Our Story
RPM Fest is more than just your typical music festival—it’s the heaviest party of the summer.
Each year, we gather in the woods of Western Mass to celebrate our heavy music community with three days of music, camping, games, karaoke, food trucks, vendors, craft beer, and more. What started off as an under-the-radar backyard party has morphed into a fully-fledged open-air music festival, with our recent events hosting 50 bands across three stages. Notable acts from years past include Psychostick, Inter Arma, Black Tusk, Byzantine, Whores, King Parrot, Lich King, Lazer/Wulf, Scissorfight, Black Pyramid, and Moon Tooth.
Our goal since the beginning has been to put on a high-quality-yet-affordable festival to showcase our favorite local and regional heavy music acts. RPM Fest is run entirely by volunteers comprised of fans and musicians, and every cent we bring in goes towards putting on the best event we possibly can. We wouldn’t exist if not for the hundreds of immensely talented people willing to put their time and energy into creating this one magical weekend of the year.
As soon as you step foot on the grounds and see the musicianship of the bands, the enthusiasm of the crowds, the city of tents and glowstick lights out in the woods, the glasses raised to group sing-a-longs, you know one thing for sure—this is more than a music scene, it’s a community. Whether you’re a regular or a newcomer, you feel the camaraderie and friendship between everyone—the fans, the bands, the volunteers, who are often times one in the same. RPM Fest succeeds in large part because it is a music festival for all of us, put on by all of us, and we all want to see it grow and thrive.
Despite its relatively rural setting and sparse population, Western Massachusetts has long been a hotbed of heavy music.
Bands such as Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, and All That Remains exploded into the mainstream in the early-to-mid 2000’s. The area experienced a surge in local bands, and with that came the usual networks of support—venues, organizers, promoters, labels, and more. Two of of those that eventually came to form RPM Fest were Promotorhead Entertainment and PDP Productions.
PDP Productions began producing rock concerts and fests throughout Western Mass in the early 2000’s before pivoting to focus on providing live sound and lighting for community events. Owner Brian Westbrook continued to play drums in rock and metal bands, eventually joining thrash stalwarts Lich King in 2009 and becoming a mainstay in the regional metal scene.
Between 2008 and 2011, many venues and festivals in Western Mass folded, leaving a void for local heavy music. In 2011, John Gulow established Promotorhead Entertainment, and with Robo Sound at the audio helm, they quickly grew into a driving force and brought the scene back to life with regular concerts at the 13th Floor Music Lounge in Florence, MA.
In 2014, PDP Productions and Promotorhead Entertainment joined forces, starting out simply to fill the hole that was left after losing a beloved local music event. Through this partnership, the concept for RPM Fest was born and planning for the first festival began.
RPM Fest would not exist without our incredible heavy music community.
Fans and musicians banded together and spent weekends clearing trees and stumps out of a field behind the Westbrook family house. We constructed two covered 25’ foot stages on one end of the field and designated the other end for parking. We cleared brush out of the woods to make hospitable campsite and paths. Our two crowdfunding campaigns raised nearly $8000 in total, offering fest T-shirts, posters, and sponsorships, CDs and merch from bands on the bill, gift certificates to a local record store, and more.
The inaugural RPM Fest was held in August of 2014. Promotorhead provided a stellar musical lineup, while PDP and Robo contributed sound and lights. Crowds flocked in to witness the event and the response was overwhelming. Word quickly spread and the festival grew steadily each year until we outgrew the confines of the field after the 2016 event.
We took 2017 off to choose a new venue, establish bigger goals for the future, and foster new relationships with regional partners. In 2018, a new home was found at the Millers Falls Rod & Gun Club in Montague, MA, and with that came a third stage, a dedicated camping area, more room for activities and vendors, and a fully-stocked bar run by our new hosts.
After a two-year hiatus to the COVID-19 pandemic, we plan to pick up right where we left off. RPM Fest will once again see incredible local and regional bands, national heavy hitters, and we look forward to bringing that community together once again.
Fan Testimonials
“This has been one of the BEST Festivals I have been to in a long time! I am honored to be a part of this crazy, musical family!”
“Scrolling down my news feed and seeing all the awesome photos and videos of RPM makes me miss it already. Can’t wait for next year!”
“It was really wonderful seeing everyone at peace and just having a good time being themselves and enjoying their favorite music.”
“That was the most life-changing event I’ve ever had the absolute pleasure of being a part of.”
“That was the greatest time i think I’ve ever had playing music. Congratulations on the enormous success that was RPM Fest.”
“For those that missed it, hopefully you can make it next year, because what an awesome event. So many good bands, so many good people, it was quite surreal.”
Press for RPM Fest
“A three-day music festival in the woods with rock, punk, metal, and an undying sense of community [...] This really is a community effort and entirely done by everyone involved to make this happen year after year. It truly is a beautiful sight to behold when everything takes shape.”
“The normally tranquil woods of Montague just got a taste of […] RPM Fest, a weekend of camping, games, food vendors, craft beer, and – above all – fast, heavy music. For fans who attended the festival, their love of the intense, adrenaline injection that is metal is a unifier.”
“The woods of Western Mass promise to be rather loud this weekend for RPM Fest, which brings three days of rock, punk, and metal to Greenfield. As usual, this will be a totally awesome time: vendors, games, raffles, camping. Watch the sun set, party in the dark, and enjoy the wild, wild woods.”
“For those driving by the Millers Falls Rod & Gun this weekend, the low drone bass guitars and guttural screaming might sound out of place. But for those attending the RPM Fest, it will be a heavy music haven.”