The nation’s only exclusively independent music festival comes to North Park March 3. Created by two musical artists from San Diego’s own GLBT community, Danielle LoPresti and Alicia Champion, San Diego Indie Music Fest (SDIMF) is the only event of its kind in the United States dedicated to celebrating and advocating independent music, art, business and thought.

SDIMF is a music extravaganza, running from noon to midnight, and features a plethora of musical styles on multiple stages: rock, pop, folk, Latin, R&B, urban, spoken word and world. This year’s musical artists include lesbian folk icon Michelle Shocked, Redcar (featuring Heather Grody of the Murmurs), double-violin virtuoso Gingger Shankar, Alicia Champion, Danielle LoPresti and the Masses, Kevin Wood and many others.

“The music is emphasized as a representation of why diversity is not simply to be ‘tolerated’ but rather to be celebrated as the crux of that which is remarkable in our community, and that which is crucial to a healthy, vibrant city where people of all types are important, recognized and valued,” said Danielle LoPresti, co-founder of SDIMF and celebrated San Diego artist.

One of the most-anticipated bands to hit the stage is Redcar, the creation of Murmurs star Heather Grody. A seasoned and talented performer, Grody is excited to play SDIMF. “Expressing myself through music in front of a crowd of complete strangers can be such a gratifying challenge,” Grody said. “We have a ton of respect for people who are committed to music and are willing to take a risk to create a new venue and opportunity for fans and musicians to connect. I am particularly impressed that Danielle LoPresti, Alicia Champion and Kelly Bowen, musicians in the community of San Diego, are so integrally involved in this festival. Leave it to women to pull something like this together.”

Redcar releases its first album in March, followed by a tour. The group performs at 3:10 p.m. at the SDIMF Main Stage, located at the Stephen & Mary Birch North Park Theatre. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/ redcarrock.

Acclaimed “Contemporary Piano Man” Kevin Wood headlines the SDIMF Acoustic Stage at Caffé Calabria. Star of the touring production of RENT and innovative musical artist, Wood draws inspiration from legends such as Billy Joel and Elton John. “My music spans many genres, but overall I try to be as truthful to the moment when I’m writing as I can,” Wood said. “I’m not afraid to talk about the guy I have a crush on and use the he pronoun in my songs. I think it’s time the music industry opened their arms to more out musicians.”

Touring with RENT has had an enormous impact on Wood’s music and outlook on life. “I think the biggest influence RENT had on me was the truth that it came from,” Wood said. “Jonathan Larson wrote that show with such passion and it broke so many boundaries, and, in turn, won the Pulitzer Prize. He spoke of AIDS and loving homosexual relationships. Like Jonathan Larson, I think we can all learn that, as artists, it’s most important to believe in our vision and to speak from a genuine truth.”

Wood is excited about performing at SDIMF. “The San Diego Indie Music Fest is such a great event,” Wood said. “Like Jonathan Larson, Alicia Champion and Danielle Lo Presti have this incredible vision. They believed that it was possible to get a bunch of independent talent together to celebrate and unite as a community and, in turn, involve such a city as San Diego. This is, yet again, a testament of believing in something and trusting that the truth behind it will speak for itself. Bravo to them!”

Kevin Wood performs at 4:30 p.m. on the SDIMF Acoustic Stage. For more information, visit http://seekevsing.com/.

The brainchild of San Diego-based indie record companies Say It Records and Champ Records, owned by Danielle LoPresti and Alicia Champion, respectively, SDIMF features a range of musical styles, indie artists selling their creations, henna tattooists, hair sculpture, jewelry, indie businesses, massages and an array of delicious food and drink.

The Gay & Lesbian Times interviewed the talented visionaries behind the SDIMF.

Gay & Lesbian Times: What ultimately inspired you to create SDIMF?

Alicia Champion: During my time at Berklee [College of Music], I produced a large-scale concert every March in honor of Women’s History Month, and also produced weekly indie showcases at a popular nightclub in Boston. It was in this time that I started fantasizing about something larger – a festival of this magnitude that showcased outstanding independent music on a national level.

Danielle LoPresti: So many things. First, my anger at one of the biggest music publications in this town reviewing full-length indie CDs in their “Demo Review” issue every year. Artists generally work their asses off to create their CDs. They pour hard-earned money and sometimes years of work into them. A demo is a three- or four- or six-song “demonstration” or rough idea of what an artist sounds like. A full-length CD is something entirely different. Whether a critic thinks the music is any good or not really is inconsequential. Indie artists deserve to be respected for that achievement.

Second, I got so tired of hearing people remark in shock that it was strange they’d never heard us [DLPM] on the radio. There are millions of outstanding artists we never get to hear on the radio. I wanted to create something so big and remarkable that people would get our point loud and clear. This is the music you are not hearing in mainstream media. This is indie music! Listen to how amazing it is! Support these artists! Help us get them heard.

Third, I met Alicia Champion. I knew this was an artist as talented and professional at the business of it as she is at the music, and, moreover, she is as passionate as I am about this mission of fighting for the right of other artists being heard while fighting for that same right for ourselves.

GLT: As emerging artists in a corporate world, did you face much hostility or hardship from the non-indie community?

AC: I can’t say I was met with hostility, personally, but I was not welcomed. I was courted by a major label during my high school years, and they did not like that I was out and wanted to stay that way. They required that I change my wardrobe, as my look at the time was too masculine. And they didn’t like that my musical style bridged multiple genres – folk, pop and rock. Though they seemed to like my act on some levels, there was so much they wanted me to change in order to sign a recording deal with them. It was too much for me. So I said my goodbyes and founded my indie label, Champ Records, at age 17, and released my first indie record at the end of my senior year.

DLP: A great deal. Which is no secret, I mean, look at the title of my first self-release. I never set out to do this independently. I never wanted to do the work of releasing my own music, had no desire to produce events either. I worked with the major labels for years. After years of doing all I could to please them, I found myself at a crossroads. Either give up the essence of who I am and why I was called to write music or find a way to do it on my own terms.

GLT: How has indie music affected the music industry as a whole?

AC: Indie music has always been and always will be. The industry exists because of indie music. The monopoly of music marketing by the corporate major label mega-conglomerates is something that built like a snowball over many years. I believe this conglomeration reached the climax of its power and influence about six years ago when pop acts like Britney Spears and N’Sync dominated the charts and airwaves. But since the introduction of the revolutionary technology of file sharing and MP3 downloads, people are buying fewer CDs each year and the major labels have been losing more and more control of where the industry is heading. Because of the limitless possibilities available on the Internet – particularly places like CDBaby, MySpace, PureVolume, BurnLounge, etc. – more artists are creating music every day and marketing it themselves, and doing everything on their own terms. I think we’re now on the threshold of a major music revolution, where indie will dominate the industry. It’s a very exciting time to be an indie!

GLT: How would you describe the San Diego music scene?

AC: I do think there’s amazing music here in San Diego, as there is in every single community. It just needs a chance to be heard.

DLP: I think we’re primarily a melting pot and very independent. Unfortunately, I think we’re a bit polarized and could achieve more by mixing it up a bit. As a friend of mine, Carol Ames, said recently to me while describing the success she’s having on tour, “It’s hard to be a star in your own town.” In my opinion, San Diego has no idea how much talent is here. And many San Diegans are reticent to get out and experience live art and music. Life is increasingly fast-paced; most folks just figure they’re too tired or can’t afford it and completely forget about how rejuvenating and inspiring it can be. There is so much great art, music and activism in S.D. that is not being noticed. …on March 3 we plan to help change that a bit.

GLT: Clearly, up-and-coming musicians can make it in the music scene – both of your successes prove such. How do you do it?

AC: Pursuing a career as an artist is one of the most easy and most difficult life choices a person can make. It’s easy if you know that there’s not a fiber in your body that can do anything else. It’s difficult when you come to understand just how much work it is to sustain yourself from just doing art alone. Most of us don’t have managers, agents or publicists, so we have to work as all the above in addition to writing, recording and performing. It’s definitely a lot to handle, and it can be a fine line to walk.

DLP: We – collectively, not just Alicia Champion and I, but many I know – find one or two people in our bands who don’t mind helping with certain aspects of the business end of things. For me, that’s Kelly Bowen, my bass player. Her help has been indispensable since I began releasing my own records. You utilize teamwork as much as possible. You help other bands and ask them to in turn help you. You work your ass off to become as excellent as possible, so people call you back and hopefully tell their friends about your music. You never stop looking for new avenues to promote your music, new ways to consolidate your workload, new things to learn about how to better balance it all, new ways to grow. Then you share that info as much as possible and continue building your network and team. When it comes to the music, I am a firm believer in taking risks, in pushing myself with every record to be utterly honest. Doing that assures that people will relate to it because human emotion is so connected. And in my experience, people bond with an artist who has let go of pretense and is simply sharing their experience, openly and honestly.

GLT: Seriously, what is the deal with mainstream music? Are they sell-outs? Corporate puppets? Why is FM so annoying?

AC: It’s all monopolized by the big man! Which include the big four: Sony/BMG, Time Warner/AOL, EMI and Universal. These companies own all major labels and control what’s signed and what’s promoted, what’s dropped/ shelved. … These four multi-million mega companies are also in bed with Clear Channel Communications, [which] controls approximately 80 percent of the nation’s radio programming (60 percent globally). So if you’re wondering why everything seems to sound the same on contemporary FM radio, the answer is really quite simple.

GLT: What similarities can we see between the challenges of the GLBT community and the indie music scene?

AC: We’re both a shadowed minority with a voice and presence that is steadily growing in the mainstream. The more we work together, the more we rise above as a whole. Every day more of the general public sees that we are here and we are strong.

DLP: I often reference “the crabs in the bucket” mentality. I get on stage and say: “Artists! Listen here! We must resist the temptation to give into the mentality of scarcity and fear! We must not be crabs in a bucket! Seriously, I ask you to see what I have seen, that there is more than enough to go around. And teamwork is so, so key. We can achieve a great deal more by respecting one another and helping each other out.”

In my experience, I’ve found some of the most kind, helpful, willing-to-get-out-and-build-community kind of folks to be those in the LGBTQ community. And I think the indie music world could benefit from taking note of that.

I also see similarities in the way the indie music/art world and the LGBTQ community is constantly being marginalized, minimized and negated. And, oh, this is just a great question because the more I think about it, the farther it goes. The LGBTQ community is as diverse as is the species you find in Mother Nature, yet, mainstream media to this day still portrays us in very limited, stereotyped and cardboard dimensions. Same thing with indie music.

And our point is: Hey, this will continue unless we do something about it. SDIMF is what we’re doing about it. I ask anyone who sees indie artists as sub-par to come to North Park on March 3 and hang out for a few hours, because there is simply no denying the talent assembled in the 12 hours of this festival. It speaks, no, it bellows for itself. This is the sound of independent music, art and thought. Just look at how wildly diverse, juicy and gorgeous these artists are.

GLT: Has the GLBT community been supportive of SDIMF?

AC: This community has been the most supportive. The LGBT community tends to rally behind more alternative ideas anyway, and for that we’re hugely grateful.

DLP: Our team is largely comprised of LGBTQ folks working alongside many straight folks, making goodness happen. Just the way I love to see it, diversity helping celebrate more diversity. We are profoundly grateful to this community for the support and love and teamwork they bring to us. I’ve never known anything quite like it in S.D., and it deeply moves me.

GLT: What steps is SDIMF taking to ensure this is a “truly integrated GLBT/straight event in San Diego”?

AC: In our first two years, the ratio of out artists to straight artists was 50/50. I haven’t balanced this year’s lineup yet, there’re so many artists to go through! We do not put our LGBT artists on any gay-themed stage. All artists play on the same platform. Secondly, we put equal marketing efforts to the straight/ mainstream media as we do the gay media. Thirdly, we include and promote as much of the San Diego LGBT community as we possibly can through our general mainstream promotions. For example, Tootie and Lips restaurant will be catering our artist greenroom meals, and I placed their program ad right next to straight-boy-primadonna headliners, Fishbone!

DLP: [Laughs] I love it! And don’t forget about how Laura Jane gets ’em all turned on and ready for each band she introduces, ruffling the feathers of many who, in my opinion, could use a little ruffling. When you come to SDIMF, you see all kinds of people enjoying, learning and making art together. It’s an integrated, diverse festival of uniqueness!

GLT: What does SDIMF hope to accomplish this year? In the next few years?

AC: This year, we’d love for everything to come off beautifully, as it always does, but without Danielle or I sustaining any physical injuries! That would be lovely [laughs].

I’d love to make enough money from our ticket sales that we’ll be able to pay all our artists the going rate for festival performances. That’s a very important goal we’re working hard to reach.

In future years, I see the event happening over an entire weekend, showcasing three times the talent we’re currently able to feature. I also dream to include much stronger educational opportunities in future years, such as a conference element or seminars, etc.

DLP: It is my dream that we get the funding and support we deserve so that we can actually have a staff. This would enable us to work more sanely and to be able to pay all those who help make SDIMF happen, and all the artists whose work we are promoting. I cannot wait for the day that we can fearlessly and joyfully write nice fat checks to many deserving people, including ourselves!

The San Diego Indie Music Fest is more than just bands and singer/songwriters. Also featured in this year’s lineup is a selection of provocative and captivating independent films from San Diego and beyond.

“SDIMF is all about celebrating and advocating indie culture – music, art, business and thought,” said Champion. “Indie film and indie music go hand-in-hand…. Indie film cannot thrive without indie music – Indie film is just another art form to be celebrated.”

LoPresti added: “The documentaries we’ve chosen are daring, educational and inspiring. Film is an immensely powerful way to get a message across, to help people realize there is so much that can be done.”

One of the most-anticipated films to grace the stage this year is director Kathy Hines’ Creating a Place at the Table. The documentary tells the story of three lesbian families from different cultural backgrounds and experiences, and how they have navigated coming out to their families and subsequently created their own families. The film was inspired by executive producer Leng Loh’s experience growing up in a strict Taiwanese family. “When I was 19 and just coming out, it seemed like all the gay people around me were rejecting their families because their families were rejecting them,” Loh said. “Not only would that mean losing my beloved parents and brothers – and grandparents and dozens of uncles, aunts and cousins – but it would mean losing my last connection to being Taiwanese.

“Sun and Moon Vision Production’s documentary, Creating a Place at the Table, emerges from over a decade of asking questions – of myself, of my friends, of my family, and even of perfect strangers – about how we negotiate our relationships with our parents and siblings and grandparents and uncles and nieces, and we grow older and find love, lose love, find love again, build our families,” Loh said.

“The couples featured in the documentary work with their families and overcome familial differences just like anybody else would work through theirs,” Hines said. “We just do not have the opportunity to see stories of lesbian families in the media. Our documentary focuses on celebrating lesbian families, cultures and strengths, not the challenges.”

“Nowhere do family issues seem to come to a head more than when we start to have families of our own,” Loh said. “What should be a joyful time can become a strained time, as you sense a second-class status being given to your partner and kids. Or perhaps this is where everyone truly transcends any fearful expectations you may have … and [your family] realizes they have something in common with you and you are – gasp! – quite normal.”

Sun and Moon Vision Production’s next endeavor documents women peacemakers in Reversing the Ripples of War, due to be released March 29 at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. LoPresti and Champion are also featured in the film.

The Indie Film Stage at SDIMF includes a diverse lineup of documentaries, including The Edge of Each Other’s Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde, What is INDIE?, Black Gold and Invisible Children, Leading the Way to Peace and Starved.

Leading the Way to Peace traces the personal stories of peacemaking, courage and hope of four women: Christina Thorpe from Sierra Leone, Zarina Salamat from Pakistan, Shreen Abdul Saroor from Sri Lanka and Luz Mendez from Guatemala.

Starved is a short documentary that delves into the dysfunctional relationship with food and our bodies.

The film portion of SDIMF will be held at the North Park Arts & Entertainment Centre beginning at noon. For more information, visit http://www.sdindiemusicfest.com/.