Wakarusa!

Widespread Panic, Umphrey's McGee, Gogol Bordello, the Black Crowes, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe are among the acts converging this weekend at Wakarusa in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas.

This camping festival starts Thursday on Mulberry Mountain outside of Ozark, Arkansas (near Fayetteville.)  Tickets for Thursday through Sunday are $199, and you have to also buy a camping pass. You can get the details on the many ticket and camping options here  Parents take note: You have to buy a ticket for your kid, no matter what age they are.

Here is a look at  the super-packed  lineup...and I have to give a shout-out to the great Madlibs-style band name on there, "Dumptruck Butterlips."

Wdespread Panic, Dispatch, STS9, The Black Crowes, Amon Tobin, Snoop Lion, Umphrey’s McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, Gogol Bordello, Zeds Dead, Of Monsters and Men, GROUPLOVE, SOJA, Rebelution, Quixotic, Galactic, Shpongle presents The Masquerade, Tipper, MUTEMATH, Son Volt, Ozomatli, EOTO, SAVOY, RJD2, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Gramatik, Los Amigos Invisibles, Calexico, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Del The Funky Homosapien, Bombino, Criolo, J BOOG, Allen Stone, Figure, Emancipator, AraabMUZIK, GRiZ, Icona Pop, Felix Cartal, Baauer, The Polish Ambassador, Minnesota, The Green, BoomBox, Papadosio, Wallpaper., Milo Greene, The Floozies, Anuhea, Zion I, ZOOGMA, The Werks, Delta Rae, Langhorne Slim, Moon Taxi, The Motet, Shovels & Rope, The Bright Light Social Hour, Deap Vally, New Monsoon, Lyrics Born, The Coup, Band of Heathens, Red Baraat, HeRobust, GAUDI, RUN DMT, RL Grime, Wick-it the Instigator, Andreilien (Heyoka), The Whigs, Karsh Kale, Janover & reSUNator, Bluetech, Kidnap Kid, Abakus, Lance Herbstrong, Lord T & Eloise, Cherub, Govinda, D.V.S*, DJ SOLO, Xaver, Samples, The Apache Relay, Mingo Fishtrap, Earphunk, Daft Phunk: Earphunk performing Daft Punk Live, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Flow Tribe, The Brothers Comatose, ZZ Ward, Nic Cowan, Mountain Sprout, Dirtfoot, Tornado Rider, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Jon Wayne and The Pain, David Wax Museum, Spirit Family Reunion, The Last Bison, Mountain Standard Time, Old Shoe, The Magic Beans, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Buffalo Killers, Dumptruck Butterlips, The Ben Miller Band, Eitch, The 1 oz. Jig, Spoonfed Tribe

GREAT String Festival in Alabama, and the venerable Florida Folk Festival This Weekend

One of the best little out-of-the-way music festivals happens this weekend about 70 miles northwest of of Birmingham, Alabama. It's called the Acoustic Cafe Ampitheater, but it isn't exclusively acoustic. It is, however, heaven for people who love talented string instrument players. Even if you haven't heard of some of the people on the lineup, you will not be disappointed.

This is a small, family-friendly camping festival where the crowd really LISTENS. And it's a deal -- $60 at the gate, plus $10 to bring in your car or motor home. No electric or water hookups, but there are common spigots and a nice shower house. Kids 12 and under are free. No pets. There are a few vendors, but my advice is to bring what you need. The space is beautiful. Here is the lineup this year:

Todd Snider
The Tony Rice Unit

The Claire Lynch Band
Dread Clampitt
Ed Pickett
The Herb Trotman Band
Scott Ward & Big Mule
The Stuart McNair Band (doing acoustic versions of Dylan & the Dead)
Caroline Webb

Also this weekend, the state-run Florida Folk Festival happens in White Springs, along the Suwannee River in the Panhandle. You can check out  this year's performers here. 

Tickets are $60 for the weekend or $30 for the day. Kids 6 and under are free, and kids 6-16 cost only $5 for the whole weekend. Unfortunately, even though it is in a state park, you can't camp onsite (and be part of the late-night picking scene) unless you are a performer or a  registered volunteer. There are, however, some nearby  campgrounds  where you can park your tent or RV. 

Orange Blossom Jamboree, Hangout Fest This Weekend

Two more music festivals happen this coming weekend, May 16, 17, 18 and 19, one  right near the Florida-Alabama line and one in Brooksville, outside Tampa.

The first is the giant Hangout Music Festival with  a heavy-hitting lineup and a setting right on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama (near Pensacola, Fl). Oh yeah, it's heavy hitting, check it out:

Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Trey Anastasio Band, Umphrey's McGee, Railroad Earth, The Shins, BASSNECTAR, Kendrick Lamar, The Black Crowes, Slightly Stoopid, The Roots, Ellie Goulding, Steve Aoki, Passion Pit, Bloc Party, Gov't Mule, Jim James, Grizzly Bear, Porter Robinson, Public Enemy, moe., Galactic, Wolfgang Gartner, Dirty Projectors, Grouplove, Toots and the Maytals, Lissie, The Breeders, Best Coast, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Twin Sister, Ryan Bingham, The Sheepdogs, Shovels & Rope, Moon Taxi, The Revivalists, Zion I, Lance Herbstrong, Anders Osborne, twenty one pilots, Delta Rae, Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers, The Bright Light Social Hour, The Werks, The Ton Tons, Brassft Punk, The Kingston Springs, The Mowgli's, Chancel

3-day tickets are $247.75 (including fees), and one-day tickets are 97.59 (including fees.) You can find out who is playing which days by checking out the daily schedule.

Hangout is not a camping festival, and it has a lot of rules. It's on the beach, but you can't swim. Or bring a chair, an umbrella, a shade tent, or a backpack. No cameras with detachable lenses, and no audio recording equipment. Kids under age 10 are free, but you can only bring two kids for each supervising adult. There are more rules here.

The lovely Sertoma Youth Ranch outside Brooksville (near Tampa)  is home to the Orange Blossom Jamboree., festgrrl HIGHLY recommends this sweet festy, which has a kind vibe. Advanced tickets are available -- 3-day pass is $60, and 4-day pass is $75. At the gate, a 3-day pass is $75 and a 4-day is $90. Really, this is a damn bargain for what you get -- nice, shady place and a wonderful lineup of great jammy rootsy bands:

• * The Heavy Pets
• * Cope
• * Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio
• * Beebs and her Money Makers
• * The Legendary JC's
• * Greenhouse Lounge
• * Funky Seeds
• * Fusik
• * The Applebutter Express
• * Uncle John's Band
• * Wester Josep's Stereo Vudu
• * funkUs
• * Sosos
• * Honey Henny Lime
• * Ancient Sun
• * Juanjamon Band
• * Green Sunshine
• * Savi Fernandez Band
• * Shoeless Soul
• * Skull and Bone Band
• * The Funky Nuggets
• * Legacy
• * 3 Bucksworth
• * Between Bluffs
• * Free Range Roosters
• * The Commoners
• * Charlie Dandelion
• * Infinite Groove Orchestra
• * Ramblegrass
• * Zero Gravity
• * Josh We Know
• * Kristjan Taylor
• * Savii

Plus, there's this great logo:

Fest on people!

Purple Hatter's Ball, Y'all

This weekend we have the intimate and meaningful Purple Hatter's Ball at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla. It kicks off Friday May 10, and runs through Sunday evening, May 12.

Every year, folks from the Tallahassee area celebrate the short life of a sweet fest sister, Rachel Morningstar Hoffman. Her life was cut too short by a senseless murder. She wasn't hurting anyone, she was a pawn in  the senseless drug war, part of a sting which went horribly wrong May 7, 2008, and she was murdered by thugs. She was only 23 years old.

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Rachel was known for her purple fuzzy fest hat, hence the fest's name. Her parents come to dance and celebrate the music festival scene that their dear daughter was such a part of. 

The funky lineup includes Lettuce, Emancipator, The New Mastersounds, Quantic, DubConscious, Greenhouse Lounge, The Malah, Nigel Hall and Roosevelt Collier's Sunday Gospel Surprise -- Lenesha Randolph (Robert Randolph & The Family Band), Adam Smirnoff (Lettuce), Pete Shand (The New Mastersounds), Jermal Watson (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) and The Shady Horns - Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom and James Casey.

There is a Sunday afternoon mystery performance, but the band will not be revealed until May 10th when the festival kicks off!!

Advance tickets are currently available for $75 and include three days of music, primitive camping and all taxes and fees. 

We honor you, Rachel!

 

Rachel graduating

Rachel festing