Monster Mash!

JB's Zydeco Zoo Tonight

Here's a little clip of JB's Zydeco Zoo. They throw down tonight at the Bradfordville Blues Club at 9:30.

Musical Howling This Weekend In Tally

Tallahassee band Harvest Gypsies  -- so very pop-jazzy, danceable and soulful, with really wonderful orginals -- plays a benefit at The Warehouse tonight for The Alzheimer's Project, Inc., Halloween costumes encouraged -- Doors open 7:30 -8:00. Johnny and the Angels will play from 8:30 to 9:00 and then Harvest Gypsies play from 9:00 - 12:30. $5 cover. There will be games and a BBQ food truck.

Also tonight, Jazz trumpeter Scotty Barnhart plays with a smokin' quintet at 9:30 p.m. at Hi Jazz Cafe. It's a $10 cover, and a $10 minimum per table.

Saturday, JB's Zydeco Zoo hosts a dance party at Bradfordville Blues Club at 9:30 (sorry, not sure of the cover) and funkateers Crooked Shooz play The American Legion Hall --  $8 per person, $15 per couple.

Have fun out there!

Do You Voodoo?

It wouldn't be Halloween in New Orleans without Voodoo Music Experience at City Park in the Big Easy this weekend. This is the 13th year for this festival. There's no camping, so you've got to find a hotel or a NOLA friend.

Better put some effort into your costume, this is New Orleans. Don't slack. You can see some of the art installations here and if you can't make it over to NOLA, there's a radio webcast by Free Yr radio.

Tickets are $150 for 3 days.

Check out this crazy fantastic lineup:

* Soundgarden


* Blink 182

* Steve Angello

* Snoop Dogg

* My Chemical Romance

* Girl Talk

* The Raconteurs

* Band of Horses

* Fatboy Slim

* TV on the Radio

* Cheap Trick

* Dr. John

* Ray Davies

* Odd Future

* Portugal. The Man

* Fishbone

* Major Lazer

* X

* Social Distortion

* Mastodon

* Ozomatli

* Ani DiFranco with Ivan Neville and Herlin Riley

* Mates of State

* Dirty South

* Fitz and The Tantrums

* Blind Pilot

* The Wombats

* Civil Twilight

* Peelander Z

* Cassy

* King Britt

* Ever Expanding Elastic waistband w/Members of Morphine with Jeremy Lyons

* Mike Relm

* The Bangerz

* Claude VonStroke

* A-Trak

* The Static Jacks

* Quickie Mart and Tony Skratchere

* Red Baraat

* The Vettes

* Mary Jane Coles

* Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes

* Honey Island Swamp Band

* Force Feed Radio

* Fleur De Bris with Tork and Porter (David Torkanowsky & George Porter)

* Mississippi Rail Company and friends

* Ernie Vincent

* Three

* BeauSoleil w/ Dr. Michael White

* Kora Konnection feat. Morikeba Kouyate & Thierno Dioubate

* The High Ground Drifters Bluegrass Band

* Natalie Mae & Her Unturned Tricks

* Quintron & Miss Pussycat

* Cheeky Blakk

* Dangermuffin

* Achachay

* Noisician Coalition

* City And Colour

* Z-Trip

* Daedelus

* Boots Electric

* MyNameIsJohnMichael

* Kreayshawn

* Gordan Gano (Violent Femmes) and the Lost Bayou Ramblers

* Lee Burridge

* Star Eyes

* Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk w special guests

* Bobby Rush

* Soul Rebels Brass Band w Cyril Neville

* Danny Howells

* Iris May Tango

* Illluminasti Trio plus 1 featuring Mike Dillon

* James Singleton

* Skerik and Brian Coogan

* Fort Knox Five

* Craig Richards

* Tommy Malone and the Hard Heads

* Chris Thomas King

* Treme Brass Band

* Tao Seeger Brass Band

* Palmetto Bug Stompers

* Morning 40 Federation

* Deniz Kurtal

* Rotary Downs

* The Happy Talk Band

* The Revivalists

* Carmine P. Filthy

* Kyle Turley

* Hurray for the Riff Raff

* R. Scully's Rough 7

* Katey Red

* Vockah Redu

* The Limousines

* Wolf+Lamb

* Givers

* "Ma Maison" with the Trey McIntyre Project and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

* Jackmaster

* Glen David Andrews

* Mannie Fresh

* DJ Swamp

* Soul Clap

* Bonerama featuring Dave Malone of the Radiators

* The Travelin' McCoury's w Keller Williams

* The Sheepdogs

* Stone Foxes

* The One AM Radio

* Tanner Ross w Voices of Black

* American Legacies with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Del McCoury Band

* New Orleans Klezmer Allstars

* Leo Jackson and The Melody Clouds

* Christoph Andersson

* The New Orleans Bingo! Show

* SWISS CHRISS

* Fleur De Tease

* King James and The Special Men

* Miracle at St. Anna

Amazing Carved Slopryland Pumpkins!

Every year at Magnolia Fest, we are treated to the wondrous hospitality of the after-hours stage at Slopryland, courtesy of the Wisconsin string band, Sloppy Joe. They build a tiki hut ot of palm fronds, fill the trees with hanging pumpkin lanterns, and keep an enormous bonfire going all weekend long for all manner of pickers to enjoy.

One of the best things is always the amazingly carved pumpkins, mostly courtesy of Stef Lee, Sloppy Joe singer, composer, banjo player, upright bass player, fiddler, and overall awesome chick! I got to watch her put the finishing touches on this gourd upright bass:

This one had exposed brains:

This one had a skeleton coming out of the side of its head:

Here are some more:

THANKS, SLOPRYLAND!!!

Seven Walkers Tonight At Magnolia Fest

Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann's band, Seven Walkers, headlines the first night of Magnolia Fest tonight at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Papa Mali, Matt Hubbard,  and funkateer George Porter, Jr. (The Funky Meters) round out the band .

It's going to be a beautiful weekend for bonfires and dancing, and festgrrl's outta here.


Here's a little Seven Walkers for you:

Ska La La

Ska  stalwarts The Toasters play The Engine Room in Tallahassee Wednesday night.  The Toasters are from New York City, and they have been around for 29 years (though not with all their original members.)  Cover is $10 and doors open at 8pm. (Ladies, please be forewarned that there is a no high heels policy at The Engine Room. No, I don't know why. Just don't wear them.)

I enjoyed some frenetic dancetastic Toaster shows in the '80s. Here's a link to a truly fantastic live show video of  The Toasters playing the Cat Club  then (1986) and in Philadelphia this year:

Magnolia Fest This Week!

What a truly wonderful festival Magolia Fest is. First off, it is awesome just camping at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park this time of year, even if there weren't a fantastic, family-friendly music festival there. But we get both! Plus campground picking, artistry, the incredibly carved pumpkins of Slopryland, family and friends and all the rest of it. Ahhhhhh.

Tickets for 3 days are $165 online through tomorrow, and $180 at the gate.Single day and Friday-Saturday-only two day tickets are also available.  (FYI, we got our tickets at Suwanee Springfest last year for just $110 -- that includes five days of primitive camping and music; a similar deal will be available for this weekend's Magnolia Fest attendees to buy Springfest 2012 tickets.)

The lineup this year is a melding of Americana and jam bands and, as always, you get a lot for your money. The daily schedule is here.

Lineup includes Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, moe.(headlines Friday and Saturday late night), Steel Pulse, Lucinda Williams, Anders Osborne, Railroad Earth, Lucinda Williams, Keller Williams and the Travelin McCourys, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, the Mosier Brothers, Col Bruce Hampton and the Quark Alliance, Cornmeal, Dread Clampitt, Torrnado Rider, Frontier Ruckus,Toubab Krewe, The Infamous Stringdusters, Honey Island Swamp Band, The Lee Boys, and more. As always, expect lots of collaborative sit ins, especially Sunday night when Donna the Buffalo closes out the fest.

This is gonna be good!

The Big Jammalamma

The Big Jammalamma Hops Art Cram and Hops Slam happens this weekend at a farm outside Lakeland with Cope, 3rd Stone, FunkUs and more playing. Organizers promise a big field of interactive art to go along with the music, and, of course, beer. Tickets are $50 for the weekend, with day pass options available also. Kids are free. Camping is primitive. Food vendors won't be up and runnning until Saturday noon, so if you go Friday night, bring yer vittles.

An update: BOGO ---- The giant DeLuna Fest, in Pensacola Beach this weekend has announced that folks who have 3-day tickets can now bring a friend for free. Also, more hotel rooms have opened up for last-minute decicion-making. Go to the site for details.

Coolest Dance Ever!

Thanks for this, Craig!

Do You Deluna? Pensacola Fest This Weekend

The heavy-hitter-headliner Deluna Fest happens on Pensacola Beach this weekend, with a wide variety of acts from West Coast indie to New Orleans and a lot of stuff in between.

Linkin Park, one of the headliners, has pulled out due to a band member's surgery. But there are 80 bands on the bill on five stages.

This is the fest's second year. This is not a camping festival, and there will be shuttles from downtown Pensacola and other locations to get people in and out of the venue on the beach. It's a $10 round trip.

It runs from noon to midnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $190 advanced. Day passes are $75 plus tax, (here's the daily lineup) and there are steep discounts for active military members. Kids under age 10 are free.

For some reason, you can't bring your own chair -- not sure what's up with that. Anyway, here's the lineup:


* Jane's Addiction

* Weezer

* The Shins

* Cake

* Girl Talk

* Big Boi

* Stars

* The Airborne Toxic Event

* Cut Copy

* Diplo

* Matt & Kim

* Cold War Kids

* The New Pornographers

* MuteMath

* Manchester Orchestra

* Ghostland Observatory

* Ladytron

* Dirty Dozen Brass Band

* Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

* Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers

* The Sounds

* Wanda Jackson

* Ra Ra Riot

* Awolnation

* Givers

* Dirty Heads

* The Limousines

* Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

* Grouplove

* JJ Grey & Mofro

* wallpaper.

* The Little Death

* Bettye LaVette

* Toubab Krewe

* The Hood Internet

* Cowboy Mouth

* The Constellations

* Telekinesis

* Bad Books

* Papa Grows Funk

* Kevin Devine

* The Infamous Stringdusters

* The Parlotones

* The War On Drugs

* Honey Island Swamp Band

* Nico Vega

* Rehab

* Motopony

* Anders Osbourne

* The Stone Foxes

* Still Corners

* Royal Bangs

* Sleeper Agent

* Griffin House

* Dinosaur Feathers

* PS I Love You

* Bear Hands

* Asobi Seksu

* Free the Robots

* Robbers On High Street

* Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs

* Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band

* Hands

* K. Flay

* Jonathon Tyler and the Northern Lights

* Colour Revolt

* Saints of Valory

* The Listening

* NICOS GUN

* Antoine Knight

* The Revivalists

* Blackbells

* Dragoon

* Gary Fields

* The Icarus Effect

* Eerie Rockwell

* DLP

* Mr. Fahrenheit

* Kitt Lough

* June In January

* PALOMA

Ticket Bargains!

If you are going to Bear Creek Music and Art Festival November 10-13, and trust me -- you should not miss this most excellent North Florida  funk extravaganza -- you might want to get your ticket this week, because you can save a little.

This Saturday (October 15), the prices increase.  This week, you can pick  up a 3-day ticket for $165, a 4-day ticket for $235 and a 5-day ticket for $255. All tickets include primitive camping at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. You'll be able to get Friday- and Saturday-only tickets at the gate for $130.

Bear Creek is a mighty musical explosion: There are seven bands scheduled on Wednesday night, four stages and 16 bands Thursday night, six stages running Friday and Saturday, and four stages running Sunday. Plus all the crazy surprises, like pop-up performances throughout the park. Here is the lineup.

Another bargain will be available at Magnolia Fest October 20-23. If you go to Magfest, you'll be able to pick up tickets the Suwanee Springfest bluegrass-newgrass March 24-27 throwdown for just $110. Here's the Springfest lineup.

Music Everywhere: Alabama, Suwannee, Crawfordville

The Acoustic Cafe, which holds music festivals outside Birmingham in Haleyville, Alabama, has a little fest this weekend called Folk in the Fall with Dread Clampitt and others. This is always a great time, a single stage, phenomenal string players, and kind folks. Very family friendly, camping included in the $40 price at the gate.

Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. hosts  Disc Jams, a music and frisbee disc golf series with music Friday and Saturday nights. This is the first time for this event. The Whethermen, Saltwater Grass, SOSOS and 3rd Stone play. It costs $30 for the tournament, $20 if you don't want to play golf but want to camp for the weekend and join the party. Players can win free tickets to Magnolia Fest and Bear Creek Music and Art Festival.

Woodstork, a benefit for the Florida Wild Mammal Association, happens on Saturday in Crafordville, south of Tallahassee. This is not a camping festival, suggested donation is $5, and proceeds go to rescue wild critters. There's a silent auction, and Ralph Pelletier, Swingin Harpoon, Mimi & The HearnDogs, the Sarah Mac Band and the Rick Ott Band play.

And if that isn't enough for you, see my previous posts for two other festies this weekend: Farm to Family outside Gainesville and  Harvest Moon in Callaway Gardens, just south of Atlanta, with gourmet food, the B 52s, John Hiatt, the Gin Blossoms, Shawn Colvin, and more.

Chill Fest Outside Gainesville This Weekend

I made this musical note into a hat. It was quite tall.

Farm To Family Full Moon Festival -- such a sweet little bargain fest outside Gainesville, great for families, right near the gorgeous Ginnie Springs. It's $20 for the weekend advanced, $25 at the gate.

You might not have heard of many of the bands that are playing, but I have been to this long-running event many times and I have not been disappointed.The kick-ass  Thomas Wynn and The Believers plays Saturday night, along with the Jesse Smith Project with Hannah Barber.

You can hear audio of the other bands on the lineup section of  the fest website.

This little fest is chill and small, with nice, shady  camping, a few vendors and a single stage. The Grilled Cheese Wagon will feed you. Just a great, relaxing time among cool folk.  No one cares if you bring your own stuff to drink. Bring some chairs and maybe a blanket to relax by the stage. Bliss!

Here is Jesse Smith Project with Hannah Barber:

B 52s, John Hiatt, Gin Blossoms and More at Callaway Gardens This Weekend.

On the way to see Furthur in Atlanta last spring, we stopped for a visit in Pine Mountain, Georgia, home to Callaway Gardens. It's a little south of Atlanta, and it has a super cool butterfly house and acres and acres of beautiful gardens. I liked the tulips:

This weekend (Oct. 6-8) It is home to The Harvest Moon Festival

Here's a look at the lineup:

Thursday, Oct. 6:
Nic Cowan
Zaib Khan Band
Joe Purdy

Friday, Oct. 7
The B-52's
Parachute
Shawn Colvin
Allgood
Dread Clampitt
Martha's Trouble

Sat., Oct. 8 
Gin Blossoms
Big Head Todd & The Monsters
John Hiatt
David Ryan Harris
Mat Kearney
Shawn Mullins
Infantree
Company Of Thieves
Ed Roland

And there's food! Here's what the promoters have to say:
 
"Appearances and demos by world-class chefs – including Claire Robinson of the Food Network – pop-up kitchens from regional farm-to-table restaurants, fresh and delicious offerings from street food vendors, and our own Callaway Gardens Farmers Market ensure that your taste buds will be tickled as well. The Harvest Moon Festival will also offer college football on big screens, gardening demos, a Vendor Village featuring eco-friendly products, yoga sessions and great activities for the family like a puppet factory from Atlanta’s world-renowned Center for Puppetry Arts."


There is no camping, but there are a lot of options for places to stay  in and around Pine Mountain, including a state park.

The festival has one of the most complex sets of ticket prices and options that I have seen in a while, so be sure to check out the website. The basics: You can get an advanced ticket for the weekend for $79, and kids ages 6 to 16 are $39.50. Day passes for Friday are $39 adult, $19.50 for kids ages 6 - 16: Day passes for Saturday are $49 for adults and $24. 50 for kids ages 6 - 16.

Did I mention Callaway Gardens is beautiful?