From its beginning in Monterey a dozen years ago, the three-day Spirit West Coast event, which arrives at the Del Mar Fairgrounds tomorrow, has been an interactive experience.
People from all over the United States travel to join in fellowship and hear popular Christian recording acts such as Newsboys and Third Day. But this is the first year that the experience of Spirit West Coast takes place in cyberspace.
An online map details the personal journeys of performers who travel between the Del Mar and Monterey locations.
That idea came from Aaron James, creative director of Math Dept, a branding/design studio that has provided SWC with Web-related services since 2002. The goal was to move beyond the look of an online brochure and invite viewers to experience SWC in a new way.
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Spirit West Coast Christian Music Festival
When: Tomorrow, 1 p.m. to midnight; Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to midnight
Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar
Tickets: $39 to $59 for one day; $70 to $125 for three days; free for ages 5 and younger; parking, $9
Phone: (408) 377-9232
Online: spiritwestcoast.org
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“In previous years, we spent a lot of time working on the infrastructure to organize the festival,” James said. “But this year was our first concerted effort at developing a more interactive experience for people attending the festival.
“Spirit West Coast had to relate in a more emotional way online. For me, a lot of that is storytelling ... it was important to capture the experience of sharing a journey and having fun.”
Festival founder Jon Robberson knew the concept was on track. His priority has always been to provide a sense of community and bring multiple generations together.
“The music is the excuse for the scene,” Robberson explained. “Families love the festival because they feel safe and it lines up with their values. But we know today's generation is interactive ... we wanted to be relevant to the culture.”
One advantage to the new online presence is getting introduced to entertainers before they perform. Click on the map's online milepost to meet the cutups from Kutless, a band who takes a detour to enjoy the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Stellar Kart, the punk/pop band that released the album “Expect the Impossible” earlier this year, offers an amusing video vignette on lost baggage.
“We had a gut feeling that kids and younger fans would have fun with that,” said James. “We also talked about how blogging could have more functionality, so that people could have conversations rather than just reading a statement.” Blog posts on the SWC site increase daily.
“It was such an emotional night,” writes a woman from Pittsburg who attended last year. “All the performances were fantastic. We got to chat with folk from the area, as well as a guy from Arizona ... and a girl from Connecticut. We are planning for this year and can't wait!”
