The stars are out for third annual Flower Moon Festival
On April 27, The Collective will host their third annual Flower Moon Festival at the Garden Amphitheater. Fifteen musical acts from Chapman and the local Orange area will play across three different stages throughout the evening alongside student vendors. Graphic courtesy of Diya Patel
A successful music festival is determined by a number of factors: ticket sales, positive feedback from performers and audience engagement. But during the 2023 Flower Moon Festival, Jackson Gefen, the co-president of the Chapman student organization The Collective, found all the validation he needed in seeing the founding members of The Collective simply having a good time.
In 2019, Chapman alumni Phil Mentz, David Farca and Lexi Zdanov envisioned a music festival for students in creative and non-creative majors to showcase their talents. However, their pursuit was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. The younger members of The Collective would help revive their vision in 2022. Now, they’re back for year three.
“That day was really hectic, but seeing them really put it into perspective,” said Gefen, a senior strategic and corporate communication major. “Now, it’s a legacy thing, and I think it’s important that we honor and continue that legacy.”
On April 27, The Collective, which is dedicated to highlighting multimedia artists, will host their third annual Flower Moon Festival at the Garden Amphitheater in Garden Grove. Eleven new acts and four returning acts will rock the venue’s three stages for 650 attendees in a celebration of the local music scene. Attendees will also find six vendors, performers’ merch, food and alcoholic drinks for students over 21 years old. And yes, your ID will be checked.
Even before establishing The Collective, Mentz, a 2021 business alumnus, was highly invested in his friend’s creative endeavors and sought a way to showcase their unseen talents. He tried to start a Chapman-centric festival after attending his first Coachella but fell into a web of red tape. Thus, The Collective was formed as a club to help student artists gather the funds to create. He described watching his idea come to life as “bigger, cooler and better than anything I could've imagined.”
“It goes to show how strong our will to create is and that true artists will stop at nothing to get their ideas out there. There were a lot of new acts and brands that were new faces for me, but it was immediately reassuring to see how crazy talented the Chapman scene is. We’re a community that always had each other’s backs.”
Last year’s festival hosted a wide array of artists, with several musicians coming from out of state. This year, Gefen wants to hone in on The Collective’s mission: to highlight the multimedia artists of Chapman and the local Orange area.
“I think we kind of strayed away from The Collective’s mission statement,” Gefen said. “When we have people flying in from out of state, we’re not really adhering to our principles. As a result, we’ve grounded ourselves a bit this year, and our focus is back on Chapman, Chapman alumni or artists who are very involved in the local music scene.
Despite pulling from a smaller pool, co-president of The Collective Alden Iannelli assures attendees that fans of all genres will find something for them. You might even find out you like something new.
“I think we really have a good mix of things,” said Iannelli, a senior communication major. “Almost every genre is being presented. Usually, Flower Moon does fit more into an indie scene, but we’ve got some more fast-paced stuff, DJs, R&B. There’s something for everybody there.”
This year, the band Guantanamo Bay Surf Club will headline the festival. Three of their members met during their time at Chapman, reemphasizing The Collective’s mission to keep the festival Chapman-centric. Iannelli and Gefen initially saw them perform at a show in Los Angeles last year, which sparked the idea of them headlining the festival.
“It was such a fun set, and when we found out how connected to Chapman they were, that’s when we first started thinking about them,” Iannelli said. “They have a great stage presence, and we wanted to make sure we had a headliner connected to the Chapman community… I feel very strongly that people are going to love them. Those younger Chapman members in the crowd are going to find a new band to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, these people went to the same school as me.’”
Planning this year’s festival began the moment last year’s ended. Freshman business management major Melissa Lysiak has been absorbing knowledge from The Collective’s senior members on how to throw a music festival. She serves as the main stage manager and technical coordinator of this year’s Flower Moon Festival. During the process, she’s certainly encountered some unexpected challenges along the way.
“One thing you don’t expect is all the contracts you have to go through,” Lysiak said. “You’d think we’re just going to reach out to these artists, and they’re going to want to play. There are so many little aspects that go into everything that you wouldn’t expect. There’s so much stuff in the fine print you have to deal with, down to what (the artists) want in their green room, to eat or drink or if they want a specific brand of gum.”
The original art for the Flower Moon Festival from 2017, photo courtesy of James Mentz
During the college decision process, Lysiak came across Gefen and The Collective during a tour, where she learned about the Flower Moon Festival. As someone aspiring to work in the music industry, Chapman’s tight-knit community and the prospect of being involved in a student festival would ultimately encourage Lysiak to choose Chapman.
“At Chapman, there is a music community here that’s growing,” Lysiak said. “I can have the chance to be connected, and I could be great instead of being another number. I want to be able to contribute in any way possible and try to make the community better.”
Even though she hasn’t been able to attend a Flower Moon Festival yet, Lysiak already plans to continue it after the senior members of The Collective graduate. As for Gefen and Iannelli, they can’t wait to follow in the footsteps of previous presidents of The Collective and attend next year’s Flower Moon Festival as casual guests.
“It’s a roller coaster of a ride. It never gets easier, truth be told,” Gefen said. “Both (Iannelli) and I are very much ready to pass on this legacy to the next wave of Collective members and get the opportunity our previous presidents had of being able to attend the festival and not have to run around like crazy — just being able to enjoy the show.”
At the end of the day, Gefen’s goal for Flower Moon round three is simple.
“If it’s not fun, then what’s the point? As long as people have fun and either discover a new artist they like or resolidify their love for an artist, that’s the main point. I think it’s just a great opportunity for people to have fun and listen to music that’s made by people in the community.”
Tickets to Flower Moon Festival are $20 for students and $30 for general admission. These can be purchased on TicketWeb or in the Attallah Piazza the week prior to avoid online fees. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the event will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. A free shuttle service will transport students from Chapman to the Garden Amphitheater every hour from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Students interested in volunteering at Flower Moon Festival can sign up here. For more information, visit The Collective’s Instagram page.
