Harefest LLC and J-Fell Presents are thrilled to announce the newest member of their team, Kyle Lang, who will serve as general manager of the popular Harefest Tribute Band Festival and Wild Hare Music Festival.
Lang will also help lead J-Fell Presents’ expansion into business development opportunities throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Kyle joins the company after four years as the executive director of the Canby Area Chamber of Commerce, where his leadership was widely praised, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“One thing that has always drawn me to Kyle was his communication style and win-win attitude,” said Jason Fellman, founder of J-Fell Presents and co-owner of Harefest. “He really understands people and how to bring out the best in others. He’s a well-respected leader with uncanny creativity who flat-out knows how to get things done.”
Lang is no stranger to Harefest, having worked with Fellman and Joan Monen (owner of The Wild Hare Saloon in Canby & Oregon City as well as co-founder of Harefest) many times and in various roles over the years.
“Honestly this position feels like a homecoming more than a new opportunity,” Lang said. “Over the last decade, I’ve built great relationships with the folks who make the festivals run so it largely feels like bringing the band back together.
“I am excited about the new developments with the festivals and the new partnership with Clackamas County Fairgrounds and Event Center, so I’m ready to dig in and get my hands dirty.”
Harefest has been on hold for nearly two years due to the pandemic, but J-Fell Presents has continued to expand live music options in the area with events like the wildly successful Wild Hare Summer Concert Series, a series of 18 outdoor shows through summer and early fall 2021 which included many of the acts that have — or were scheduled to — appear at Harefest.
Fellman and his team believe this provides a viable model for other communities where there would be an appetite for uniquely-tailored concert series/entertainment experiences.
J-Fell Presents is committed to creating (or continuing) concert series and events in four diverse locations across the Pacific Northwest this year: the Wild Hare Saloon in Canby (outdoors), Mt. Hood Center in Boring (indoors/outdoors), Rusty Truck Commons in Lincoln City (outdoors) and the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake, Wash. (outdoors).
Lang cited the company’s guiding principles of delivering exceptional experiences for fans and partners as key to his decision.
“They are focused on two things above everything else — the fans and customer service — and that priority is largely what brings me back into the fold,” Lang said. “Not only do I love the events, but I love the way the festival owners think about how to provide these experiences for their fans.”
Lang’s wealth of business and industry experience — as well as government and public-private partnerships — will serve not only in continuing to stage spectacular concerts, but also assisting local municipalities in maximizing the economic development potential of these engagements.
“It’s an exciting time in our industry because through challenge comes opportunity, and essentially that’s what J-Fell Presents provides: opportunity,” he said. “And the biggest opportunity right now is to help communities and businesses capitalize on economic development through tourism and the arts.
“Everybody wins, and I think that’s something we could all use a little bit more of these days.”