Gathering of the Vibes music festival founder to speak Feb. 7

Ken Hays, the founder and executive director of Gathering of the Vibes, an annual music festival inspired by the Grateful Dead, will give a talk on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6:45 p.m. in the Lender Auditorium, located on the concourse level of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. The lecture is part of the Bandier Program’s Soyars Leadership Lecture Series in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music. It is open to the University community.

After the death of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia in 1995, Hays decided to produce a tribute to the musical icon that took place on the campus of SUNY Purchase College in 1996. Aptly named Deadhead Heaven—A Gathering of the Tribe, the event provided a forum for Deadheads to reunite and celebrate the life of Garcia and the music of the Grateful Dead. The following year, Hays decided to make it an annual event, and the Gathering of the Vibes festival was born. He and his colleagues have spent the past 16 years building the festival into a recognized brand with a loyal and active fan base, with an average of 21,000 fans in attendance per day.

Hays also founded Terrapin Tapes, a blank media and pro-audio gear wholesale company that provides high-quality tape and gear to bands that encourage taping and their fans who record live concerts. Hays sold Terrapin in 2003 to concentrate on Gathering of the Vibes year-round. He also launched Inspiration Unlimited, a music/event production company.

For more information about the lecture, contact David Rezak, director of the Bandier Program, at 315-443-3280 or dmrezak@syr.edu.