Screw the IDES, Let's Do The FESTS of March

The Avett Brothers Play Suwannee Springfest This Month

Camping in the spring, listening to talented folks play great music, hanging with your festy friends -- that's the good stuff, good people.

festgrrl's inbox is brimming with info on a plethora of fests happening in the Southeast in March, April, and May.

Let's take it in stages. Today, here's a preview of fests happening in March:

Trombone Shorty Will Play Gasparilla

Gasparilla Music Festival March 8-9; happens in downtown Tampa - not a camping fest. The Flaming Lips, Trombone Shorty, Jason Isbell, The Soul Rebels, Anders Osborne and more. Two-day ticket is $60 advance. Single-day tickets are $40.

Zach Deputy

Zach Deputy's Suwannee Disc Jam March 7-9; An intimate camping music fest that's a disc golf tournament in the day time. Held at  Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Weekend ticket is $40, $45 if you want to play disc golf. Features a show by Zach Deputy every night, as well as other bands, including Tampa's talented jammers, Cope.

The Duhks

Suwannee Springfest March 20-23 - Hands down, the premier Newgrass/Americana festival in the Southeast. Held at the gorgeous Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. The Avett Brothers, as well as The Punch Brothers (a band of virtuoso players fronted by MacArthur Genius Grant award-wining mandolin player Chris Thile.) Also on tap is the man considered the father of newgrass, Sam Bush., who always puts on a great show, Donna the Buffalo, The Duhks,  The Del McCoury Band, Greensky Bluegrass, and more.This is a family-friendly camping festival. Advanced weekend ticket is $170, which includes primitive camping. RV spots are extra.

The Corbitt Brothers

Swamptown Getdown March 28-29 - This is a roots-music camping fest at the Okeefenokee Fairgrounds  in Waycross, Georgia Here is the lineup, as they listed it -- I know they mushed the band names together, I can't figure how to pull 'em apart! SixLSixLazy LightningLaurie RiderPine Box DwellersS.P.O.R.E.The WoodgrainsChillakaya 1Dixie WreckThe Silver PalmsDroppersSoul Gravydangfly!Georgia Soul CouncilThe Corbitt BrothersLowdiveand more! It's $40 for a weekend ticket that includes primitive camping. RV spots are extra.

Zach Deputy Disc Jam Coming Right Up

Zach Deputy

Zach Deputy, the one-man-band-funky-looper-dance-party-maker, holds his second annual Zach Deputy's Suwannee  Disc Jam  at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park  March 7-9. Zach is an infectious performer with funk in his soul - trust me, you will have a great time grooving with this crowd. He calls his music "island infused drum n bass, gospel ninja soul" ---you can head to his site and cue up the player to have a listen. Lately he's been releasing some pretty ballads, and he toured with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe singing Ray Charles covers.

Tickets include primitive camping and they are only $40 for the weekend, $45 if you want to play disc golf.

festgrrl is not a disc golf player, but she went to this camping event last year and had an absolute blast. The disc golf games happen during the day, and music happens at night. Last year's event was an intimate gathering of cool folk at beautiful Spirit of the Suwannee.

Here's the music schedule:

Friday, March 7

11:00-1:00
Zach Deputy
9:00-10:15
Displace
7:00-8:15
Holey Miss Moley

Saturday, March 8

11:00-1:00
Zach Deputy
9:00-10:15
Big Something
7:00-8:15
Cope
5:00-6:15
Sumilan
3:00-4:15
Les Racquet

Sunday, March 9

TBD
Zach Deputy

Bootsy Explains It All Y'all

festgrrl has had occasion recently to see funk pioneer Bootsy Collins (of Parliament Funkadelic, James Brown, and Bootsy's Rubber Band Band fame)  throw down his Vegas-style funk show, at Bear Creek Music and Art Festival last fall, and on Jam Cruise at the beginning of the year.

So I was happy to find this unearthed brief interview where the slap-bass master discusses funk craft and how to hit it on The One. It's about 20 minutes and totally worth it. Enjoy!

This Week at Aura: The Resolvers

The Resolvers Killin' It At Bear Creek 

Let the spring festing begin! Aura Music & Arts Festival  kicks off with a pre-party Thursday night at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla. Tickets are still available, and they include primitive camping.

It's going to be one booty-shaking party under the full moon, with  Lotus, Conspirator, and Papadosio headlining.

Today let's highlight one of the great groups playing at Aura, The Resolvers, a 10-piece reggae band out of Miami fronted by a brother and sister on vocals.You can see from the pictures I took at Bear Creek that their show is an absolute blast.

This high-energy band blew us all away at last fall's Bear Creek Music & Art Festival when they did an afternoon set at the campground stage.

At Aura, The Resolvers take the ampitheater stage at 3:15 Saturday. Here's a clip to chill to while you're packing for Aura:

This Week At Aura: Check Out Dopapod

One of the bands not to be missed at The Aura Music Festival this week at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla.  is Dopapod. This nationally touring live quartet is high-energy, mostly instrumental and they come equipped with a killer light show. Their music is futuristic, danceable, and hard to describe, so I'll let them do it in their own words:

"Dopapod is not so much a jam band as they are a band that improvises. They are an electronic band without computers. They are a metal band with groove and soul. They are a funk band that’s not afraid to get intricate. With no regard towards toward stylistic boundaries, the sound that emerges from the quartet both live and in the studio is as varied and diverse as the many influences that they adapt from."

Dopapod plays twice at Aura: Saturday at 6:15 in the ampitheater and Sunday at  6 p.m. on the porch stage.

Check 'em out here:

Suwannee Springfest Tickets Increase Next Week

Tickets for the magical Suwannee Springfest increase in price from $155 to $170 on Feb. 13, so get 'em now.

For lovers of stringed instruments and players who can really play,  this an experience not to be missed. This is the festival's 18th year, and the lineup is fantastic. It's four days of camping (March 20-23) at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak. The campground all-night jams are legendary.

Some of the best newgrass acts in the nation will grace the moss-draped stages: incredible North Carolina singer-songwriters and kick-ass performers The Avett Brothers, as well as The Punch Brothers (a band of virtuoso players fronted by MacArthur Genius Grant award-wining mandolin player Chris Thile.) Also on tap is the man considered the father of newgrass, Sam Bush., who always puts on a great show, Donna the Buffalo, The Duhks,  The Del McCoury Band, Greensky Bluegrass, and more.

Check out this illuminating TV story about The Punch Brothers' genius front man, Chris Thile:

Superhuman Happiness!

Superhuman Happiness

In  just a few weeks, the New York-based seven-piece band Superhuman Happiness will be spinning us all into a dance frenzy, when the Aura Music Festival kicks off the spring festing season at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Feb. 14-16.

This band includes members of the fantastic Antibalas afro-beat group, and they lay down some infectious horn lines and dance grooves. They play Saturday, Feb. 15  at 2 p.m. on the porch stage

Check out this quirky video for their song "See Me on My Way."