From Greensky Bluegrass’s set:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
When SEED organized its first memorial concert for Phil Semmer in May 2000, members tried to combine the things that he loved most: Frisbee, bluegrass, geckos, jam bands and environmental projects. The result was a free, outdoor music festival that they called PhilFest. The show featured artists whose styles matched Semmer’s taste in music, and donations were collected for the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Colorado-based environmental think tank that Phil had hoped to join after graduation.
On Sunday, PhilFest 2008 continued the tradition, though bad weather forced a move from its usual spot on the east lawn of Norris to the building’s ground floor. Gecko-themed posters directed people to the show, and the audience grew throughout the night, with a mix of students, and older and younger attendees.
Although no current SEED members know Semmer, they continue to work to keep his memory alive. “I think it definitely still has a connection to Phil because that’s something that’s very important to us when we’re putting it on,” said Rachel Patten, who’s a former SEED co-chair and involved in PhilFest. “The bands we choose, collecting money for the Rocky Mountain Institute — I definitely think he’s still a part of it.”
The show opened with Orkis, a band of high school students from Crystal Lake, Ill. They were followed by one of the headlining acts, the Chicago-based Family Groove Company, who had audience members dancing by the middle of their set. The final group, the five-member Greensky Bluegrass, closed with a set that lasted almost two hours. All of the bands played styles that fit Semmer’s musical tastes, which don’t often reach a college audience, organizers said.
“I think it’s important that at Northwestern we get a little diversity in terms of the events that go on,” said Stephanie Jarzemsky, PhilFest’s coordinator. “This is definitely a different sort of thing. I can’t think of any events on campus that draw the same kind of crowd.”
Over the years, PhilFest has developed a following among Northwestern students and within the jam band and bluegrass music scene. Greensky Bluegrass just finished recording a new album and recently won first place at the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
Jordan Wilkow, guitarist and lead vocals for Family Groove Company, said he had heard of PhilFest from seeing it on other bands’ schedules: “It’s a very successful test case for raising awareness for a cause.”
Although the event raises money for Phil’s memorial fund and to educate people about environmental issues and SEED’s work, its role in preserving his memory has always been a primary focus. The Semmer family is involved, though they live too far to attend the show each year.
“It’s a great thing to be able to keep someone’s memory alive like that in a positive way,” said special guest and featured musician Tim Carbone. “You made a tragedy into a continuing positive thing benefiting people who never even knew Phil, and I think that’s a great thing.”
From Family Groove Company’s set:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.