The Rise & Fall of Easterfest
In the late 90's a group of Toowoomba business people, civic leaders and the city's church community come together with an audacious plan - stage a gospel music festival that will bring people into the city over the Easter weekend. Despite humble beginnings, Easterfest (formerly the Australian Gospel Music Festival) grew to achieve major event status in Queensland, and became one of the largest ticketed drug and alcohol free events in the southern hemisphere. But only a few years after their biggest event, Easterfest became yet another casualty of the music festival business. It's been a decade since the final festival in 2015, and this podcast series will look back at how Easterfest grew to become a major player in Christian music internationally, and the events that led to the event coming to an end. It's a celebration of almost two decades of music, community and a spirit of unity, with the story told by the organisers, volunteers and the musicians that graced the stages of Easterfest. The Rise & Fall of Easterfest is written and hosted by Justin Rouillon and is a production of 96five Studios. For more podcasts with purpose, search for 96five in your podcast app or go to www.96five.com/listen/podcasts/
Episodes
In the late 90's a group of Toowoomba business people, civic leaders and the city's church community come together with an audacious plan - stage a gospel music festival that will bring people into the city over the Easter weekend.
Despite humble beginnings, Easterfest (formerly the Australian Gospel Music Festival) grew to achieve major event status in Queensland, and became one of the largest ticketed drug and alcohol free events...
The Rise & Fall of Easterfest is a celebration of the Easterfest and Australian Gospel Music Festivals, that ran for almost two decades in Toowoomba.
In this first episode, we’ll be looking at the rise – how did the festival get started in 1999 and then grow to become one of Queensland’s major events?
How did things like local Christian music scenes and the growth of Christian radio in Australia al...
The Rise & Fall of Easterfest is a celebration of the Easterfest and Australian Gospel Music Festivals, that ran for almost two decades in Toowoomba.
You can’t have a music festival without the music and that’s what the focus is in this episode.
What did the Australian Christian music scene look like in the late 90s and early 2000s?
How did local artists help AGMF grow in the early years? An...
The Rise & Fall of Easterfest is a celebration of the Easterfest and Australian Gospel Music Festivals, that ran for almost two decades in Toowoomba.
At the heart of the AGMF and Easterfest festivals was community – over and above the music, festival goers were really attending to be with other like minded people.
In this episode we’ll be looking at the Easterfest experience and some of the ways that the...
The Rise & Fall of Easterfest is a celebration of the Easterfest and Australian Gospel Music Festivals, that ran for almost two decades in Toowoomba.
The Easter of 2011 saw the biggest crowd in attendance that Easterfest had ever seen, but something on that weekend would lead to the downfall of Australia’s biggest Christian music festival.
In this episode, we’ll be looking at how Easterfest became anothe...
When I was making a list of guests for this podcast series, Paul Colman was right at the very top, because he and his band the Paul Colman Trio, were the biggest act in Australian Christian music as the Australian Gospel Music Festival got going in the early 2000s.
The Paul Colman Trio released a number of independent albums before relocating to the US in 2002. They subsequently received a Dove Award and a Grammy nomina...
If you’ve listened to the full series of the Rise and Fall of Easterfest, you know that the events that unfolded on Easter Saturday night in 2011 would end up being one of those key moments in the Easterfest story.
Steve Monro and Matt Gees were radio presenters with Vision Christian Media, who were on the ground on Easter Sunday in 2011, painting a picture to their listeners of what had transpired the night before.&nbs...
I was stoked that Claire Hazzard agreed to be part of this project, because she was one of the artists who was leading the charge in the independent Christian music scene in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Claire is a Queensland artist who cut her teeth on the Brisbane music scene, before signing to indie label CW Media, releasing her debut album The Goodness and Severity and subsequently relocating to Melbourne.
Through ...
One of my favourite Easterfest stories is around two expat Aussie brothers, who wrote a bunch of killer songs, crafted a sound that can really only be described as epic, and found themselves at the very top of the Christian Music industry in the US.
But when you look at the For King and Country story, the origins of it begin at Easterfest in 2009, when Joel and Luke Smallbone, originally billed as Austoville, and then Joel an...
When the Australian Gospel Music festival, the event that would give rise to Easterfest got going in 1999, the independent Christian music scenes across Australia were pretty healthy.
There was a lot going on in that space with plenty of Aussie muso’s diving in and giving it a go.
In Brisbane, the scene was thriving, with the local indie label Toupee Records bringing together the cream of the crop like Rhubarb, Ba...
Michael W Smith was one of the biggest artists to ever grace the stage at Easterfest, having been one of the defining artists of the contemporary christian music movement in the 1980’s.
Along with his good friend Amy Grant, Michael had a significant impact on the genre, not just as a performer, but also as a songwriter and producer.
But because of his commitment to his church at Easter, it took festival organiser...
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.