Shaul Zislin loves Gulf Shores, Alabama’s white sand beaches, and he hopes they stay that way. He’s monitoring the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and the containment efforts because this weekend, he’ll present the new Hangout Beach & Music Fest in Gulf Shores, a festival that combines the fest experience with the beach way of life.

Hangout starts today, with more than 50 bands packed into three days of music. The lineup includes John Legend, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Zac Brown Band, Rodrigo y Gabriela, the Black Crowes, and Matisyahu, to name a few. The Flaming Lips were originally slated to headline, but due to Steven Drozd’s mysterious and sudden hospitalization, they have pulled out of the lineup; the Roots have been scheduled to replace them.

Starting a music festival in this economy seems counterintuitive. Many regional festivals contracted or closed last year. According to Zislin, it’s time for a different kind of festival.

“I’m a little bit of an older guy,” he says. “I wish I still had it in me to go and be in a tent for four days, but really I don’t. Here’s the opportunity to go to a festival and stay in a condo right on the beach, pretty much for the same price you’d pay for camping in another festival. You can have a clean condo, a hot shower with coffee on the balcony overlooking the sunrise. We’re trying to cater to a new festival attendee that will appreciate all of these amenities that are excluded from the Bonnaroos and the Coachellas.”

Unlike other outdoor music fests, the goal of Hangout is not to get as many people to attend as possible. They are capping attendance at 35,000 per day. That’s what the city of Gulf Shores thinks it can handle, but Zislin sees that as a positive. “There is a huge difference between watching a band with 70,000 people and 30,000 people. You’re going to see the same caliber of talent, but it will be a little more intimate.”

The biggest obstacle Zislin has faced in planning Hangout has been getting the word out. “Alabama beaches are a kind of undiscovered treasure,” he says. “People don’t necessarily associate Alabama with sand and palm trees and music on the beach. It’s a phenomenal vacation spot. There are no corporate restaurants at all; it’s all local proprietors. Once people come down here to see it, they’re going to go back home saying, ‘Wow, you’re not going to believe where I was.’ They’re going to spread the word.”

Unfortunately, those white sandy beaches and emerald waters are currently under threat due to the massive oil spill currently gushing unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico. As of now, oil is not expected to make landfall in Gulf Shores the weekend of the Fest. Updates on the oil spill and its potential effect on Hangout Fest can be found on the fest’s Web site. In light of the current situation, event organizers have announced that profits from Hangout will now go towards coastal cleanup efforts.

Unless you hear otherwise, the beach will be open and beautiful as ever. “We’re ready with welcoming arms,” Zislin says. “It’s going to be a great, unique experience.”