VersoFest is Westport Library’s annual music and media conference and festival where knowledge is shared and inspiration is discovered - a forum for media creators, artists, and fans to converge.
VersoFest includes panels where experts share their perspective and vision. Intimate workshops provide creators the opportunity to deconstruct, improve, and hone their craft. Performances entertain and inspire.
*All panels and keynotes are free; concerts and workshops are ticketed.
Festivalgoers will be required to show proof of registration for all registered and ticketed events, including registered events that are free of charge.
Music by DJ B The T Sr.
$50
TREFZ FORUM
Opening Performance by Amilia K Spicer
Music by DJ Miriam Linna & Marc Miller
$40 (SOLD OUT)
TREFZ FORUM
*This event is standing room only, with accommodations
TREFZ FORUM
Anthony Coscia’s 1:4, 10’x14’ scale model replica of the Grateful Dead’s legendary “Wall of Sound” will be on display and cranking tunes intermittently throughout the entire course of VersoFest 2023. In addition, TeachRock will feature a Wall of Sound course on Saturday, April 1, at 11 am that will be open to all.
Beginning in 2020, Coscia began his “Le Petit Mur De Son” project to rebuild the Grateful Dead's legendary Wall of Sound. The intent of the project is to preserve The Wall's place in history and allow people to hear, see, and feel what so few were able to experience. Scaled walls have been constructed in lead-up and in fundraising for a full-scale replication, to which Coscia is currently seeking funds.
With 400+ hours of design and construction, Coscia’s model features more than 500 functioning speakers divided into eight channels, producing 100db+ out to more than 100ft with little to no distortion. The Wall has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fretboard Journal, Liveforlivemusic.com, Tales From the Golden Road (SiriusXM), Dean Delray, and others.
BOARD ROOM (ROOM 210)
FREE (WITH REGISTRATION BELOW, CLICK TICKETS)
Mini-museum exhibition of Alice Cooper Group costumes, stage props, instruments, photos, and much more!
FREE, AGES 10+ (SOLD OUT)
TREFZ FORUM
Originally conceived by brainiac, prankster, LSD head, and sometimes Grateful Dead sound tech Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the Wall of Sound was a three-story, 28,800-watt hot-rodded PA system, the largest of its time, used at Grateful Dead shows in 1974. The Wall of Sound was the first large-scale line array used in modern sound reinforcement systems.
This innovative sound system serves as the basis for TeachRock’s Wall of Sound class in which participants will both learn about the Wall and partake in hands-on activities that will spark their inner prankster/scientist.
TeachRock's Bill Carbone and Gina Machado will join you to explore the questions: What is a PA system? How does it work? And why should we thank the tinkering scientists of the 1960s and 70s Grateful Dead entourage for many of the standard elements of how we experience live music today?
Steven Van Zandt is the TeachRock founder, and the organization’s board includes Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, Bono, and Bruce Springsteen.
Note: While this event is sold out, there will be extra chairs available in the Trefz Forum for those who want to watch the workshop in progress.
$15 REGISTRATION FEE
BROOKS PLACE
Photographer Katie Settel will take workshop participants through her journey, influences, and technique in this master class.
Settel is a Connecticut-based photographer known for her evocative performance images as the in-house photographer at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Settel’s artistic approach is creative, mindful, and unstaged. She has a unique ability to visualize the picture long before snapping the shutter.
FREE (pre-registration closed; limited seats available)
TREFZ FORUM
Steve Lillywhite, the lauded record producer, whose credits include the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, U2, the Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Morrissey, the Pogues, Dave Matthews Band, Guster, Phish, the Killers, and many more, will share his perspective, wisdom, and advice in this VersoFest keynote conversation with Chris Frantz (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club).
$15 REGISTRATION FEE (SOLD OUT)
HIGGINS ROOM
This class presents an overview of screenplay structure with a focus on the 90-page feature film script. Utilizing Blake Snyder’s popular “beat sheet” method as a starting point, participants will come away with a better understanding of screenplay structure, as well as tools and strategies for completing a feature-length script, and hopefully some inspiration to get them started on their screenwriting journey.
FREE
TREFZ FORUM
In this panel, author and journalist Rachel Felder will lead discussion on cutting edge female/androgynous rock fashion through the 1960s to today, accompanied by pictures, video, and multimedia. Three expert panelists share their thoughts and perspectives including: Vivien Goldman (writer, broadcaster, musician, Professor of Punk and Reggae at NYU), Christian Joy (fashion designer, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and Matthew Yokobosky (Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, Brooklyn Museum).
Rachel Felder is an author and journalist who writes about fashion and style, trends, and art. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Financial Times, Vogue, Elle, and many other publications. She is the author of five books, the most recent of which, Red Lipstick: an Ode to a Beauty Icon, examines the impact and cultural significance of red lipstick.
$15 REGISTRATION FEE (SOLD OUT)
BROOKS PLACE
Whether you are already a performing songwriter, or just want to learn HOW to start a song, this class will focus on finding your own voice, turning your story into a musical moment, and discovering the tools for getting “unstuck,” with an emphasis on using lyrical imagery to create sonic cinema.
Amilia K Spicer is a singer/songwriter who was raised in rural Pennsylvania and lives in Los Angeles, with a haunting, husky voice and an Americana folk/rock style that evokes “majestic vistas — and shadowy mysteries.” Her 2017 album Wow and Flutter was released to rave reviews, with PopDose calling it “one of the best albums, any genre, of the past decade” and American Songwriter Magazine lauding Spicer as “a seriously gifted songwriter.”
FREE
TREFZ FORUM
Musician Dylan Hundley (Lulu Lewis) hosts a cadre of influential and regional rock photographers focusing on the craft, style, and approach behind their legendary shots. The panel includes Fairfield County natives Katie Settel and Michael Friedman, and New York's Julia Gorton and Lynn Goldsmith (who currently has a landmark art/IP case at the Supreme Court).
TREFZ FORUM
Richard Butler rose to international fame with the Psychedelic Furs, with the Furs emerging as one of London’s leading post-punk bands in the late 70s. Their self-titled debut, produced by VersoFest '23 Keynote, Steve Lillywhite, was Top 20 on the UK Albums Chart, and their run of success continued with six subsequent albums released between 1981 and 1991, including Talk Talk Talk and Forever Now.
Butler put his painting on the backburner to accommodate the Furs’ record promotion and worldwide touring, returning to his first love when the band took an extended hiatus in the early 90s. Since then, he’s kept at it and found a balance between the two endeavors.
Butler’s work has been featured worldwide, with the artist having launched exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Berlin, and at other prestigious galleries across the globe.
Note: In-person seating for this event has been reserved, but the event will be livestreamed and recorded. See "More Info" below for details.
BOARD ROOM (ROOM 210)
FREE (WITH REGISTRATION BELOW, CLICK TICKETS)
Visit this mini-museum exhibition of Alice Cooper Group costumes, stage props, instruments, photos, and much more!
FREE
TREFZ FORUM
Vinyl has reclaimed its throne as the most popular physical music format. Continuing one of the more surprising comebacks of the digital age, vinyl album sales in the United States have grown for the 17th consecutive year, showing a return to collecting and curating after decades of the digital song deconstruction of albums. Join moderator Dave Schneider (The Zambonis), Kid Ginseng (Kraftjerkz Records), Karen Ponzio (New Haven Independent Arts Writer), Alec Cumming (Snap Crackle POP! on WPKN), Dooley-O, and Eric Holland (WFUV) for a warm, crackly brunch.
$15 REGISTRATION FEE
BROOKS PLACE
Producer and director Annette Jolles will teach a master class on TV/media production in conjunction with Verso Studios crew call members.
Jolles has created a diverse body of work as a director and producer for stage and television, receiving 17 Emmy Awards for shows including the 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero, the 2015 NY Papal Visit, and Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle for PBS. As the first female director for Live from Lincoln Center, broadcasts include the NY Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve: La Vie Parisienne; Stars in Concert programs headlined by Sutton Foster, Leslie Odom, Jr., Cynthia Erivo, Norm Lewis and Patina Miller; 50 Years of Mostly Mozart; and threeRichard Tucker Galas: From Bocelli to Barton, A New Century, and Richard Tucker at 100.
FREE
THE HUB
Record Riots dealers command The Hub of The Westport Library in VersoFest’s inaugural record fair! A handful of vinyl dealers will wheel and deal, adding to the electricity of Sunday’s VersoFest events. Leading primitive/garage/punk/R&B label Norton Records & Kicks Books will have a very special table of goods including rare and never-before-seen Norton and Kicks memorabilia.
And be sure to check out our vinyl record silent auction featuring albums signed by our VersoFest headliners and guests.
FREE
BROOKS PLACE
Sarah Van Mosel (EVP, Podcast Revenue, iHeart Media), Corey Boutilier (Senior Account Director - Connecticut Public Media), Chaz (WPLR, morning host) and moderator Steve Goldstein (CEO, Amplifi Media) explore the latest audio industry trends. Whether you are a podcast creator, musician, or broadcaster, don't miss this chance to hear insider perspectives and strategies.
FREE
TREFZ FORUM
The legendary Miriam Linna will join VersoFest for a live Connecticut music oral history, in conversation with Beehive Queen and resident SNL singing tour de force Christine Ohlman.
Linna is a founding member of the Cramps (as well as Nervous Rex, Zantees, and Nobody's Babies), co-founder with her late husband Billy Miller of leading primitive/garage/punk/R&B label Norton Records and hip pocket paperback publisher Kicks Books, as well as mastermind of Kicksville Radio, dedicated to 24/7 broadcasting of the lost heroes of rock 'n' roll. She cohosts the weekly radio show Crashing The Party with Marc Miller, which excavates the wild, wild world of doo-wop.
FREE
TREFZ FORUM
Music industry veteran Dick Wingate moderates a panel with five music business experts including: Sam Hendel (Chord Music Partners) Tiffany Almy (founder, PKA Law), Jeff Warshaw (founder and CEO, Connoisseur Media), David Boxenbaum (CEO, Newport Media Advisors), and Shep Goodman (record producer, songwriter, and musician).
This panel will explore the recent explosion of investment in both the recorded music and music publishing businesses. Ubiquitous music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have generated billions for rights holders with the regular income streams they generate. Significant new revenue is now being generated from license fees to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok; sync fees to TV, film, and ad producers; gaming and Web3 platforms; and exercise platforms like Peloton. The panel will also explore the new collaborative models for music creation driving the biggest chart hits.
FREE
TREFZ FORUM
DJ GRAND WIZZARD THEODORE (inventor of the scratch) TONY TONE (Cold Crush Brothers), DJ GRANDMASTER SUPREME (Lauryn Hill), DJ RAGOZA, and DJ BILLY BUSCH (HOT 93.7), hosted by TERRIBLE TEE, with special performances.
FREE (WITH REGISTRATION BELOW, CLICK TICKETS)
TREFZ FORUM
Founding Spiders and Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway hosts a special screening of the documentary Live from the Astroturf featuring a Q&A and book signing (Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!). The film chronicles the surprise 2015 reunion of the original Alice Cooper Group at independent record store Good Records in Dallas. Filmmaker, Steven Gaddis, and record store owner and reunion conduit, Chris Penn, will also be in attendance.
OFFICIAL VERSOFEST SPONSORS
OFFICIAL VERSOFEST PARTNERS
OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNERS
OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS
