1. Fifteen years later, what do you remember about the very first Tippapalooza, and did you ever imagine you'd still be doing this in 2026? 

Tippapalooza started very humbly, more like a private party than the community concert it is today. There was just one band doing cover songs and the audience was mostly friends and family of the band. But it gave us the idea that we wanted to do something more.

2. If someone has never been to Tippapalooza, how would you describe the experience? 

 

Tippapalooza is a free, family-friendly, outdoor music festival that features bands and musicians from the Miami Valley that are creating their own original music. It is a fun, entertaining evening with food, drinks, and music.

3. This year's lineup leans more toward Americana, blues and roots music. What made you want to take Tippapalooza in that direction this year, and what can music fans expect? 

 

The bands we select to play Tippapalooza always play music from rock or rock-adjacent genres. But that still gives us a lot of options! And we try to change things up from year to year. Last year the Tippapalooza bands were generally harder rock, so we wanted to provide a different experience this year. We are beyond thrilled to have the Noah Wotherspoon band as our headliner this year. Noah is an amazing blues guitarist with a truly international fanbase. We are lucky to have him. The other bands in the lineup, Yuppie, The Gage Thomas Band, and Kittinger are no less entertaining and while they all have different styles, they are all compilatory to each other.

4. You've seen a lot of Miami Valley bands come through Tippapalooza. Is there a band or performer (or several) from the festival's history that you still talk about? 

 

I think we have a lot to look forward to this year and, as with each year, I think the upcoming lineup is always better than the one before. But looking back at our history, we have been blessed to have a few stellar bands like The New Old Fashioned, Sadbox, The 1984 Draft, and the Boxcar Suite perform in multiple years for Tippapalooza. But the performance that may stand out the most for me is when we had Shrug as our headliner in 2018. Shrug is indie-rock royalty in Dayton and, despite awful weather, they put on a show for the ages that day.

5. If you had to explain the Dayton music scene to someone who has never experienced it, what would you tell them? 

 

Like a lot of cities, Dayton has a vibrant music scene. But Dayton stands out for the number of great bands that have emerged and continue to emerge from a city of this size. Remember, Guided By Voices, the Breeders, Hawthorne Heights, and 3RA1N1AC were all local bands on the scene at one time. But the thing that really sets the scene apart is the sense of community. The bands in this area sincerely support each other and work to help everyone succeed. In other cities the local scene is much more competitive.  

6. Putting together a music festival sounds like a lot of work. What's one part of running Tippapalooza that people in the crowd probably have no idea about? 

 

It is a year-round activity! There are things we need to do months in advance to prepare. For example, we typically have the lineup set and bands under contract as early as January of each year. Of course, going to a lot of shows to scout bands is always happening. But that is more fun than work.

7. Tippapalooza was created to support local music and nonprofit causes. After 15 years, what makes you most proud about what the festival has become? 

 

I think it is great that we’ve been able to raise over $10,000 for local non-profits, but the thing I am most proud of is that we’ve been able to turn our passion for local independent music into a community event in Downtown Tipp.

8. What's something you've learned about music, or about people, from standing in the middle of this festival for 15 years? 

 

Tipp City folks do not like to stay out late! Unlike most music venues, where shows often don’t end until way after midnight, we have learned that Tippapalooza has the most success when we wrap up the entertainment around 10 pm.

9.  If you could book any musician in the world for a future Tippapalooza (money, logistics and reality aside) who would you bring to downtown Tipp City and why?   

 

My dream would to have Guided By Voices and The Breeders on a co-headlining show!

10. What's in store for the next 15 years? 

 

Only time will tell, but I hope we maintain the energy to keep improving to make Tippapalooza bigger and better each year.