Everybody’s dancing in the Flower Moon-light with The Collective

On April 28, The Collective will host 16 music acts and seven vendors at the Garden Amphitheater for their second annual Flower Moon Festival. Graphics by Emma Breen

In the late hours of April 29, 2022, members of The Collective Jackson Gefen, David Anderson and Lexi Zdanov sat in the parking lot of a Garden Grove Taco Bell sipping Baja Blasts. Emotionally drained and physically exhausted, they let their feet dangle out of an open trunk and spent the night replaying the previous five hours in their heads. 

After months of hefty preparation, logistical stress and mass coordination, their efforts had successfully culminated into Flower Moon Festival — a 15-act music festival catered to 650 attendees that provided exposure to local musicians, performers and vendors. 

Flower Moon Festival tickets are available for purchase for $20 with a Chapman ID and $30 without on TicketWeb.

“The wave of relief we all felt was insane,” Anderson told The Panther. “There was a mix of emotions: proud, happy, exhausted and just overall relieved because it all happened to work out. I don’t think it hit us that we just did that. I don’t think it set in until a week later. Like, ‘Wow, we really just threw a music festival.’”

Without hesitation, the group was in unanimous agreement that they were ready to do it all again. Although Chapman alumna Zdanov has since graduated, junior strategic and corporate communication major Gefen and senior violin performance major Anderson stepped up as co-presidents of The Collective and have led the charge for the second Flower Moon Festival, which will take place at the Garden Amphitheater in Garden Grove on April 28 from 5 to 10 p.m. 

This year, 16 artists will each perform 30-minute sets. Three artists will play at a time at the three different venues within the Garden Amphitheater: The Locker Room, with 100 seats, Tree House with 200 seats, and the main stage with 530 seats. The evening will be concluded by headlining pop artist Emei, who will perform on the main stage. 

“With our smaller shows at The Warehouse OC or Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders, we’re pretty limited in terms of the talent we can bring on,” Gefen said. “With Flower Moon Festival, we have 16 performances from different artists and bands. It's kind of like an all-encompassing showcase of not only Chapman artists and talent, but outside artists from Orange County, Los Angeles and even other states.” 

Not only does Flower Moon fulfill The Collective’s mission of providing a platform to local artists, the festival is a continuation of the legacy paved by the founders of the organization. 

“The dream of doing a music festival started with the original founders of The Collective: Phil 

Mentz, David Farca and (Zdanov),” Anderson said. “In 2019, they had planned out a whole music festival and were about to do it but COVID canceled everything two days before. We were able to do it last year for the first time and accomplish that goal they had since the beginning. Now we’re doing it again, hoping to make it bigger every single year.”

Anderson told The Panther that The Collective accepts artists from all genres who are ready to put on a show for their listeners and not “pull a Frank Ocean.” 

Senior biochemistry and molecular biology major Elif Narbay perfectly fits that mold. As lead singer for the female-centric group Just Rosie, Narbay and her bandmates hope to bring a vibrant atmosphere to their set that aligns with the spring theme of Flower Moon Festival. 

“(Flower Moon Festival) is an opportunity to promote our music and promote our creativity,” Narbay said. “Very few people get to say they’ve performed at a festival in college.”

Narbay has been instrumental for The Collective in helping recruit artists through her connections with music labels, planning marketing campaigns and assisting with student vendors. She was slated to perform at Flower Moon Festival last year as a member of the band Parad!gm but had to drop out due to medical issues. 

She plans to make her Flower Moon Festival debut this year and continue exploring her creative outlet. 

“I have such a high when I’m on stage, which even continues afterwards, especially when the audience is singing along and dancing with you — it's like a whole other level of energy that's honestly indescribable,” Narbay said. “I think we just have a really awesome set and I'm excited for everyone to come out and jam and party.”

Although the group was only formed in September 2022, Narbay said Just Rosie is growing more and more comfortable with each performance, learning to bring the energy and be interactive with the audience. Senior film production major Augie Isaac is also gaining his bearings as a performing musician since releasing music during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Issac, who has garnered several hundred thousand listens on songs such as “Time Bomb” and “Peachy Keen,” has been working to curate an upbeat setlist suited for the standing audience and enmesh with his fellow musicians that will backup his vocals at Flower Moon Festival.  

“I feel like we have a set that has a good flow to it and we’re going to get people to dance,” Issac said. “(Flower Moon Festival) is opportunity but it’s also community. It represents a lot of what Chapman is — everyone is hard working, creating really unique stuff you wouldn’t see at another school our size. It’s really wild that it’s being put on by students and it’s at this level.” 

Gefen and Anderson will wear the hats of both Collective members and performers, with Gefen playing his own DJ set and Anderson playing violin during the Lucas Tecson set. Although The Collective’s focus may be the music, the group has also put an emphasis on incorporating visual artists through marketing, lighting projections and providing a place for student vendors. 

Attendees will be able to shop from student painters, jewelers, craftsmen and even a film lab where you buy a disposable camera and have your photos developed after the show. 

“At the end of the day, The Collective's goal and mission statement is to highlight artists of all mediums,” Gefen said. “There’s a lot of mediums that don’t get spotlights and student businesses that don’t get the recognition they deserve. When you step into the festival, it’s going to be more than just three stages with music going on. We want it to feel immersive like the big-name festivals that invest in the design of it all.”

Gefen told The Panther that whether it be through another Flower Moon Festival or smaller events, he hopes The Collective will continue to uplift student artists and not shy away in the face of daunting endeavors. He credits fellow members of The Collective Shaye Kelly, Cecily de Leon, Alden Iannelli, Ellen Byun, Sophia Alloggiamento and Narbay for helping execute Flower Moon Festival every step of the way and committing to the organization’s vision.

“My hope is that long after (Anderson) and I graduate, there are people that can carry on this legacy… a legacy where lovers of all forms of art can come together and appreciate each other’s craft,” Gefen said. “The sheer scale of Flower Moon is daunting, but I really hope that what we’re doing here with The Collective sets a precedent and shows people that if you put your mind and body towards something, you can get it done.”
Flower Moon Festival tickets are available for purchase for $20 with a Chapman ID and $30 without on TicketWeb. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $30. A free Lux Bus will be departing every hour from Chapman to the Garden Amphitheater from 5 until 8 p.m. There will also be a full bar for students over the age of 21.