Cultivating a community of like-minded music fans sits at the forefront of the Pigeons-presented event. “We’re back at the same incredible venue with lots of fresh and familiar faces,” says Jeremy Schon, Domefest founder and guitarist of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. He elaborates, “Our family has grown quite a bit over the past few years and I can’t wait to see everyone back on the farm.”
It has now been nine years since then college senior Schon stumbled upon the original location of Domefest outside of College Park, MD. The dome-shaped roof and the proximity to the University of Maryland’s campus inspired the guitarist — who was profoundly impacted by his own festival travels — to organize his very own one-day, one-night music and camping festival simply for his friends to enjoy.
“It was my first music festival experience and along with many of my closest friends, it completely opened my eyes to the powerful beauty of music, friendship and life,” shares Pigeons Playing Ping Pong frontman, and now Domefest co-curator, Greg Ormont adding, “It was like nothing I had ever experienced.”
While the festival has expanded into three days and nights, grown in size and cemented itself as the ultimate gathering of the Flock (the so aptly named fanbase of the band), it remains true to its roots. Domefest consistently books some of the best under-the-radar talents in the live music space, with festival alumni including Papadosio, Twiddle, Turkuaz, Tauk and Aqueous, to name a few. Artists are encouraged to intermingle with their fans and as a festival curated by touring musicians, Domefest aims to make it a meaningful experience for every artist invited to play.
The initial lineup includes five sets from the Pigeons themselves — who always treat their Domefest crowd to plenty of surprises and musical twists — plus performances by The Magic Beans, The Mantras, McLovins, The Fritz, Vibe & Direct, Backup Planet, West End Blend, Dead Scene, Squaring The Circle, Mateo Monk, Ernie Johnson From Detroit with more to be announced. Pigeons’ Ormont is even scheduled to play a special solo set under his moniker Scrambled Greg this year.
