The industry pushed LGTBQ+ musicians 'to the fringes.' This pair gave them a NY stage

It started as an opportunity to bring friends together to play music.

Gianna Tucci invited family and friends to her parents' backyard in Lagrange, where fellow musicians performed on a hand-built stage.

Four years later, that backyard jam session has turned into a music festival for all to enjoy.

The ones who started it all, co-founders and co-producers Gianna Tucci and Emma Nicoletti, have grown Big Lawn Music Festival into something quite special, creating a space for those in the music industry who might not always feel accepted.

"We seek to uplift musicians and artists and people that are generally pushed to the fringes of the music industry," Tucci said. "We really focus to highlight women, queer people, non-binary people, trans people, people that just aren't always embraced in or given an opportunity in the music community."

Like last year, this year's event will be held at Plan Bee Farm Brewery in Poughkeepsie . Get ready for eight hours of live music featuring bands from the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island from 2-10 p.m. Aug. 3. Doors open at 1 p.m.

How the Big Lawn Music Festival was born

Nicoletti is originally from Long Island. Tucci is a mid-Hudson Valley native, who graduated from Arlington High School. The pair graduated from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in 2021 and now live in Brooklyn, where their company, Big Lawn Music, is based.

Along with highlighting those in the music industry who aren't always given an opportunity, the pair hopes the musicians use the festival as a chance to grow their network and build community within an industry that can be extremely competitive.

Though the festival gets larger each year and takes more work to put together, Tucci called it "a labor of love." She said she is passionate about making sure the musicians are taken care of and encouraged to support one another.

What makes Nicoletti keep wanting to put this event on year after year is knowing this type of space is lacking in the industry. Nicoletti and Tucci are committed to continue providing it until that's deemed otherwise.

In Plan Bee Farm Brewery owners Emily and Evan Watson, Nicoletti and Tucci have found valuable event partners. Emily Watson called the festival a great opportunity for them to showcase the property to those in the community who might not otherwise know the farm is there, since they are "off the beaten road."

What to expect at Big Lawn Music Festival 2024 at Plan Bee Farm

Plan Bee Farm Brewery's location turned out to be the perfect fit for the Big Lawn Music Festival, as they have a unique stage that furthers the idea of bringing artists together.

The Watsons had local artists from the Hudson Valley paint the mural on the back of the stage, and a woodworker crafted the story of the brewery on the front of it.

Big Lawn Music Festival lasts eight hours. Nicoletti and Tucci encourage people to stay for however long or short they want. The music is at the core of the event, but there are other things to do as well.

Food at the event will include Hudson Valley-based food trucks Yum Yum Hotspot and Vagabond Fire Pie , and of course, Plan Bee Farm Brewery will be serving their beer, crafted from ingredients they either grow on the farm or source from the Hudson Valley.

"The beers are fermented with a wild yeast that we cultivate from the raw honey from our beehives on our property," Watson said.

Events like the Big Lawn Music Festival give the owners the opportunity to take some time to speak with the community about their product.

Tucci also noted there is an indoor space with air conditioning, but if you plan to stay awhile, bring chairs and blankets to sit on while you enjoy the music. There will be lawn games for people to play too.

The main event: the music. Who to look forward to

"We have 10 acts, and they are in sets of either 30 or 45 minutes," Tucci said.

Last year, Big Lawn Music Festival received 30 submissions from bands interested in performing. This year when they opened submissions, 140 different bands wanted to play. "The pool of talent is getting much bigger, much more diverse," Nicoletti said.

This year's bands will be playing something for everyone: pop, indie, folk, rock, funk and country.

The Hudson Valley bands featured at the festival include Wickham Falls , Soul and Soul and Ame the Band . Nicoletti and Tucci's house band, Chef's Salad , will kick off the festival.

New this year, the festival will host a "writers round," from 3-5 p.m., where songwriters workshop their songs with peers. Available slots are posted on the festival website .

Where to purchase tickets and where that money goes

Last year, Big Lawn Music Festival sold 215 tickets, and 80% of the proceeds went to the musicians. This year, they'll follow the same protocol.

"We really value making sure that musicians are paid for their time," Tucci said. "So often in this industry, we're expected to play for exposure, and exposure doesn't pay the bills."

"Every individual musician on the stage gets paid the same amount," Nicoletti added.

General admission tickets are $20, and are available online at events.humanitix.com/big-lawn-music-festival-2024/tickets .

Nicoletti and Tucci have also included a "pay what you can" option, so anyone can enjoy Big Lawn Music Festival.

For more information on Big Lawn Music and the festival, visit biglawnmusic.com .

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: The industry pushed LGTBQ+ musicians 'to the fringes.' This pair gave them a NY stage