By BILL NUTT • Special to the Daily Record • September 5, 2008

On its own, the EVOLVE Music and Arts Festival is a study in evolution.

What began last year as a two-day event with about 30 performers has grown into a three-day weekend with more than 75 acts appearing on three stages. The second annual EVOLVEFEST comes to the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta today through Sunday.

Billed as a "celebration of the creative human spirit and a green fundraiser," EVOLVEFEST is a family-friendly event that also includes artists and crafters, food vendors (both vegan and non-vegan), yoga classes and educational presenters. Seminars and workshops will emphasize ecology-friendly ways of living, and a portion of the ticket sales is slated to purchase solar panels that will be used to power a "solar stage" at the fairgrounds that will be used year-round.

The logistics of coordinating so many participants, along with preparing for more than 5,000 attendees, might seem daunting. But Dave Bryson of Vernon, the event's founder and creative director, is not one to complain.

"Nothing about organizing this has been tough" says Bryson, also a musician who will perform at the festival. "I've had challenges, but I embrace them. I look at them as opportunities."

Bryson began EVOLVEFEST in 2007 as a way to bring people together in a positive way. He was, in part, responding to the intense speculation surrounding the year 2012, which is, according to some calculations, the last year of the calendar developed by the ancient Mayan culture of Central America.

"There's a lot of buzz surrounding that year," Bryson says. "Some people believe it will be the year of the apocalypse. But a lot of other people believe it's a year that signals a time of change of consciousness. I'm one of those people."

One reason for Bryson's optimism is the burgeoning green movement. "You can see that we're thinking in broad terms about our place on the earth," he says. "More of us are interested in advancing ourselves as a species, not just as individuals. We realize that life is beautiful, life is worth preserving. I'm interested in that shift in consciousness."

Bryson then developed the idea of a two-day event that would combine music with education. He arranged for the first EVOLVEFEST to take place at Kids Camp in Frelinghuysen Township.

In a move that might seem surprising for a committed environmentalist, he planned to have both vegan and meat food vendors.

"It was part of the inclusive nature of the festival," Bryson says. "We wanted to be considerate of people who wanted to take their kids to this and buy a hamburger or a hot dog."

One of the groups that responded to Bryson's call was Pico DaDa, a jam band based in Morris County. The smooth organization and the energy of the event impressed Marc Mozeson of Denville, the group's drummer.

"For a grass-roots sort of event, it was much more organized than I had expected," Mozeson says. "But at the same time, it was very casual. It felt more like hanging out with friends rather than some kind of formal event."

That spirit of camaraderie resulted in many of the musicians providing support for each other.

"People were enthusiastic to volunteer," recalls Mozeson. "We brought in other people's gear and helped with the changing of the sets." With a laugh, he adds, "I was mainly there to cheer people on."

Another performer who attended last year's EVOLVEFEST was Jordan Simms of Montclair, keyboard player at the time for the Breadbox Band and currently a member of the group the Roy Hobbs Agenda.

"When we rolled into (Kids Camp) last year, we were impressed," he says. "We thought everything was very well put-together."

Though most of the acts last year (and this year) were jam bands, the line-up was actually quite eclectic, Mozeson says.

"Yes, there were a lot of jam bands there. But there were also bluegrass bands, jazz musicians, rock musicians. It's not about a particular type of music."

"We do a lot of festivals throughout the year," Simms says. "The great thing about (the people behind) EVOLVEFEST is that they're right out front about what they're doing. It's New Jersey's green festival. They're doing a great thing."

As part of the event, the documentary "2012: Science or Superstition?" will be screened Saturday and Sunday evening. Each showing will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic "Hope Emerging: The Birth of Creative Visionary Culture."

The move to the Sussex County Fairgrounds means that Bryson is bracing for more than 5,000 attendees.

"To be honest, I think we'll see a lot more," he says. "With the marketing we're doing, I wouldn't be surprised if we got as many as 15,000 people."

Under the new schedule, Bryson is not planning on catching much sleep this weekend. Some of the performers are scheduled to take the stage as late (early?) as 4 a.m. Saturday.

The prospect of growth pleases the performers.

"It's inevitable that, if a festival is successful, it would have to move on," Mozeson says. "We're really excited about being in a bigger place."

For Bryson, the larger festival is a way for more people to come together.

"I always wanted this to be an interactive event," he says. "It's all about conscious evolution."