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How Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros Made One Entrepreneur’s Dream Come True

Taking a risk and quitting your comfortable life to do something you love is a move so many of us dream about but so few actually have the courage to do. The fear of failure is a very real one when you start your own business but, for some of us, the universe comes through in a big way – and sometimes sends a famous musician to come to your aid.

 

That’s the case with Tucker Gumber, better know as The Festival Guy. You may remember Tucker from last December, when I shared his crowdfunding campaign to get his festival app, FestEvo, off the ground. While that campaign ultimately “failed,” – by which I mean they didn’t reach their funding goals – Tucker pushed forward in making his dream a reality and released FestEvo at the end of last month, after a year of working on it.

 

festival guy

 

But the story is way better than just “guy creates app.”

Tucker first got into festivals when he saw Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros in 2011 at Snowball in Colorado. He’d been nursing a heartbreak and had recently fallen in with a new crowd of kids who were all about the band. After that show, Tucker fell in love with the passion and community of festivals and ultimately visited 10 more that year.

 

He quit his job and committed himself to reviewing festivals full time.

Jump forward to a couple of weeks ago and FestEvo had just hit the market. Tucker was using it himself and enlisting friends and contact to give it a try, but he wasn’t sure how to get it out to the bigger market.

 

“I’m a festivalgoer starting a business,” he explained to me. “I’m not a businessperson starting a festival company.”

 

FestEvo was already changing how he and his friends participated in festivals, so he knew he had something good on his hands. What he couldn’t figure out was how to get it out to the general festival-going public.

 

Re-enter Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Tucker found himself in front of his favorite band once again at Wakarusa festival earlier this month. Grooving on the band and quietly reminiscing about past shows, Tucker remembered that lead singer Alex Ebert asks the audience for a story at the end of his hit song Home. Tucker got Alex’s attention, told him he had a story to tell, and found himself pulled up on stage in front of thousands of people.

 

Shaking with nerves, Tucker told the audience about how the band had changed his path in life, prompting him to quit his job and start FestEvo. Check out the video below for Tucker’s whole speech to the crowd and his subsequent tambourine performance.

 

 

That song always makes me cry too, Tucker. What an amazing moment and I wish you the best of luck moving forward.

 

And those of you who are planning on going to a couple of festivals this year? Stop mucking around and download FestEvo (on Android or iOS) today.

 

Photo & Video Credits

Courtesy of The Festival Guy

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