Go ahead, they said. Throw a music festival, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.
So, yeah, that’s exactly what he and his sister, Nina, decided to do. They founded a country music festival directly across the street from where the legendary Jamboree in the Hills was staged for 40 years for more than 100,000 fans. They hired country stars like Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Trace Adkins, Joe Diffie, Jo Dee Messina, and Neal McCoy, and Dutton rolled in favored vendors, multiple stages, and invited local country performers, too.
As far as the recipe Dutton knew, it was CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! And CHECK!
And yup, it sure was fun each of those three years, so, yeah, what could possibly have gone wrong? He built it, right? They came, right?
Right, but only in a kinda-sorta way. And the entertainment industry? It’s much more complicated than Dutton ever imagined. And then, of course, toss in the middle of all of it a coronavirus pandemic that redefined the rules of engagement when it came to competing against the industry’s monsters like Live Nation.
So, that’s right, no Blame My Roots Festival during that third weekend of July this year. Will it come back? Yes, but only if the economics make more sense. If that’s not the case, though, Dutton’s flare when it comes to throwing a hell of a party will continue at The Pike 40 Restaurant and Bar in Morristown.
The eatery’s outdoor dining area has been expanded into a full-blown entertainment venue, the ultra-popular “Pike Idol” competition enters into its second week Thursday evening at 7 p.m., and live music will take the exterior stage – weather permitting – both Friday and Saturday evenings.
And that’s not to mention the menu, that long list of delectable delights anchored by the Dutton family’s Wagyu beef fresh from their cattle farm just a few miles away.
Now that’s one recipe that takes care of itself every single time.
What are the main reasons why you put Blame My Roots on hold for this summer?
Well, despite a pretty nasty financial loss, I started working with a new booking agency in August, a few weeks after the 2022 show.
This bigger, Nashville-based agency, together with its marketing firm and partnership firm, got us excited about 2023. But it was still August, which is really late to start doing offers for the following Summer.
It felt like we were forcing something—because we were.
Most festivals book in the spring for the following summer. Also, most summer festivals go on sale for the following summer immediately after their current show. We were essentially anywhere from four to six months behind booking a 2023 festival that we would absolutely need to be successful, given all of our losses.
So, we pulled the plug, paused, and picked up in April to attempt to be successful for 2024, in what we hope is the best approach to this thing. The truth is, we’ve never booked a festival as early as April.
For 2019, we only had 6 months. Then, each year after, we started the August immediately following the previous show because we haven’t had a good gauge on how successful we were, or how we should build moving forward.
What have been the biggest lessons you have learned about the entertainment industry?
I’ve only been doing this for five years, and I haven’t been particularly successful in a conventional sense. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m not proud of the festival we’ve created, or the team and experience we’ve all gathered since 2019, but, I’ve learned a lot about country music, live events, and event coordinating—which was probably the only skill set I had going into this.
I’ve learned that you can’t trust social media, or maybe just all the folks that abuse it.
Country music festivals are a lot about headliners, and not the upcoming, supporting acts. Rock festivals are different in that way. One of our openers in 2019 was Gabby Barrett, who later won New Female Artist of the Year in 2020, but not too many people came in early to see her.
Same with Whiskey Myers that year. It’s very typical of any country show you go to …. I just notice it more as a festival owner.
Buying for festivals (soft ticket venues) is much different than for hard ticket venues (arenas, bars, etc.). I pay much more for artists to confirm my single date than venues pay to fill their calendars with whoever is available.
With radius blocks all being the same, this makes it very hard to compete as a newer festival.
How have “concert campers” changed through the years?
They really haven’t. There’s just a lot less traditional campers for us. Of course, we’re not a festival built around a permanent campground, so we get the tailgating type.
Valley View had an abundance of campsites that were mostly set up for daily tailgates and places to crash. Then those folks would go home at 6 a.m., shower, nap, and come back out at noon all recharged.
The traditional campers are always a marvel to me. Full kitchens cooking 3 meals per day, not a speck of trash, showered up, clean clothes, etc., and usually the least grumpy!
I miss both types throughout the year.
If “Beth Dutton” was your real sister, how would you try to settle her down?
Oh, I don’t think I’d try to settle her down. I’d just hope she’s on my side!
I’ve been surrounded by strong, outspoken, successful women who can put you in your place if it’s necessary. I was raised by them, grew up with them, worked alongside them, and I was smart enough to date and marry one.
There’s so many odd similarities with the show. My sister Nina is the youngest, and I suppose, for as long as I can remember, she’s been a strong-minded (Read: “Bossy”), outspoken chick that I haven’t had much success arguing with.
I suppose in a way, she’s made all her brothers look like “Jaime” once or twice.
What have been some of the funniest questions you’ve been asked about the wagyu beef and the cows on the ranch?
There’s a lot of misunderstanding around Wagyu cattle. We’ve been asked by folks—with a legitimate straight face—if we have to give them alcohol and massages daily. I couldn’t imagine hiring farm help and giving them that job responsibility.
We get asked, “What do they look like?” Well, they look like cows!
We have 30 Akaushi bulls on the farm and about 50 momma Akaushi cows. The other 400 momma cows are an Angus cross that is bred by the 30 bulls resulting in the “Domestic” or our “Ohio Wagyu.”
Other than the Akaushi being red, you can’t really tell them apart until it comes to taste … and that’s by far the best part.
By the way, you can purchase Dutton Cattle’s Wagyu beef for your home.
Wagyu Beef Summer Harvest
*Whole beef: $2,997 / $600 deposit
(https://app.barn2door.com/duttoncattle/all/1Xerp)
*Half beef: $1,597 / $300 deposit
(https://app.barn2door.com/duttoncattle/all/L0RXj)
*Quarter beef: $799 / $300 deposit
(https://app.barn2door.com/duttoncattle/all/e86aJ)
Lowest deposits and per-pound pricing of the season. Order due by July 7. Meat available for pickup approximately 3 weeks from processing date.
