WELCOMING JOE BOYD / THE ENO FILM / VOLUNTEER PROGRAM AND MORE
Big Ears Welcomes Joe Boyd
He was running sound at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 when Bob Dylan went electric. A year later, he founded London’s legendary UFO club, where a young band called Pink Floyd started to attract a following and produced their first single. He continued producing most of the major artists on the UK’s nascent late 60s/early 70s folk/rock scene – Fairport Convention, the Incredible String Band, Nick Drake, Richard and Linda Thompson, John Martyn – but also Nico’s legendary Desertshore – and then, later, Toots and the Maytals, Cubanismo!, Taj Mahal, R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs and countless others spanning a remarkable six decade career.
We’ve spent the past couple of months completely immersed in and utterly captivated by the nearly 1000 pages of his extraordinary new book, And the Root of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music.
We’re thrilled to welcome Joe Boyd to Big Ears, where he will talk about his book as well as present a multimedia presentation about his work. Joe will also serve as guest curator for an exciting facet of Big Ears’ soon-to-be announced film programs.
Read: “Producer Joe Boyd On The Interlocking Rhythms Of The World”
Eno: A Generative Film by Gary Hustwit
As we begin to reveal more about our upcoming film program, we’re pleased to announce a screening of Eno, the groundbreaking generative documentary about visionary musician and artist Brian Eno, a film that’s different every time it’s shown. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Gary Hustwit, the career spanning documentary is compiled from hundreds of hours of video footage, music and interviews to explore Eno’s music, art and ideas, giving the viewer personal insights into his creative processes. Hustwit will be with us during the screening!
Read: “The Making of Eno, the First Generative Feature Film”
Reinder: Single-Day Passes Available
While nothing can match the complete immersion into the world of music offered by the full four-day weekend experience of Big Ears, we are offering a limited number of single-day passes for each day of the weekend for those unable to make the commitment.
All daily passes options allow patrons access to all publicly announced events in all official Big Ears venues, subject to capacity. In addition to standard day passes, we have a Premier-level daily pass. Similar to Premier weekend passes, these upgraded daily passes, which are offered in very limited quantities, will allow priority access to festival venues and advance notice of unannounced secret shows.
2025 Volunteer Ambassador Program
Big Ears Ambassadors are essential to making our annual festival possible—a passionate group of volunteers who play a vital role in bringing the event to life. From welcoming guests to supporting performances, their efforts ensure every moment is unforgettable. In exchange for their time and effort during the festival, Ambassadors are offered benefits such as complimentary passes, discounted merchandise, and more.
There are so many ways to help and each role is essential to the Big Ears weekend. Applications are now open and we invite anyone over the age of 18 to apply regardless of background, physical abilities, or festival experience. You can read more about the opportunities on our website and submit your application today!
