festival?
Absolutely not! The O+ Festival is proud to host an eclectic variety of creatives and provide a platform for emerging artists. We are listening to/reading/looking at your work NOT your CV. Please consider applying!
How do the committees decide who gets accepted to the festival?
Each committee is made up of a mix of O+ alum, industry professionals, and community members representing different practices, identities, and perspectives.
While each festival is different, committee members typically prioritize local and regional artists who haven’t participated in the festival yet, as well as people who need access to the health & wellness services offered at the festival clinic.
They also evaluate how each application incorporates the festival theme, genre diversity, social media presence, a band/performer’s availability, and how a band/performer/artist’s work fits into and adds to the larger festival lineup.
I played/performed last year. Can I apply again?
We may give lower priority to artists who participated in the previous three O+ Kingston Festivals, though we encourage all to apply. As our mission is centered in cultivating a diverse community of artists to whom we are offering access to healthcare, we want to make sure we reach those who have yet to participate and may have a need to acquire care.
We are currently expanding our art programming towards a year-round model, as we are constantly looking for new ways provide care to artists. If you aren’t accepted for this year’s festival, you may be contacted over the next year if there are other ways to connect with O+. We thank you in advance for your understanding.
If you’re interested in volunteering for a free festival wristband or in exchange for a clinic visit please click HERE
I’ve applied before but didn’t get in. Should I even bother?
Yes, please! Each year our committees review hundreds and hundreds of submissions and have to curate that down to a much smaller list of performers. Capacity is determined largely by the amount of care we are able to provide at our clinic during the festival weekend. We ask for your patience and understanding should your submission not be accepted for this year and encourage all who are not chosen for O+ Festival 2024 to reapply next year of artist slots. Bottom line: it’s not personal at all! Please apply again.
When will I find out If I got accepted?
Musicians, artists and writers will be notified via email of acceptance by early June. Folks who are not selected for this year’s festival will be notified shortly thereafter.
Helpful Tips For Your Application
Fill out the ENTIRE Submission form. Double check that you’ve filled in all of the applicable and required fields.
Be specific! The information you share in your submission should give us an idea of who you are as a musician/band/artist/writer AND what you plan to perform at the festival. Be as detailed as possible about yourself and your work and what exactly you want to do at the festival – and please use media/examples that reflect that.
For example, if you’re a musician who primarily plays in a full brass band but are applying to the festival as a solo folk musician, include video clips of your solo performances so that our committee can get a better idea of that work.
OR if you are an artist hoping to paint a mural – you do not need to have experience painting murals in the past but you do need to provide work samples that make clear what your practice is so that the committee can imagine your work being successful on a larger scale.
Remember the festival theme. Each year’s theme plays an important role in how our Art, and WO+rd committees, especially, evaluate submissions and curate the final lineup. Tell us how the work you’re submitting relates that theme in your application – it doesn’t have to be perfect! Our committees mostly just want to see how you relate to it and that you’re considering it as part of your submission.
It doesn’t have to be fancy. You aren’t required to have a website or an Instagram account with thousands of followers. Any way that you can accurately portray your craft so that committee members can get a sense of your work/sound is acceptable.
Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Seriously! Whether you have questions about the process, need technical assistance, or just need a few tips we are here to help and want to make the application process as seamless as possible. Email us at info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343. We will make every effort to make the process as smooth, transparent and successful for you as possible.
The O+ Festival will return to Kingston, NY for the 14th annual exchange of art, music and wellness October 11-13th, 2024.
This year’s O+ Festival explores the duality of noise.
In this year of consequential electoral politics, protest, war, disinformation, oversaturation and overstimulation we are seeking to examine, engage with and transcend the noise of our humanity.
Noise can be heard, seen or felt. It is not merely a nuisance or disturbance to be silenced but a dynamic force that shapes our perceptions, emotions, and interactions. It is a metaphor for the constant barrage of stimuli that inundates our senses, shaping our perceptions and influencing our behaviors. It is the gray area between what appears black and white where the majority of life happens. It can distract, obscure, and harm as it can also clarify, motivate and energize.
Within noise lies the potential for both disruption and innovation, discord and harmony. At once, noise has the capacity to uplift, inspire, and unite as well as to be used to disrupt or distract us from what is real or distance us from the sounds of our own minds. Noise can be righteous, insistent, a catalyst for profound transformation, a source of creativity, and a vehicle for social change. Through embracing the richness of noise in all its forms, we seek to foster a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between individual expression and collective experience. There are power dynamics inherent in noise – who controls the narrative, whose voices are amplified, and whose are silenced. Inequities and injustices are perpetuated by the amplification of certain voices over others. We can reclaim agency in the face of noise, forging connections, and building communities grounded in empathy and understanding. But we must reflect critically on the threats posed by the manipulation of reality in the digital age and not be overwhelmed into complicity by the din.
We are calling artists, musicians and writers of all mediums, genres and modalities to explore the paradoxical nature of noise and its role in shaping our shared human experience. They are invited to reflect on their own relationship with noise – to interrogate the sources of discord in their lives and envision pathways toward harmony and equilibrium. From vibrant murals that capture the pulse and persistence of life on a grand scale to immersive, intimate soundscapes that invite contemplation, to drum beats, exclamations, collective exhales and shared silence, we hope to build a symphony of noise– full of the beauty, dissonance, harmony and resonance, chaos, silence and amplification – in order to reframe noise not as a disturbance, but as a vibrant force of empowerment, positivity, liberation and connection from which deeper truths can emerge.
Every O+ Festival brings together a genre-defying blend of artists, musicians, creatives, and wellness practitioners. Throughout the three-day festival, you might see a punk band, catch a modern dance performance, sit for a gong bath on your way to a hip-hop set, see public art created by legendary street artists as well as elementary school students, or participate in a group meditation led by a world-renowned poet (or all of the above).
In that vein, our beloved Literary Salon – now called WO+rd – continues to test and expand the boundaries of the written and spoken word. Each year, facilitators Carolita Johnson and Cris Livecchi aim to create an eclectic gathering of established and emerging voices, playing with form and structure to deliver an intimate, one-of-a-kind experience.
Carolita Johnson
Both Carolita and Cris got involved with O+ early in the festival’s history. Johnson, a writer, illustrator, and cartoonist for The New Yorker, first got connected with O+ when she moved to Kingston in 2015 and applied to be part of the festival. Livecchi, the creator of the serial Radio Wiltwyck and a co-owner of World’s End Comics in Uptown Kingston, first participated in the Literary SalO+n in 2014 and then returned the next year to emcee the event.
Back then, Cris says that the Literary SalO+n operated almost like an open mic, with a few writers specifically invited to come up and perform at the former Outdated Cafe. “It was sort of like the Wild West,” Cris remembers. “That was really fun.”
Carolita adds that after her first O+ experience, she was hooked. “It was so amazing that of course, I wanted to be part of it every year, even if I didn’t formally apply to the festival,” she says. “So even if I’m not officially in [the festival], I’m in it.”
At the writer’s showcase, you can never quite know what to expect (and that’s how Cris and Carolita like it.) You might stumble in during a session with a “rock n’ roll therapist,” who writes and performs on-the-spot ditties to respond to audience members’ relationship woes. Or hear spoken word backed by a live band. Or get a personalized haiku, typed up for you on the spot. Carolita recalls a festival favorite in 2017 when then-Dutchess County Poet Laureate Bettina “Poet Gold” Wilkerson performed, saying how she stood out as both a fabulous writer but also someone who showed up to support her fellow performers. For Cris, one of the most memorable readings happened during the 2021 festival, when most events were held outdoors due to Covid restrictions.
Cristopher Livecchi
“We did the Literary SalO+n outside in the Old Dutch Church cemetery and we had a fantastic slate of writers, all of whom were just incredible,” he says. “But doing it in the cemetery, in the open air, just really stands out for me…after all these years, I still feel really lucky to be surrounded by people who are way more talented than me.”
As both Cris and Carolita got more involved in running the event, they started to reimagine how the Literary SalO+on might evolve. Where formerly, writers were invited to perform, Cris and Carolita shifted to the submission process that other festival alumni follow to cast a wider net and attract more writers from different backgrounds, as well as people working in different mediums.
“In the beginning, it was hard to find a lot of folks who weren’t all the same people over and over again,” Carolita says. “We’ve really been making an effort to reach out to a lot of people and hear a lot of voices, and a range of forms as well.”
The latter part can be tricky when you’re curating a literary salon – the terminology itself can feel overly formal and exclusive, neither of which is an accurate representation of the ethos of the event. It was partially for this reason that the Literary SalO+n was rebranded as WO+rd in 2023.
Last year also marked a bit of an inflection point for the beloved writer’s showcase: in addition to officially rebranding and renaming the event to reflect a more expansive interpretation of the medium, for the first time, the format included more multimedia elements and several spotlight events, including readings by local legend Richard Buckner and renowned poet Mahogany L. Browne.
“I think [2023] is the first year we came into ourselves,” Carolita says.
When looking at submissions, Carolita says they’re open to a variety of interpretations on the festival theme, so long as they’re word-based and creative. “To me, ‘literary’ sounds highfalutin, but maybe ‘writerly’ is a better way to say it,” she says. “There are so many ways of being writerly that I like seeing how people find different ways to do it. So that’s I think what we seek a lot of.”
For writers interested in submitting to WO+rd, both Carolita and Cris offer a few key pieces of advice: fill out the form completely, be as detailed as possible, and think about the festival theme in your application.
Still writing/revising/editing the piece you want to perform? No worries! You don’t need a finished piece to submit, but it’s helpful to be able to describe the piece and any other elements of your planned performance.
“It’s useful to be very specific when you’re submitting. Even if you haven’t started writing the thing you’re going to perform yet, we can still gauge the quality of your work from your writing sample,” Cris says. “But if we don’t have a good idea of what you’re going to perform, then we don’t know how it fits into the [festival] theme…Someone can be a great writer, but if the work that they’re proposing doesn’t have anything to do with the theme of that year then we’re a lot less likely to move them forward.”
At the same time, they encourage people to get creative and think beyond the boundaries of a traditional spoken word format.
“I often do stuff for O+ that’s different from what I do professionally because I see the festival as an opportunity to be more experimental,” Carolita says.
“We can’t emphasize enough how much variety we have in terms of genre and style and subject matter,” Cris adds. “That’s something we’ve tried to do as a committee so that we don’t have the same type of writer or reader show up again and again.”
Over the years, WO+rd has hosted many amazing established writers and authors from the Hudson Valley and beyond and has become a space to highlight emerging creatives.
“There aren’t that many spaces for unpublished writers. I like that idea of giving access to people.”
“Another thing we’re trying to juggle is the balance of published writers with more up-and-coming, newer writers who are really talented,” Cris says. “We don’t want to create a space that’s elitist where we only have big name writers or super established folks, so we want to make sure we’re bringing in younger, less experienced but equally talented people.”
WO+rd has often been the first space for some writers to share their work publicly. For Carolita, that’s part of what makes it so special. “I’ve said to Cris, ‘I want this person in because they need a place to have their voice heard, and I want this to be the place’,” she says. “There aren’t that many spaces for unpublished writers. I like that idea of giving access to people.”
Like all other artists, musicians, performers, and volunteers who participate in the O+ Festival each year, the writers of WO+rd can access a variety of healthcare and wellness services in exchange for their contributions to the festival.
“I love [the clinic],” says Carolita. Every year I take advantage of the dental. I don’t have insurance, but even if I did [dental] would still be the one thing insurance doesn’t cover.” But, she shares, convincing cohorts of WO+rd participants to visit the clinic can be a bit of a challenge. In reflecting on the conversations she’s had with past participants over the years, she describes butting up against ideas about scarcity, about participants not feeling like they had a right to use the services, or that maybe they didn’t need them enough.
“I had to remind them, ‘Sure, but you wouldn’t go to the dentist this year if you didn’t have this, would you?’” she says. “We’re all broke, you know? Somehow they felt like it was asking too much…I was happy that I made a few people go to the dentist last year.”
“I think it’s because so many of them sort of feel like – especially when you’re writers and you’re on stage for 10 minutes – ‘did I really earn this?’” Cris adds. “And I think one thing that we want to instill in our participants is: you’re part of the festival. You earned this. You’re here – this is what all of this is for.”
The 2024 festival theme will be announced and submissions will open in March – stay tuned to opositivefestival.org or follow O+ for more information and updates.
If you look at the day-to-day of Andrea Maddox, you’d see a portrait of someone whose life is saturated with and built around music.
She started learning piano in early childhood and has been writing and performing music for as long as she can remember.
Today she’s a singer and songwriter who fronts several bands and also teaches piano and voice to about 30 students per week. During the pandemic, she reignited her passion for musical theater and produced a summer music camp for kids, which culminated with the production of an original musical. What started as a lark (and, she jokes, a way to keep her kids occupied) has now been running for three seasons – in August, the group finished up a production of Madame Clementine’s Extraordinaire at Rosekill Art Farm in August.
Photo credit: Noel McGrath
Andrea plays in many bands, but her main squeeze is the five-piece Country/Americana group Andrea Maddox and the Hey Y’alls, who also played at the 2022 O+ Festival. Even though she’d been to the festival many times as an attendee (and a fixture of the opening night parade), now as an alumnus, she found an even deeper connection to community and care.
“It was so much fun…You walk into the clinic and everyone is just like, ‘How can I help you? What do you need?’ That was great,” she says. “It just felt really special. One of my bandmates went to the dentist for the first time in years and was like, ‘Oh my god, that was amazing’.”
She says that receiving care in the clinic, sharing meals with other festival participants, and getting to see other performers offered a truly unique experience.
“It was so nice to see fellow musicians I’ve been playing with for years performing and attending. My entire family came and we listened to all kinds of music,” she says. “It was so nice to be part of a really caring community and feel all that love – to get the love as a performer and go and see all these other musicians doing the same thing. It just had this really warm, wonderful feeling.”
Andrea knows well the push-and-pull between making a career as an artist and making ends meet, and it’s taken her a lot of trial and error to get to a place where she can sustain herself – spiritually and financially – as an artist.
“For musicians and artists, you’re constantly having to have another job to pay for healthcare or food or rent,” she says. “Many times in my life I’ve had to quit just trying to gig and sort of do the 9-5 so I could get health insurance and actually go to a doctor or a dentist instead of just going to a clinic.”
She says those years oscillating back and forth between gigging and working a series of “regular” full-time jobs was a constant game of trade-offs. On the one hand, there was more consistent income and health insurance; she recalls one job where, once her health benefits kicked in, she spent an entire year catching up on all of the preventive care she couldn’t access before.
On the other hand, she was miserable.
“I felt like I was having to sacrifice the time that I could be working on my music to be drained at a day job,” she says. “As a creative person, I feel like there’s always a choice: you can choose not to do the work, and then there are consequences…because you choose not to follow the thing that is deep inside you and crying to get out.”
For Andrea, sacrificing that creative time meant ignoring her heart’s calling, and taking away a crucial part of her own healing and coping process. Music – composing, playing, performing – gives her a way to work through her experiences and emotions and helps her find a way forward. Without that conduit, she says, her mental health suffers.
Walking away from her steady job with benefits wasn’t easy, and she recognizes that it’s not always an option that’s available to everyone. But it was a bet on herself that she needed to make.
“I think the older I get, the more confidence I have. And I think I also understand that we don’t have a lot of time – what we have is this time right now.”
Still, other factors, like relatively good health, improved access to care under the Affordable Care Act, and encouragement from mentors, helped her to take the leap to pursue music full-time – and keep taking it, every day.
“I’ve had a lot of my mentors say things like, “You don’t have to do it, nobody has to do it. But it’s hard, and that’s why most people quit.’ And that voice has been in my head so much in my life because I thought, you know what? I can do hard things.”
Andrea Maddox and The Hey Y’alls recently finished their latest album, Long Drive Home, which you can stream on all the major services or hear live at their EP release show on Friday, December 15th, 2023 at The Colony in Woodstock, along with other O+ Alums The Kondrat Sisters and Yard Sale. Get your tix here.
