We interviewed Joe Lewis, the president of Bonfire Jam, about his upcoming music festival on Pensacola Beach.
IN: What makes you think you will be successful on Pensacola Beach with country music?
JL: “Listen, Rick, they call this area the “Redneck Rivera.†There are country music fans all up and down the panhandle, all within an hour’s drive. Pensacola Beach is the last bastion of true beach culture on the entire Gulf Coast.
“If you give people a destination and you give them an activity to do, they’re gonna come. So we’re going to build it and they’re going to come. Two of the strongest radio stations in this area are country, Cat Country and WXBM. The numbers speak for themselves. This is a region of hardworking, blue collar and white collar folks looking for good entertainment at a good value. I think we are on to something.”
IN: What separates Bonfire Jam from other music festivals?
JL: “Bonfire Jam is very unique. Bonfire Jam does country music at a high level as a one-day event. Our guests can come out put their chair down, put their towel down, mark their spot, get a wrist band and go out and enjoy all the beach has to offer.
“We are an inclusive event. We are on the island because the Santa Rosa Island Authority and Buck Lee and those guys gave us an opportunity. But we are also out here for the island and its businesses to win. We want people to come out, bounce around and eat, drink and shop.
“People can come and go as they please and it makes for a full day of entertainment.”
IN: Who do you want to see?
JL: “I’m looking forward to seeing each and every one of the artists. Josh Thompson, who will playing a free concert earlier in the day on the Portofino Boardwalk, is going to be fantastic—100-150 boats can pull up, people can wade in the water and hear Josh. That’s going to be pretty damn cool.
“Craig Morgan’s song “This Ole Boy†has a very good chance of being the number one country music song in the country by the time he gets here.
“It goes without saying that Ronnie Dunn, part of the legendary Brooks & Dunn, is going to put up one helluva show. Ronnie has got something to prove. He feels like he is reinventing himself.
“Between those three artists, you can’t go wrong. Josh Thompson on the boardwalk and the rest of this line-up makes one helluva a show.”
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Bonfire Jam is May 12 on Pensacola Beach. For information and to buy tickets, visit http://www.bonfirejam.com/