Housician Magazine Interviews: Talia Bryce, Executive Director of Old Settler's Music Festival

By: Davis Mendoza Darusman


Talia Bryce, Executive Director of Old Settler's Music Festival


Housician Magazine had the distinct pleasure of speaking with the multi-talented Talia Bryce, Executive Director of Old Settler's Music Festival!


Old Settlers Music Festival is Texas’s folk rock, Americana & roots music haven coming to Dale, Texas (less than two hours away from Houston) on April 20th – 23rd (that’s 3 weeks away from today!), with tickets starting at $75 per day.


For more information on tickets, music lineup, camping accommodations & more, please visit: OldSettlersMusicFest.org



Also Available on Apple Podcasts


Transcribed Interview:

Davis Mendoza Darusman

Hello and welcome to the Housician Magazine Interviews podcast series! I'm Davis Mendoza Darusman with Housician Magazine, and I have the distinct pleasure of speaking with the multi-talented, Talia Bryce, Executive Director of Old Settler's Music Festival. Hello!

 

Talia Bryce

Hello! Thanks for having me.

 

DMD

Absolutely. Thank you for your time and thank you for joining us. Now, Old Settler's Music Festival, to provide some context for our audience, is Texas's folk rock, Americana and roots music haven coming to Dale, Texas (less than two hours away from Houston) on April 20th to 23rd (that's three weeks away) with tickets starting at $75 per day. 


Now, I know that was a long introduction, but our listeners just need to know just how accessible this rockin' festival is! 


Now, Talia - how will this year's festival strive to be the best iteration in its over 35 year history?

 

TB

Well, that's a really good question. And I think it actually is going to be the best iteration, as you say. This festival has a lot of history. It's changed a lot over the years. It started in 1987 as a bluegrass festival and has since morphed into including a lot more than just bluegrass, although we have a strong blue grass representation in this lineup as well. 


One of the big differences in this year's festival is that it's BYOB and we have no fences in between stages. Once you get to the property, you are free to wander wherever you like and all of the daytime music is focused in our beautiful campgrounds. It's shady, it's peaceful. You don't have to stand out in the middle of a field in the bright sun and you'll be able to see great music on an intimate stage in the campground, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during daylight hours. And then Friday and Saturday, starting around 5 30, we'll have our headliners on a main stage just over in the field, which is a short walk from the campground.

 

DMD

Wow, that sounds like such a vibe. I'm super excited. Only three weeks away. And we're talking about the music, I think this genre of music is also making a mainstream comeback. Not that that's the goal, mainstream recognition, but with acts like Taylor Swift and the 2022 Grammy Award winning Song of the Year winner, Bonnie Raitt, winning Song of the Year, folk music is in it like it never went anywhere, because it didn't! 


And so long set up, short question, I swear - with a lineup including Grammys Award-winning and legendary songstresses in the making, Yola and Molly Tuttle, do you feel like we're witnessing a renaissance of modern folk music? Or do you think we've been witnessing it, it's just more people are starting to pay more attention.

 

TB

Yeah, that's a really good question. I think there is kind of a resurgence happening right now. And I've had this conversation that it happens every 20 years. So there was like, in the early 2000s, there was the, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? That just exploded and brought bluegrass into the ethos of so many people who had never heard of bluegrass before. I know, certainly for me at the time, that was huge. And I went on to become a bluegrass musician. I grew up in the Northeast, so figure that out. 


But the fact that there's musicians right now like Billy Strings, who are playing arenas. He played Old Settler's not that long ago, and nobody knew who he was. And now he's a superstar. I took a flight recently, and on the in-flight entertainment, one of my options was to watch a Billy Strings concert, and that blew my mind. I was like, bluegrass on the airplane! Okay! 


But yeah, I really think that the music is big right now and all the generations are enjoying it. It's just uplifting music and I think it's accessible to everybody. So I hope that the resurgence continues because that's where my heart is.

 

DMD

It's definitely a universal, I think, music genre. I mean, it's not just from the south. You mentioned being from the Northeast, I believe New York, is that correct?

 

TB

Yes, correct.

 

DMD

And so for it to resonate with you. It's not just the south thing. And also I love that we're challenging the notion that it's just a straight white male genre that we're seeing more women, we're seeing more queer folks, we're seeing more diversity. And so I think that's definitely showcased in this lineup as well. 


Would you agree?

 

TB

Yeah. First and foremost, I want good music, but I just really think that it's nice to see a mix. Nobody wants to see the same thing, even if it's your favorite thing. No one wants to see the same thing over and over again. And so I really did try to create a mix to switch things up throughout the day. 


And I'm super excited to have Yola headline this festival. I've never seen her live, and I have just heard the most wonderful things. And I just cannot wait to see her show on Saturday night.

 

DMD

Yes, super excited! Yes, Old Settler's Music Festival is surely the place to be for folk rock, Americana, roots, and just live music in general. But as we all know, there's more to a music festival than just the music. There's also the community, which is really big. So could you tell me about the community that's created at Old Settler's Music Festival?

 

TB

Absolutely. I would say the community is the biggest reason why Old Settlers has been around for 36 years. We are pretty much run entirely by volunteers, and we have a family of between three and 600 volunteers who have been with us, some for decades. We just had our all volunteer meeting this past Sunday, and we got to see all familiar faces and new faces. And we had, by show of hands, how many people have been volunteering for this festival for 20 years or more. And there were a lot of hands! It's amazing. People just love this festival and they just keep coming back. And it's very inclusive. It's a very family friendly vibe. 


The campground is the center, really, of the festival, so a lot of our guests come out and camp for the entire week. We offer early access passes. So we have people who come on Sunday and the festival doesn't even officially start till Thursday. And they'll camp out, they'll bring their trailers, their RVs. They'll be there all week long. And everyone sets up their campsites with their own vibe and their own decorations. And people name their campsites. And they've been coming for decades with the same people. It's a beautiful thing. And it's also, from what I can see, it's not the thing that you have to know about it. And it's exclusive. If you show up, you will be welcomed with open arms.

 

DMD

That's the perfect segue to my next question. I think you actually have my questions written down on your end. I don't know how you did that. You're a psychic. But that does tie in with my question of how can those who might not be the biggest fans of the genres of music or just people looking for new experiences, how can they also enjoy Old Settler's Music Festival and be a part of this community?

 

TB

Absolutely. That is a good question. Like I said, there's a little something for everyone at this festival. We are also offering workshops this year. We have about seven or eight different workshops that are going to run on Friday and Saturday in between stage sets. And there's one I'm really excited about. It's called Bluegrass Jamming 101. So it is designed for people who don't know anything about music or they are just starting out and they're interested in bluegrass and they want to know, how could I join a jam if I've never done that before? So it will pick you through the nuts and bolts of that. 


There's going to be another workshop called Mindfulness for Musicians taught by a yoga instructor from Thrive Yoga. That one's going to be really cool. We have this wonderful guitar player, Tommy Emmanuel. He's going to be doing a workshop all about him and his amazing guitar technique, which is completely unique. 


So we've got workshops, we've got kids activities, we've got the campground. There's something for everyone out there. And you can just come and hang out at your campsite and hear the music and essentially tailgate if you want.

 

 

DMD

I love that. Good live music tailgates. That's great. And you mentioned earlier that this is BYOB. Is this the first iteration, first year that you're doing BYOB?

 

TB

Yeah, so we've always allowed BYOB to be in the campground because people will come and bring their own stuff. But this year for the first time, we're not prohibiting you to bring your drinks to the main stage. So when this festival, for the most of it, for many years, it was out at Camp Ben and the Salt Lick out in Driftwood, which was essentially two different sites. So you had the campground on one side and you had to get on a shuttle to get over to the arena. So we had really two different things going on. There was the campground scene and there was the main stage arena scene. And in the arena, you were encouraged- you couldn't bring any food or drinks in. 


But we realized that in order to make it comfortable for people, it's really just easier to allow people to do... Once they're on the property to just be able to do what they want. But we will have amazing food for sale. We have several great food vendors that will be out there selling food. We're also going to have a bar where you can purchase drinks and we're even going to have package sales. So we have a campground store where you can buy six packs of beer. So if you run out, you don't have to go anywhere.

 

DMD

I love that. Thank you for that context. And you also touched on my next question before I even asked it again, but about the food. I think food is also a big component of being at events. So could you tell me a little bit more about the food lineup or who you're excited for?

 

TB
Yeah, I think we have a good mix of food vendors this year, some returning food vendors. I know we're going to have Bombay Station. They come out every year. They do a mix of like Asian food and noodles and really good stuff. I know we're going to have some tacos, we're going to have some burgers. 

We're going to have a little something for everyone! The giant ice cream cone will be there. We have this wonderful concession group that comes out. They bring this giant ice cream cone and they serve ice cream out of it. So the ice cream cone will be there!

DMD
That sounds delicious and exciting, I can't wait! And now for my last question, thank you so much for all your time, first off. 

I'm sure you hear from attendees and volunteers all the time who say how much they love the festival and they can't wait to be back next year and for it to be it next year already. 

Is there a message, a bit of feedback or a conversation that you've had that moved you the most about this festival and community.

TB
Oh, wow. That's a really good question. Yes, I actually have an answer. So about a month ago, I got an email from a long-time volunteer. She had been volunteering for nine years, and she told me that about five years ago she met her fiancé at Old Settler's. They were both volunteering when they met there, they became engaged.

They decided that this year, on Thursday, which is April 20th, they are planning to have a wedding ceremony at the festival. So they they got the lead of the first team who was our doctor to do his online certification to officiate. So he's going to be officiating the wedding at 3:00 on Thursday at Buddy Hill, which is where our late night music is going to take place this year.

It's a little hill on the property, and we're having a volunteer wedding and everyone's invited. So it's if you're at the festival on Thursday, come on over and you can watch to volunteer to get married at old Settler's that were having the Old Settler's wedding!

DMD
Wow!

TB
It's a beautiful thing!

DMD
I love it so much. My wife is going to give me crap because I'm a Cancer. And so she knows I get emotional, but wow, it's emotional. I love that!

TB
Yeah! There's, I mean, and that's just one of million stories that people tell me all the time. It's really it's a really a special place. 

And can I tell another story, please? I have another one. 

DMD
Yes, absolutely!

TB
You know, this this is a really personal story. But when I moved to Texas about 15 years ago, I don't think I was living in Austin for a year. I moved in the Fall. So in the Spring, some friends told me about this music festival I had to go check out. And at the time, I was just starting my first ever band, and I was playing with a few different people. And we decided all to go to Old Settlers. And we went and we camped and we played in the campground and people came and listened to us play and they were like, "You guys are good! You should start a band." I don't even think we had a name at the time. We had literally all just met. 

We're like, "Okay, this is good. I like this." And that was the beginning of my band, The Lost Pines. We're still playing to this day, we've got a gig on Friday, so we can really credit our start to the pick-up circles of Old Settler's, which, you know, it's just like you never know where you're going to end up in life.

And the fact that I am now Executive Director of Old Settler's - if you told me, you know, 15 years ago at that campfire, where I would end up, I would have definitely never believed you, but you just never know in life.

DMD
That's beautiful. Full circle. You know, this is the birthplace of not only your band, but also for the love and that relationship and that, you know, soon-to-be-newlyweds.

TB
Yeah, yeah. It really it's good stuff.

DMD
Well, I love that. Thank you so much for your time and for speaking with me about Old Settler's Music Festival coming to Dale, Texas (less than 2 hours from Houston) April 20th - 23rd (which is three weeks away) with tickets starting at $75 per day. 

Talia, do you have anything else you'd like to say before we sign off?

TB
Are you going to be there?

DMD
I will be there!

TB
Yay! Good. Well, please make sure you find me, find someone with a radio and say, "I need to say hi to Talia," and let's make sure we get to hug and say hi and welcome you to the festival in person.

DMD
Thank you so much. This will be my first time attending and I have a feeling it won't be my last given how beautiful it sounds.

TB
Are you going to camp?

DMD
Yes!

TB
Oh, good, good. I always say, you know, you can come for the day if people do come for the day. But I tell them if you come for the day, next time you come to camp because you'll see the campground and you'll understand.

DMD
I definitely want to take it all in. I want to live and breathe Old Settler's for that weekend.

TB
Good. I'm so glad you're going to be there. I can't wait to meet you. This has been lovely. Thank you so much for having me.

DMD
Likewise. Thank you for joining us. Have a great rest of your day!

TB
Thank you, you too!

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