FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How did this festival get started?
The first Homo A Go Go took place in Olympia, WA in September of 2002. The festival was founded by Ed Varga, a musician, sound engineer and community organizer. Before moving to Olympia in 2000, he put on community building shows in Minneapolis under the name, “Homocore Minneapolis,” from 1995 to 2000. After moving to Olympia he was inspired by the people around him and especially his work on The Transfused (an original rock opera by The Need and Nomy Lamm), Ladyfest 2000 and Yoyo A Go Go 2001. He wanted to continue the spirit of Homocore Minneapolis on a larger national level and build an event like Yoyo A Go Go or Ladyfest that had a queer focus, thus Homo A Go Go was born. Varga created a festival from his vision of extending the DIY community to include not only musicians, but also filmmakers, artists and writers. In 2003, Varga moved to Los Angeles but felt that it was worth keeping the festival in Olympia (see below). Since 2002 several hundred volunteers have contributed to making the festival a success.

What’s the purpose of this festival?
To present alternative, underground, independent, DIY queer musicians, artists, writers, filmmakers and activists. We extend an invitation to festival goers that is worldwide. In doing so we seek to create an international community of queers that overlaps with, yet provides an alternative to, mainstream GLBT communities. By focusing on radical politics and non-mainstream art, film and music, we seek to give queers an alternative to the classism and consumerism that is present in much of mainstream GLBT communities. We strive to keep ticket prices and pass prices affordable to as many people as possible, and all of our events are open to all ages. Our workshops are free and open to all. We also have a volunteer program, by volunteering before and during the festival you can earn a festival pass. Volunteering gives festival goers a chance to be involved in the staffing of the festival and is an alternative for those who cannot afford to pay for a pass or tickets.
In addition, the festival serves as a vehicle to raise money for the Gender Variant Healthcare Project (see below). We have a long term goal of creating a grant fund for independent/DIY queer artists and some of the festival proceeds will go to this project so that we can all support our future.

Why Olympia?
Olympia is the home of many queercore bands, writers and artists. It has also been the home of many similar festivals including the International Pop Underground Convention, Yoyo A Go Go and Ladyfest. Olympia is the perfect place for a festival like Homo A Go Go. Because it is a small town, the attendees take over the entire downtown area and it feels like it’s own queer town for 5 days. It’s a pretty incredible atmosphere. As Seinberg says, “You can’t spit without hitting a queer.” (But please don’t spit on anyone, unless it’s consensual.) We also love the Capitol Theater, it’s rich history (both DIY music and otherwise), and ghosts.

Will the festival always be in Olympia?
We are considering other locations for future festivals. Write to us and tell us why it should be in your town. info@homoagogo.com

Who’s organizing this festival?
[email] Ed Varga: Founder and Executive Director, Los Angeles, CA
[email] Anna Jacobson-Leong: music programmer, music booking, music logistics coordinator, Brooklyn, NY
[email] Sara Seinberg: Director of Programming/Outreach Director, Brooklyn, NY
[email] Meredyth Wilson, Jenn Kolmel and Lisa Ganser: Film Programmers, Los Angeles, Minneapolis
[email] Ed Varga: Interim Development Director
[email] Cheryl Coward: Spoken Word Programmer
[email] Eli Robinson: Music Programming Assistant, Brooklyn, NY
[email] Jerry Lee Abram and Tammy Martin: co-technical directors, San Francisco, CA and Chapel Hill, NC
[email] Colleen Dixon: Volunteer Coordinator
[email] Hava Aviv: Volunteer Assistant
[email] Mordecai: Craft Fair coordinator, Los Angeles, CA
[email] Missus Adams: Fashion Show Coordinator, Olympia, WA
[email] Ponyboy (aka Alix Kolar): workshops coordinator, Olympia, WA
[email] Tara Perkins: festival Production Coordinator and Administrative Director, Olympia, WA
[email] Alexia Crousnillon and Jackie Ireland: Hospitality Coordinators, Olympia, WA
[email] Monica Villarreal: Comunity Partners Outreach Program and Production Assistant, Olympia, WA
[email] Jessica Lee: Film Traffiker, Olympia WA
[email] Grace Call, Front of House Administrator, Olympia WA

How did those people become organizers and how can I get involved?
The organizers represents the staff of previous Homo A Go Go festivals who were interested in returning, as well as, organizers who were hired following our open call for job applicants. We are no longer accepting resumes for volunteer positions. We are still seeking volunteers to staff the festival and volunteers to help do outreach in their hometowns during June and July. Contact Colleen Dixon email for more info.

How are music programming decisions made?
Booking decisions for the 30-40 bands that will be on the schedule are made from a list of over 200 bands. The bands on this list came from input from people all over the country and from submissions received from the bands themselves. If you would like to suggest a band, click here. If you are a performer who is interested in applying to perform, click here for more information.
Programming decisions are made with these guidelines in mind:
To have as many acts as possible that would sell out 1000 seats, to have a broad representation of acts from the US and Canada (due to financial constraints we are unable to book bands outside of North America), to have minimal repeat performers from the 2002 and 2004 festivals, to represent our communities, to represent as many cities as possible, and to represent a broad spectrum of musical genres (including, but not limited to rock, punk, electronic, indie, hip hop, glam and acoustic).
Programming music is one of the most difficult parts of the festival. Many of the decisions we make are difficult in terms of trying to put our own personal tastes and friendships aside, in order to book the festival keeping the above guidelines in mind. It’s difficult to turn so many awesome bands down just because we are restricted by time.

How are film programming decisions made?
The film programmer, director of programming and executive director seek out programmers for 4-5 shorts showcases. These programmers are usually filmmakers and/or programmers of other GLBT film festivals. We also have an open call for submissions.

How are art curatorial decisions made?
The art curator and the executive director invite artists to show their work. We also put out an open call for submissions.

How can I give my input on what I’d like to see at the festival?
We would love to hear from you. Click here.

How are spoken word artists chosen?
The spoken word programmer and executive director compile a list of possible performers. We also consider submissions. Email us at spokenword@homoagogo.com.

How do the special events get decided on?
Special events make it onto the schedule based on:
Past festival attendance – for example, the fashion show was a huge success in 2002 so we brought it back and gave it a larger venue. The drag show wasn’t as successful in 2002 so we tried karaoke in the same time slot.
Relevancy – we scheduled a mass, big gay wedding for the 2004 festival because of it’s relevancy to the political climate around this issue and because we wanted there to be an alternative to traditional (2 person) wedding ceremonies.
Space in the schedule – we try not to have overlapping or competing events and since we program events during 13-14 hours out of a day we are simply limited by time constraints.
If someone comes forward to organize an event that we believe will have a good sized audience – for example, K’vetsh (open mic event) was at 2am in 2002 and still had a good crowd. The same organizer (Sara Seinberg) wanted to bring it back in 2004 at a better time slot (Thursday afternoon) so we said yes.

This is a punk festival, why did you book a major label or mainstream act?
First of all, this festival is not necessarily a “punk” festival. We believe that the DIY ethics of punk extend beyond punk music and so we have booked many genres of music that are not “punk.” We seek to expand the definition of the DIY community to include hip hop, electronica, glam and acoustic artists, as well as visual artists, filmmakers, writers and activists.
In the interest of broadening our community and audience, we selectively invite one to three acts that we feel will appeal to both our core audience as well as a larger number of people just outside of our core demographic. We do this for several reasons. One is that we believe that the work the act does is important and relevant to our festival and community. Another reason is that the act may offer to appear as a donation to our festival, our community and to the GVHP. A third reason is that we would like to reach more people. Booking a more widely known act usually leads to more publicity which helps more people find out about the festival.

This is a queer festival, why do you book straight people?
It is true that this festival is a queer-centric festival. One of our core beliefs as an organization and a festival, is that identity is self-determined. There are many straight people and performers who are either very queer friendly, identify culturally with the queer community and/or contribute to the cultural landscape of the queer community. If there are performers who we feel fit into our festival program, vision and community we book them without regard to their public or perceived individual identity.

What is Queer Arts in Action?
Queer Arts in Action (QAA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which oversees the Homo A Go Go program. The QAA places its services to benefit the GLBTQ community in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Olympia, Washington, QAA combines its focus on supporting local GLBTQ artists, providing community workshops, and offering educational programs striving to communicate with people about issues affecting GLBTQ individuals, especially youth. Our overall aim is to highlight queer social justice, gender equality, and activism by increasing community (local and national) awareness and critical thinking of queer and gender issues and the need for social change.
Although our programs and outreach efforts involve individuals in Washington and Oregon (and sometimes even nationally and internationally), our main concentration is the surrounding five counties of Olympia, WA: Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Grays Harbor, and Pacific. However, we find that having a broader community involved in the process and planning enhances and diversifies the quality, visibility, and support of our programs.

Why is this a benefit?
Proceeds from Homo A Go Go will benefit the Olympia organization called the Gender Variant Healthcare Project (GVHP). The GVHP offers referral and informational services to trans and gender variant individuals. They also offer trainings to healthcare professionals on trans related issues.
The festival has a commitment to the Olympia community supporting each other. HAGG also believes that health issues are the single biggest issue facing trans people. As a trans person, it is part of founder, Ed Varga’s vision that this festival support an organization like the GVHP. It is integral to the festival because the “T” in trans is often just tacked onto queer events without any kind of real analysis or support. Organizations and people want to be “inclusive” but they don’t know what that means, so they just tack on the “T” to say they’re being inclusive. HAGG seeks to go beyond that sort of empty inclusion to do something real for the trans community and thus build community between trans and non-trans people. We gave the GVHP $6700 in 2002 and another $5000 in 2004 which allowed them to rent an office, pay for a phone line and give their staff special training.

How do I get involved?
We need help staffing the festival. Right now we also need help with street and internet promotions (flyering and posting info about the event on web bulletin boards). To get involved email Matthew and Colleen at volunteer@homoagogo.com.

What can I do from so far away?
Help us keep the festival going by buying a pass now! This is the single biggest thing you can do to help the festival.
Or, organize a fundraiser! We really need your help and if you organize a fundraiser we’ll give you a full-pass for every $200 you raise for HAGG. Contact info@homoagogo.com.
Help us get the word out! This is sooooo important right now. We need people to come to the festival. Help us get the word out by flyering at rock shows, coffee shops, pride, and relevant events. Post notices about the festival on relevant bulletin boards and lists, send emails to your friends. Get a t-shirt for being a street promo person. Contact: volunteer@homoagogo.com.

Why are you seeking corporate sponsorship?
This was a difficult decision for us to make. The festival has always had sponsorships in the form of donations from local and national businesses. We were able to put on our festival in 2002 and 2004 without large corporate sponsorship. In 2006 we decided to select a few target corporate sponsors who we feel are relevant to the festival. We are seeking corporate sponsors to provide services we need such as travel and hotel accommodations. We are also seeking sponsors who are (queer) arts and entertainment focused to sponsor festival programs.

How much does it cost to put on this festival?
Our current budget is $60,000 and may fluctuate. We manage to put on 5 days worth of music, film, art, performance and workshops while keeping ticket prices as low as possible. Most music festivals with this many acts charge $50-100 per day.

Where does the money from my pass or ticket go?
Based on our current projections for pass and ticket sales and the projected gross profit, $45-50 of your pass goes to the operating expenses of the festival: space rental, artist fees, artist transportation, insurance, equipment rentals, publicity costs, etc. That leaves $10-15 of your pass leftover. We don’t know the exact percentage breakdown right now but after expenses are paid, the remaining cash goes to the GVHP, HAGG 2006 and the Q & A artist fund project. During the 2002 festivals, no volunteers were paid for their work, but this year we hope to reward the organizers, who have been working part or full-time on the festival for months, extremely small stipends.
To translate this into some numbers: if all goes well we hope for a net profit (money remaining after all the bills are paid) of approximately $10,000 to distribute to the above mentioned areas.