The Faces Behind The Masq

By: Sarah Dunn

ATLANTA — The Masquerade organized a brand-new music festival as a final farewell to the beloved 695 North Ave. NE location, which is set to be removed by the end of this month.

The city’s brand-new punk rock music festival, The Wrecking Ball ATL, appears to have come into existence with a bang and a blast. Uprooting from past rumors and the future dissolution of legendary music venue, The Masquerade, the festival was created as a final farewell to the beloved 695 North Ave. NE location, which is set to be completely removed by the end of this month and temporarily relocated to Underground Atlanta. The Masquerade is renowned for their long-lasting production of rock shows that lean toward the harder, grungier, and up-and-coming side of the spectrum; making it an ultimate favorite among the Atlanta natives and international visitors alike. So who are the faces behind The Masquerade and the explosive Wrecking Ball ATL music festival?

An interesting fact about Wrecking Ball and its parent venue that sets it apart from all others would be that much of the team from past to present are women. Many famous music festivals are founded and co-founded by men such as Woodstock, Vans Warped Tour, South by Southwest, and even Atlanta’s well-known festivals like Music Midtown and Shaky Knees. Almost every face you see working in the box office, the boss’s office, or even in the band are male. Wrecking Ball, however, is defying the odds of convention.

Past & present Masquerade staff / Photo credit: Alex Christopher Williams

Elena de Soto, one of the two talent buyers at The Masquerade and founders of The Wrecking Ball ATL, answers with the fact that “there have always been strong women in the music industry; however, now it has become more accessible to women to get jobs in almost any part of the music industry.” Elena began her career at The Masquerade as a marketing intern and immediately following her graduation from college at SCAD, she was hired on by her boss Greg Green as his talent buying partner. “My team is myself and a man”, she notes, “I think it’s a great balance”. Perhaps the dynamic zeal these two create is what makes the Masquerade venue outshine the rest. Not to mention, the conception of The Wrecking Ball ATL and the role Elena has influenced creates a gateway for girls to call the shots and to let people know that women are out there making decisions and doing big things for their city’s music scene.

Greg Green (left) and Elena de Soto (right) / Photo credit: Per Schorn Fotografie

Atlanta’s dearly beloved Masquerade has blossomed many creatives within its city limits, and when it comes to women in music, one size certainly does not fit all. They are your talent buyers and box-office managers, they are your sound technicians and the band members. They are your graphic designers who create logos for the bands. Sometimes, the artist will even take on the extensive task of composing an entire social image as to what will be recognized as The Wrecking Ball music festival. That artist is named Monica Misiak. Monica launched her career at The Masquerade while also attending college at SCAD, with all of her illustrative projects always relating back to music. Once the idea of Wrecking Ball began ringing through the ears of the staff, Monica got to work sketching banners, flyers, and creating the reaper of death character that would completely take over The Wrecking Ball ATL’s social media, websites, and merchandise. When it comes to working as an artist, she works alone, but while collaborating with the additional minds at The Masquerade, she describes her team as “a small group, mixed gender… It works out really well for us because our team is sort of like a small representation of our audience”. Additionally, “One thing we’ve tried to do with Wrecking Ball is treat our female artists and fans exactly like male artists and fans, putting awesome female acts in headlining slots on the main stages rather than shoving them into this female-only space”. While embracing the balance of both masculine and feminine energies at her workplace and music scene, she acknowledges that “there is definitely a lack of women in this industry and there are definitely problems that need to be addressed”. It may be that her and her fellow co-workers’ roles at The Masquerade and with The Wrecking Ball ATL will live on well into the future and help mold a place where those problems will soon be addressed and overcome.

Monica Misiak’s designs at Wrecking Ball ATL 2016 / Photo credit: unknown

For many, the Masquerade is a sanction for hosting the best local and national concerts in the entire South; but for all, it’s a place of acceptance and support. “The O4W neighborhood has grown and changed quite a bit in the last quarter-of-a-century,” states a press release from The Masquerade “We have been a proud part of that growth and are appreciative of the support the neighborhood has always shown us”. Undeniably the moving process has been weighing heavy on the hearts of everyone involved, but in darkness there is always light. The amazing team of women and men alike will continue to put on bone-rattling concerts and further the limits of The Masquerade’s legacy and what The Wrecking Ball ATL has to offer.

Gorilla Biscuits at The Wrecking Ball ATL 2016 / Photo credit: Elena de Soto