Festival promoters scout Phillippi Creek for concert site

APRIL FOOLS — Residents near Bob’s Boathouse who have been relieved by the recent reprieve from live music at the restaurant may be getting a new neighbor as promoters for a music festival are nearing an agreement to purchase the site along U.S. 41.

The deal hinges on county approval of the planned concert event, tentatively named the Sound Wave Music Festival. The prospective buyer, Cacophony Entertainment LLC — which has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors to music festivals across the country — hopes to strike an agreement soon, with an eye toward holding the three-day open-air concert April 1, 2016.

Although Bob’s Boathouse drew complaints from residential areas due to the daily late-night music emanating from the restaurant — some of which were more than a mile away from the property — it was that very aspect of the business that made the land attractive to Cacophony Entertainment.

“Once we heard from the current owners that the area was perfect for live music, it became a no-brainer,” said Aaron Gray, CEO of Cacophony Entertainment. “If the sound is carrying that far without any issues, you know you’ve got some superb acoustics.”

Still, Gray says he wants to improve on the relationship residents have had with Bob’s Boathouse. He’s promised to abide by the county’s noise ordinance — though he notes the regulations in place for businesses wouldn’t apply to a temporary event such as a music festival. Gray suggested that Cacophony Entertainment would investigate noise-mitigation options, including providing residents with free CDs of “Sarasota Sounds” — including palm trees rustling and geckos calling out to their mates.

“We’re sensitive to the needs of residents in the area, and we want to assure them of one thing: We have plenty of time to figure all of that out down the road,” Gray said. “Until then, our advice would just be to relax — I mean, worst case scenario, it’s like you got a free three-day concert, right?”

Already, residents on the other side of the Creek are mobilizing to block the event. Homeowners United to Silence Hubub, or HUSH, is a newly formed organization lobbying the County Commission regarding a long list of negative side effects they believe will be brought on by the three-day event.

“Our property values are already plummeted,” HUSH co-chairwoman Sophie Clarke said. “It’s a simple fact of real estate that nobody is interested in living in a neighborhood that’s not completely silent by sunset.”

Negotiations with the county are still ongoing, but an email between Gray and county staff indicates that one stumbling block might be Cacophony Entertainment’s push to allow late-night sets at the festival to continue as late a 3 a.m., a trademark of the group’s other concert events.

The group is also reportedly weighing the possibility of installing permanent stages along the property to allow for concerts throughout the year.

“The area is really lacking a proper live music venue,” Gray said. “If we handle things right, this place could be hopping almost every day of the year.”

SOUND WAVE LINEUP RUMORS
Emails from Cacophony Entertainment indicate the company is going after a diverse array of performers — from the heavy riffs of rock ‘n’ roll bands to the pulsing bass of today’s top electronic dance music acts. A leaked list of headliners in play for the festival includes:

Smashmouth
Sugar Ray
Chumbawumba
Barenaked Ladies
Eagle-Eye Cherry

Hopefully you made it to the end of the article, so we can say, Happy April Fools' Day! This story is not true.