As we draw close to the event, Peter Buck has
been speaking ahead of the festival about his plans and hopes for it.
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“The first year, since R.E.M. had announced
breaking up, I just thought, I’ll send some equipment down and we’ll do some
shows,” Buck says. “I had some friends down there and it was kind of like
having a party. None of the musicians were getting paid and everyone was saying
at my house, but then people started getting interested. So then we said, ‘Why
don’t we let the locals in free and charge the gringos and we’ll give the money
to the local school that teaches kids English?’ As we’ve kept doing it, we’ve
kind of expanded it. We’ve helped out with the orphanage and I think we’ve
bought some life-saving equipment for the lifeguards,” he adds. “We try to do
little things, but it makes a difference.”
In 2014, the festival raised $62,000, which was
distributed to several charities in the town. The 2015 edition will benefit
disaster relief since the village of Todos Santos was hit hard by Hurricane
Odile.
This year’s lineup features the Autumn Defense,
Old 97’s, the Jayhawks, and Grammy-winning Latin quartet La Santa Cecilia
playing the first weekend. Weekend two will feature Conor Oberst, Dawes, M.
Ward, and the Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible on the final
night. Of course, Buck will be on hand to jam with many of the acts, and there
will likely be special guests (Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones showed up in 2014
and jammed with the Dream Syndicate), as well as returning artists such as
Kev’n Kinney on both weekends and Steve Wynn on weekend two.
Says Buck, “It’s going to be a really good year.”
Todos Santos Music Festival Jan. 15-17 and 21-24 –
not to be missed!