Twelve musical groups, of various styles and background, will be performing their original music in downtown Gettysburg on Saturday.
The free event, known as 5SAFE, will occur at four locations in town, each located within a short walk of the Gettysburg square.
Each of the four sites will have three performers, beginning at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m.
The event was organized by local musician and music promoter Matt Miller.
Click here to view a complete listing of 5SAFE venues and performers.
Miller, who will also be performing in 5SAFE, described the event and its importance:
The fifth Saturday in February (hence 5SAFE) happens when leap day falls on Saturday. It only happens once every 28 years so it seemed like an auspicious moment to put something together.
Listening to music made by people from your community is incredibly powerful. Personally, I love hearing original music, and the vast majority of my peak musical experiences have been listening to local, original music in small, intimate spaces.
The event is free! We’ll be pooling tips across the venues, to act as a sort of self-assessed sliding scale donation. The first and foremost thing is for people come and listen; if you’re also in a position to throw $5, $10, or more into the tip jar, that’s great! You’ll be supporting everyone who’s playing. But the most important thing is to come out, hear some great music, and share a great night together.”
In Gettysburg we are fortunate to have a scene that is truly supportive, and becoming more so all the time. I remember playing in town in 98, or 99; there wasn’t that much going on. Gettysburg Coffee Company opened, and became a hub for music. It was amazing how quickly the scene thrived and grew. Now, you have ten or fifteen places in town that have music on a regular basis, and a lot of it is original. 5SAFE is really meant to build on that, and to encourage local original music in town even more.
I’d been thinking about an original music event in Gettysburg for a while. I got to go to SXSW in 1996, when the wristband for the weekend cost $60. You could just wander from door to door downtown, hearing amazing music in incredible variety. That’s at least part of the inspiration: an event where you can go around and listen to compelling, diverse original music.
5SAFE is a nice, eye-catching acronym – looks good on a flyer, and it’s fun to say. It just kind of worked out.
For decades people looked to radio, TV, and record labels to find music. Partly, that was because it was so hard to record, and harder to get the word out once you did. Now, both of those things are easy, which has created a renaissance in local, original music. It’s a golden age.
Part of the idea, apart from showing that there’s an audience for original music, is to show how easy it is to make something happen. If you have an idea for an event, then do it! People will support it. But also, music has unrivaled ability to overcome differences. The more opportunities we have to get together and share music, the better off we are – stronger, closer, more compassionate, more empathetic, and more understanding.