One man aims to educate Monterey County on Americana and create a lasting music festival.

Pacific Grove’s Dan Miller has been involved in live music for most of his adult life. From lighting and sound-mixing to promoting and managing, Miller’s had his hand in just about every aspect of the industry, short of writing his own music. In the ’80s, he booked Robert Palmer at the Santa Cruz Civic Center on the heels of Palmer’s hit “Addicted to Love.”

But it wasn’t until this year that Miller, a father of a 4-year-old and 9-month-old, willingly faced the biggest challenge of his career when he assumed responsibility for a weekend in late June at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. That same weekend had belonged to the Monterey Bay Blues Festival for 37 years and brought everyone from Etta James to Taj Mahal to the Peninsula before folding earlier this year. Miller was tasked, within six weeks, to produce his own festival – an event with potential to become an annual tradition, similar to what Blues Fest used to be.

What was the first music festival you attended?

The first US Festival in 1983 with Oingo Boingo, which was coincidentally one of the first bands I ever promoted, and Tom Petty, The B-52s and The Police. It was a three-day festival. I lasted one day. It was 106 degrees. I’m trying to think of how many festivals I’ve been to since then and it’s not many. I’m not big on huge crowds.

How did you start in the industry?

Huey Lewis and the News and Eddie and the Tide were playing at Mission Ranch in Carmel. It cost $4 to get in. At the end of the night, I saw some guy I was going to school with working the mixing board. He asked if I wanted to help load equipment and that was the beginning. I worked a few months for free, moving equipment around and getting free passes. I gravitated toward sound and started specializing in lighting, which led to promoting. One of the first bands I did was Oingo Boingo at a small club in Monterey. It was phenomenal. I think it was one of the last shows they ever did before Danny Elfman left.

Why an Americana Festival?

I really see genuine pleasure on people’s faces when they’re watching Americana. Probably the most appreciative fans I’ve ever seen.

At my age I wanted to do something that was problem-free and hadn’t been done. We looked at doing the Blues Festival because that was their weekend, but when you start calling around for acts, it’s hard getting past the “Who are you/are you those guys?” questions so I said “enough of this crap.” The vibe surrounding [the Blues Fest] was wrong, so we went with Americana. Our biggest problem was waiting for the fairgrounds to release the dates originally for the Blues Festival. But the Blues Festival was in bankruptcy. When the dates were finally available to be released, the board had to vote on it. By the time all that was done, it was six weeks out.

It was the most critically acclaimed show of my life, but the amount of people that missed it is legendary. It’s hard to see headliners going out in front of like 300 people. I wish there had been at least 1,000 people there. I think Jason Isbell is one of those performers who went out there and was kind of bummed. I think he could’ve been even greater, but when [Isbell] launched into [Neil Young’s] “[Like a] Hurricane,” which is one of my favorite Neil Young songs ever, I was floored.

How do you remain positive when you see such a poor turnout?

I would say I do a lot of drugs and drink, but everybody knows I don’t do either. I feel worse for [the artists]. I know I’m losing money, but my main concern is making sure the performers are happy. And a lot of these guys that have been touring for years have seen it all and realize it was a first-year festival. There was some stuff I could’ve done that would’ve brought more people, but it’s a learning experience.

Until you actually do it you just don’t know. Americana, which I realize I have to educate people on between now and the next one, is such a broad genre with almost no understanding, especially around here, of what it is. Unless you listen to KPIG. As I found out, not a whole lot of people listen to KPIG anymore.

What’s next for Americana Festival?

Booking is going to start in about a month. This time I’m booking myself. Last year, I had someone else book it and tried to delegate and my delegation ended up being more work than if I did it myself. I’m going more for name recognition instead of critical acclaim.

MONTEREY AMERICANA FESTIVAL happens June 2014 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.