Southern Indiana Business Report
The Sustain Music & Arts Festival returns to Elk Ridge Ranch near Shoals and French Lick May 16-17 for the third year. You might be wondering why have a festival about sustainability and how did a southern Indiana elk ranch in the middle of the Hoosier National Forest become the host site.
Presented by Sadhana USA, the festival features more than 14 bands playing progressive bluegrass and Americana music. The festival will also showcase artisans, sustainability sourced food and workshops “to restore and inform” festival-goers.
Festival organizer Kyle Ochs sat down with Southern Indiana Business Report to talk about the festival, sustainability and his vision for a future youth camp.
What is the Sustain Music & Arts Festival?
We’re seeking to raise awareness for sustainability in the festival community and the broader community. We’re also trying to build a community and trying to tap into the supportive and collaborative community. We want to be family-friendly and affordable. We are very inclusive of varying socioeconomic levels, you can come here and tent camp if you want pr stay at the resort in French Lick.
You’re from Indianapolis, why did you choose this location in southern Indiana?
I travel a lot and for a Hoosier, I think it’s the prettiest area of our entire state. If I’m going to spend a lot of time at the festival, I want it to be beautiful. You add in the history of French Lick, and that gives people an opportunity to take in the surrounding area, whether that’s visiting those sites or staying at hotels.
Why do we need a festival about sustainability within festivals?
Sustainability is a passion of mine, I’m not an expert in it but the concept is appealing to me. When we talk about sustainability, repurpose, reimagine, recycle, is what most people think about. In our case, we said, ‘How do we structure an event where everyone can get paid, have safe working conditions and social sustainability.’ I think the loss of community is a real challenge right now. Our current community-building process is not sustainable. When someone attends the event, they feel more restored than drained. We want everyone to be able to afford to come.
Your nonprofit organization, Sadhana USA, will use the funds raised to establish a youth camp in the French Lick area. Talk about your plans.
Sadhana means a life’s journey toward the best version of yourself. I had a trucking business and real estate business that I lost after the 2008 recession. I have four kids and I was scratching my head to figure out my ‘what’s next chapter.’ We’re all better off if we serve others, but we’re not teaching that to our kids. In our current structure, parents are at work and they don’t have time to do that. This will be a camp devoted to service learning and getting kids out in nature and being more active.
What can festival-goers expect from attending?
Elk Ridge Ranch is really, really nice. The property has a spiritual energy. There’s a pond on site, a log cabin and lodges. I jokingly tell people that we’re not a festival in a field. We’ll have fun but this isn’t a giant party, that’s just not us.
How many people have attended in the past?
We’ve averaged about 275 people. We need to increase that for it to be a good fundraiser.
You’ve booked over a dozen bands, talk about the music lineup.
We’re focused on a very narrow sound and I watch every band before we book them. You’re going to be introduced to some really good bands. Americana can be folk rock or folk and some won’t have a banjo or fiddle. Progressive bluegrass might have drums. It’s still bluegrass but with a little more artistic freedom … you might hear some Grateful Dead covers. We have bands from Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Ohio, Wisconsin and Tennessee. You can check out the song list on Spotify.
Ticket info, band lineup
To purchase tickets or view the 2025 music schedule, visit sustainfestivals.org