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The future of Out West Music Fest, a new music festival scheduled for July 19-21 an hour outside Portland, is in doubt after six bands have announced they no longer plan to attend after discovering the criminal history of the festival’s promoter.
Headlining band Cascade Crescendo posted on Facebook on July 13 that they will no longer be playing the festival “due to information that has recently come to light regarding the festival organizer’s past which [they] cannot condone.”
Other bands—including Asher Fulero, The High Seagrass, and Swindler—and vendors have followed suit.
Their concern: Aaron Montaglione, who runs Terrapin Events, the promotion company organizing the festival, was convicted in 2011 of possessing child pornography. A federal prosecutor described it as involving “children who haven’t even started puberty yet,” according to court transcripts. He was sentenced to four years in prison and served two and a half before being released in April 2014.
Montaglione has organized a variety of events around Portland. Terrapin Events has hosted multiple half-marathons, including in the past running of the Bridge to Brews race, and the Dirty Leprechaun obstacle course. Last year, he organized the Portland Spring Beer and Wine Fest.
Montaglione did not respond to WW’s request for comment. On July 14, however, he posted a statement on Instagram and Facebook, acknowledging he’d downloaded “disturbing material” but accused prosecutors of telling “outright lies” in an effort to win a conviction.
This is the first year of Out West Music Fest, a three-day festival featuring bluegrass, jazz and psychedelic rock groups. Weekend camping passes sell for $179 at Dundee Lodge in Gaston, Ore.
Discussion of Montaglione’s conviction spread online last weekend after headliner Cascade Crescendo announced they were dropping out of the festival on Facebook.
Hana Indigo, who sells homemade leather goods and planned to be a vendor at the festival, said she became aware of the criminal conviction after Cascade Crescendo’s post.
“I looked into it, it doesn’t align with my values,” she says. “I was going to bring my 6-year-old with me.”
Indigo says Montaglione hasn’t been responding to emails since Friday. She’s asking for the return of her vending fee.
“I’m a single mom. I can’t afford to lose $400 on an event. It’s really disappointing,” she says.
Clarification: A previous version of this article said that Terrapin Events organizes the Bridge to Brews race. Terrapin Events did not organize the 2024 race and is no longer affiliated with the race, but has organized it in past years.