A new music festival is on the Tri-State’s horizon. Don Giovanni Records, home to such artists as Downtown Boys, Jeffrey Lewis, Screaming Females and Chris Gethard, is planning to launch The New Alternative Music Festival in Asbury Park, NJ sometime in the fall of 2016. In addition to featuring Don Giovanni bands, the fest will also highlight great underground acts on the scene today.

In an announcement on the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based label’s Facebook page, they explain that they have decided to focus their energies on a festival rather than just a showcase because they are fed up with the way marketers have co-opted the independent musical landscape. They believe the term “alternative” has lost its meaning and are stepping to create a new alternative. Their mission statement of sorts is as follows:

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE.
There is an alternative to music released and distributed by three major corporations.
There is an alternative to music festivals as branded experience for millennial males.
There is an alternative to music steeped in sexism, racism, and homophobia.
There is an alternative to corporately managed bands.
There is an alternative to music as a commodity.
There is an alternative to corporately run music festivals.
THE NEW ALTERNATIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL.

The festival’s lineup, exact dates and tickets prices are TBA. Visit http://dongiovannirecords.com/NAMF/ for updates and inquiries.

Photo by Mindy Bond: Downtown Boys at Santos Party House during CMJ 2015.