Hangout Festival Spotlight: Shaul Zislin, Founder

Shaul Zislin, speaking with former Alabama Governor Bob Riley during last year’s festival. Photo by Jamie Younger.

Billed as “the first and only festival of it’s kind,” Hangout invites you to shed your muddy boots and walk barefoot on the sandy beaches of Gulf Shores while enjoying music from acts such as Paul Simon, Foo Fighters, Drive-By Truckers, Flaming Lips, The Black Keys & more. We recently spoke with the festival’s founder Shaul Zislin.

How does the Hangout lineup compare to other big festivals, like Bonnaroo?

I know we wanted to play in the field of the major national festivals this year and I think this lineup does that.

Does this festival have the potential to put Gulf Shores on the national map?

Obviously, via the events of last year with the oil spill, these beaches gained some notoriety. Our job is to reflect them in another light. I think one of the things that is going to come of this is that we are so un-cool that it becomes cool to come. You being from Mobile, you would understand without taking offense. There is nothing cool about Gulf Shores.

As a matter of fact, there is so much un-cool about it that it is cool. It is so laid back. You change the cars in the street and take a couple of elements out and you think you are in this American coastal town in the 50’s. And that is a cool vibe. There is magic to that. We want to highlight that and show people how cool and beautiful an area it is. A lot of the country is not exposed to that and not aware of it.

Were you surprised by last year’s success, given the situation with the oil spill?

I don’t think I was surprised. Everything happened really fast. I don’t think I had time to be surprised.

What’s different about this year?

Hopefully, we know we’re going to have to cater to many more people, so we’re gearing up for it. There’s a burden on us this year. I think a lot of people were surprised by the level of production. The overall vibe was just so fantastic. All these people went home and spread the good world. We need to be sure that we can duplicate the experience. We’re working on expanding the site; changing some things around; rearranging some of the vending areas and adding facilities, just to accommodate for an increase in attendance.

How many attendees are you expecting?

I think we’re going to be sold out. I think we’re going to have 35,000 on the beach.

Which act are you most looking forward to seeing?

I have to say Paul Simon. I enjoy a lot of the other music as well but this is a guy who played to a million people in Central Park. I listened to his records when I was 12. He is one of the greatest songwriters and performers ever. It’s a great honor to be associated with an event that includes him.

What kind of feedback did you get from the bands that played Hangout last year?

When we set out to do this our track record in the music industry was very short. A lot of managers said, “You are who? And, you’re doing what? And it’s where?” We had three strikes against us before we even started. Initially, it was like, “What do you care? We are giving you the money that you ask.” But very quickly we realized that the managers were rightfully concerned that they were not putting their artists in a bad situation.

So it was a very well-defined task of converting them into believers in the venue, management, and ownership of the festival. I think we had the best dressing rooms in the festival world. We created a real great vibe in the artist area.

One of our long-term visions for this festival was that this is the festival where artists bring their families to hang. It is so kid-friendly; it’s such a laid-back vibe. We want to be the festival where the artists have a “go-with-your-daddy-to-work” kind of thing. We have offered some artists accommodations to spend time on the beach with their families. I think we have convinced them through some of the other shows that we did during the summer that it is well worth it to play here.

Talk to me about the VIP amenities.

At the Hangout, you go home and you take a hot shower, then you wake up in the morning and watch the sun rise over the Gulf of Mexico. I feel that you are a VIP already compared to other camping festivals.

The Hangout philosophy is about being quirky and fun. So one of the elements we are creating is an actual in-ground pool. It is going to be a fully functioning pool with a filtration system. We will have the pool in front of the main stage in the VIP viewing area. What a great way to take in a great concert. We are also building some sky bars.

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