Q&A: KOI Music Fest Goes for a Communal Feeling
Brothers Cory and Curt Crossman are gigantic music fans, and lovers of their Kitchener, ON, community – founding 
and developing the KOI Music Fest (September 19-21, downtown Kitchener) is as pure an example of this as you can get.
Having launched the festival in 2010 with 135 bands spread out through nine indoor venues and two outdoor stages, the Crossman’s festival has gained enough momentum over the years to make the 2014 incarnation an impressive feat: even before the first chord is struck.
This year, the line-up consists of bigger draws like Every Time I Die, Danko Jones, Protest the Hero, Silverstein, USS, Die Mannequin, and Mad Caddies, not to mention a myriad of local, independent talent.
The clock is ticking ever so closely to the floodgates opening, but Riffyou.com managed to sneak in a few moments with Cory to discuss why KOI matters, what makes the festival different, the challenges that go along with it, and what’s new for 2014.
RY: KOI is looking rather awesome this year. For those who haven’t heard of the event before, or don’t plan on going yet, tell them why this is a festival that matters?
Cory: “Thanks, we’re excited about KOI. It’s shaping up to be our biggest and best edition. KOI is a festival that allows concertgoers to come enjoy some of their favourite bands and discover their new favourite group they haven’t heard of yet.
“KOI is a different festival as it doesn’t take place in an empty field. Rather, it takes place in a mid-sized Canadian city centre. It’s a grassroots festival that focuses on supporting the musicians and community it takes place within. Unlike many other festivals, KOI artists are out and about and walking the same streets, seeing the same bands, eating at the same restaurants and shopping at the same stores as the fans. It creates a truly unique vibe.”
RY: Could you provide a quick insight into when preparations for the festival begins, and the time it requires from you?
Cory: “It takes 365 days a year of work. We are already planning some elements for the 2015 festival at this point. We wrap the festival up and immediately begin working on the following year. With each year, the festival gets bigger and bigger, and there are more moving parts that need our attention. This keeps us on our toes year-round.”
RY: This is the fifth year of the festival, so it’s still relatively young by comparison to many others out there. What lessons have you learned from the previous four festivals that you’ll be/have been applying to this one?
Cory: “Keep focused on the big picture. There are lots of ups and downs leading up to and throughout the festival, but 
it’s important to stay centered and look at the overall event. At the end of day, this is a massive undertaking and things will derail us from time to time, but we move past them and focus on our goal.”
RY: You have a rather diverse performance lineup this year. When you’re seeking out bands to perform at KOI, what are you looking for? And, what are you not looking for?
Cory: “We pride ourselves in having a great variety of artists. We strive to promote the best in independent music and showcase a wide range of genres. The bands we book have DIY ethics and are some of the hardest working musicians out there. We really look to align ourselves with people and bands that work hard and play great music.”
RY: Siblings often have a hard time agreeing on many things. How often do you and your brother argue about who should, or shouldn’t be able to play at KOI?
Cory: You’re completely correct when you say siblings argue. But when it comes to the festival, Curt and I really do see eye to eye. Not sure why, but we really have the same vision for this kind of thing… must be because we’re brothers!”
RY: There are some very well-known bands at KOI that’ll surely draw crowds. Which band is kind of flying under the radar that attendees may be surprised by?
Cory: “We always tell people that they will come to KOI and see their favourite band and discover their new favourite artists. One band that comes to mind instantly is Kitchener natives, Courage My Love. They have had such a huge year with a Japanese tour, and a JUNO nomination, plus they played the entire VANS Warped Tour. This band is right on the cusp of something big. Best of all, they are from Canada! As well, Exalt have really been building a solid name this past year. Those are two locals I’d keep an eye on.”
RY: What are the positives that go along with hosting this event in Kitchener? What’s more, what are the negatives and how do you battle against them?
Cory: “I love bringing something of this size and stature to Kitchener, ON. We have a growing music scene in Kitchener-Waterloo and KOI Music Fest allows us to showcase it. The biggest drawback I would say is sacrificing our summer each year. While everyone is taking it easy and relaxing throughout the summer, our hours ramp up and the stress really gets the best of you at times. Some days it feels like the downfalls outweigh the good. But all in all, we’re lucky and happy to doing what we love.”
RY: You’ve instituted a conference element of the show, similar to what CMW and NXNE have to offer. Why did you decide to institute this feature?
Cory: “KOI Con was always intended to be a part of KOI Fest, but is just being implemented this year. In 2013, we held our first ever KOI Con with the purpose of enlightening and educating individuals looking to carve out a career for themselves in the music industry. Last year, we ran the conference as an experiment from which we received extremely 
positive feedback. We then decided to integrate the conference component into the festival in 2014. The goal of the conference and the festival are very similar. KOI Con is to help artists get to the next step through educating them, and KOI Fest is here to help draw awareness outside of the music industry to these bands. It’s really a full circle approach that creates sustainability within the local industry.”
RY: There are a number of charitable endeavours tied to the festival. Why is that an important element to have at KOI?
Cory: “All the KOI initiatives are very grassroots and heavily engage the local community. We see this as an excellent opportunity to bring awareness to some worthy causes in our community. Our demographic is younger than any other music festival in our region, so we hope to make an impact and have our audience think twice about things in their community.”
RY: The festival seems to continually be expanding. Eventually, you can only expand so much. In your dreams, what would the ultimate edition of this festival entail?
Cory: “This is something we are very mindful of. We don’t want to grow too quickly, but we need to continue to evolve and build ourselves up. We hope to one day bring in 10,000+ people a day.”
RY: When the curtain closes on this year’s KOI, what do you hope the end result will be?
“After all is said and done, we hope to have made a big splash in the Canadian music scene. I hope the fans come and enjoy the community, and that the bands get lots of new fans. Oh, and I wouldn’t mind being able to do this for years and years to come!”
-Adam Grant
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