Jambando This Weekend, Seaside Next

I am heading out to Jambando in the Park II this weekend for some swimming, laughing, dancing and camping along the Suwannee River.

I wanted to give folks a heads up about an event next weekend. Little-known (but incredibly talented) New York singer-songwriter Pat Hull joins his friend, former Panhandle resident, Corey Copeland and cool indie duo, The Smoking Flowers, for Corey Copeland's album release. The event happens at the intimate Seaside Repertory Theater in Seaside, Fla. The show is Sunday, September 4, at 7:30 pm. and tickets are $20. Hull's latest release, Light,is a soaring, ethereal work that I just can't stop listening to.

Here's Hull and Copeland playing at last year's 30A Songwriters Festival:



And here's Hull the year before with a song that blew my mind!

Some Cope to Help you Cope with Monday

Here's a little Cope, the great funky jam band band out of Tampa, to start your week out right. Cope plays Saturday night at Jambando in the Park II at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Some people have been asking me about this little gem of a fest, and I say it is a not-to-be-missed weekend of bands and swimming and jamming for just $30 advanced! There will be bands playing at the Suwannee river beach on both Saturday and Sunday during the hottest parts of the day.

Electric sites are only $25 for this event, so you can plug in your box fans and microwave ovens!

Jambando coming Soon to Suwannee!

The wonderfully intimate gathering known as Jambando in The Park hits the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. August 26-28. I loved this fest last year. It's a collection of Orlando-area jam bands, and believe me, these folks come to PLAY.

The price is right, just $30 advance and $40 at the gate for 25 bands which start Friday at 7 pm and go through Sunday.

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is offering a special cabin & golf cart deal for the weekend -- 4 people can enjoy a cabin and a golf cart Friday and Saturday night for only $400. The cabins have a queen sized bed, a pullout couch, a kitchen, bathroom, shower and air conditioning.

Here is the lineup:

The Legendary JC's, Cope,
Thomas Wynn & The Believers,
The Burnin' Smyrnans, Shak Nasti, funkUs,
Catfish Alliance, Scholar's Word, 3rd Stone,
Savi Fernandez Band, Beebs & Her Money Makers,
The Absinthe Trio, The Funky Seeds, Black Cat Bones,
Marley's Collie, Green Sunshine, The Goldminers, J2K
Jeff White & Friends, Robot Ears, The Funky Presidents,
Acoustic Swamp Project, Legacy & The Heard
ALL CAPiTAL KYLE

Pow Wow Festival This Weekend

I promised to give everybody a another reminder about this weekend's 311 Pow Wow Festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, so here it is! Lots of ska, reggae and punk acts. Hit the link above for all the details.

I will say I camped last weekend for the furthur show, and it was super steamy. Bring a hose and fans if you've got 'em. Remember there's a pool and the river at Spirit of the Suwannee. Stay cool out there festivarians!

Pow Wow Festival Hits Suwannee

The band 311 is putting on the Pow Wow Festival at Spririt of the Suwannee Music Park August 4-6.

Other acts include Sublime with Rome, G. Love and Special Sauce, and a variety of ska, punk and reggae bands to rock the music park. 311 plays four nights.

Tickets are $145 advanced, $160 at the gate. There are extra fees. Kids under 6 are free.

It's a hot time to fest, for sure, but remember the Spirit of the Suwannee has both a river beach and a swimming pool, plus plenty of shaded campsites.

311 says they will play, for the first time, their album Transistor in its entirety.

Here's one of 311's music videos to check out:

Trey Anastasio Band Announced for Bear Creek!

Announced Today: Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio heads our way this fall with his Trey Anastasio Band to headline the fifth Bear Creek Music and Art Festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla. November 11- 13.  Lucky us! The funky Bear Creek Festival already has an unbelievable lineup and  now it's even better. See an excellent article on the TAB addition to Bear Creek at Glide magazine.

Also announced: George Porter Jr's & the Runnin Pardners, Russell Batiste Band, Corporal Boil, Honey Island Swamp Band, and artists at large  Will Bernard, Johnny Vidocovich, Freekbass, Roosevelt Collier, Jaime McLean, Topaz, Scott Messersmith, Nikki Glaspie and Michelle Sarah.

Tickets include primitive camping, and are  -- at the moment, get 'em now, folks -- $135 for three days, $175 for four days and $195 for five days.

New Record and a Cool Radio Interview With Warren Haynes

Warren Haynes debuted his new band -- the Warren Haynes Band -- at the Wanee Festival last month at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. A veteran player with The Allman Brothers, Government Mule, and the Dead, Haynes' new solo CD, "Man in Motion"  focuses on his soul roots.

It's official release is this Tuesday. His all-star band that performed on the recording includes several New Orleans musicians -- Meters bassist George Porter, Jr., keyboardist Ivan Neville and drummer Raymond Webber -- as well as Austin-based keyboardist Ian McLagan ("The Faces,") singer Ruthie Foster and tenor saxophonist Ron Holloway.

Today's National Public Radio show, Weekend Edition Sunday, had  this conversation and performance by Haynes. Check it out!

Wa-wa-Wanee!

This week it's all about the Wanee Festival, the Allman-Brothers-hosted all-star jam extravaganza that brings a big crowd to Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl.

This year's lineup, as in past years, is epic. You can get your online ticket discount through tomorrow. It's $221.50 (including all the fees) online for a weekend ticket, which gets you shows Wednesday through Saturday and free primitive camping. On Wednesday, it's gate prices only -- and that will set you back $265. (Note: The Early Bird tix were $165!) Still, considering the number of shows and awesome musical raging that will doubtless occur, it will be money well spent.

Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk is going to do a James Brown set Wednesday night. And that's AFTER JGB (Jerry Garcia tribute band) AND after the smokin' New Orleans' band, The Radiators. Lord have Mercy! That's just Day One.

Here is the crazy good lineup:

The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Robert Plant & Band of Joy, Steve Miller Band, Warren Haynes Band, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Ween, Stephen Marley, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Mike Gordon, Hot Tuna, 7 Walkers Feat. Bill Kreutzmann, Galactic, Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars, Keller Williams, John Popper & The Duskray Troubadours, The Radiators, Wanda Jackson, Rusted Root, Oteil Burbidge and The Lee Boys, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big Gigantic, Melvin Seals & JGB, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, New Deal, Lotus, Tea Leaf Green, DJ Logic, Toubab Krewe, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, Soul Rebel’s Brass Band, Guitar Shorty, Dangermuffin, Honey Island Swamp Band, Kevin Hammond, Death on Two Wheels, The Yeti Trio, Jacob Jeffries Band and Griffin Anthony

A Pickers Paradise

The Tennessee Firearms Perform In the Music Hall

In its 15th year, the Suwannee Springfest festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida this past weekend delivered a fresh sound and impeccable organization.

The longtime bluegrass festival was run for the first time this year by Big IV Productions, the team of Paul Levine and Lyle Williams. The duo produce a number of music events and festivals, most notably the funkified Bear Creek festival held at Spirit of the Suwannee in the fall.

There were a lot of worries among the crowd last year that the Suwannee Springfest would change when longtime bluegrass promoters Beth and Randy Judy bowed out. But the worries were for naught. Beth and Randy were present this year, with big smiles. Both hit the stage as performers themselves.

Levine and Williams added a fresh sensibility to the lineup. They had bluegrass legends Larry Keel, David Grisman, Joe Craven, and Jesse McReynolds. They preserved festival faves Donna the Buffalo, Dread Clampitt, Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Roddenberry, Sloppy Joe, Tornado Rider, and the Mosier Brothers.

They also added hot newgrass acts -- The Avett Brothers, Emmit-Nershi Band, The Honeycutters, Danny Barnes, Steep Canyon Rangers, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Cornmeal, Greensky Bluegrass, and Trampled by Turtles.

The new twists came with kick-ass danceable additions like the funky horn-heavy Motet, the high-energy Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and the absolutely astonishing avant-garde Surprise Me Mr. Davis. Surprise Me Mr. Davis is a super group with singer Nathan Moore, the members of The Slip and pianist Marco Benevento. They delivered, hands down, the best shows of the weekend, and some of the best music I have heard at a festival - period.

What is beautiful is to watch this event grow in new directions while elegantly honoring the traditions that make people return year after year to see their fest families and their favorite acts. Once again, we managed to build a beautiful, loving paradise among the live oaks along the Suwannee.

You can catch some great videos from the weekend here and here and here


Here is a great song by Surprise Me Mr. Davis. Enjoy!

The Avetts!

One of the hottest acts at this year's Suwannee Springfest, The Avett Brothers, are really something to see live. They will be amazing playing in the tree-filled ampitheatre at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Here's a little show to get y'all psyched up -- Enjoy!

Wanee Early Bird Deadline is Tomorrow

Don't forget to take advantage of early bird savings for Wanee festival April 14-16 at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park  The deadline is Tuesday (March 1) The early bird price is 188.50 - and that doesn't include fees. So you're going to want to get the early bird. That gives you primitive camping from Wednesday through Saturday nights.

This year they are including music on Wednesday from 2 pm to 2 am.

Widespread Panic headlines on Thursday. Festival founders The Allman Brothers play Friday and Saturday nights.

And check out this amazing lineup for the festival: Robert Plant & The Band of Joy, Steve Miller Band., Warren Haynes Band, the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Ween, Stephen Marley, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Mike Gordon, Hot Tuna, 7 Walkers featuring Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Galactic, Taj Mahal, North Mississippi Allstars, Keller Williams, John Popper & The Duskray Troubadours, The Radiators, Big Gigantic, Melvin Seals & JGB, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, The New Deal, Lotus, Dead Confederate, Tea Leaf Green, DJ Logic, Toubab Krewe, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Guitar Shorty, Dangermuffin, Honey Island Swamp Band, Kevin Hammond, Death On Two Wheels, Jacob Jeffries Band and Griffin Anthony.

festgrrl's word to the wise on Wanee - this fest is CROWDED. Bring your own potty situation if you got one, and a sun shower, too. The showers get nasty and the bath houses quit working generally on the first day. It's all port o lets.

Purple Hatter's Ball!

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.

In honor of her favorite fest attire -a purple fuzzy hat, friends throw The Purple Hatters Ball. This year it is May 13-15  at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak. Tickets are $45 advance and $60 at the gate. That includes three days of primitive camping.  Check out the fine lineup.

Rachel lost her life due to the senseless drug war. She wasn't hurting anybody, and nobody should have hurt her.

DANCE  ON SISTER!

How Cool Is This?

You can check out all the performers who are comg to Suwannee Springfest   at this new Springfest You Tube channel. Except for the hard-to-read yellow background and light type, it's a cool idea and a great way to get psyched for a great time March 24-27 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Here's a great one from the site:

Suwanee Springfest Early Bird Deadline Coming Up

A  little reminder, festivarians, that Jan. 31 is the deadline for the early bird pricing on Suwannee Springfest at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. .

You definitely want to take advantage of the discount this year (and give yourself something wonderful to look forward to March 24-27.)

A four-day ticket costs $125 now, and it goes up precipitously after that -- $150 Feb. 1, then $165 on March 16, then $180 at the gate.

Students with a valid student i.d. get a special discount -- $110 advance  and $150 at the gate.

If you can't make it for the whole four days, you can get Saturday and Sunday only tickets this year -- which include a night of camping -- for $145 at the gate only.

Here's a little of the magic comin' our way at Springfest this year -- In this gem, David Grisman and his band  cover James Brown!


Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival 2008 - David Grisman Quintet "Acousticity" By WPPTV from WPPTV on Vimeo.

Radiators at Wanee Festival

This is the last year to see the legendary New Orleans band The Radiators in its current form. After 33 years, they are calling it quits in mid-June 2011 (although some members want to keep going, so we'll see some great music in any case.)

The good news is we'll get to see the Rads at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl on Wednesday, April 13 -- the day before the Allman Brothers' annual Wanee Festival.

Also on the bill this year, the Steve Miller Band, who wrote one of festgrrl's fave songs of all time, The Window.

Looks like we're gonna keep on rockin' in 2011

Springfest Tickets Make Great Gifts!

Oh Yeah, this one's gonna be good. Suwannee Springfest March 24-27 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. Check out this fantastic lineup:

The Avett Brothers, David Grisman Sextet, Jesse McReynolds, Donna The Buffalo, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Travelin' McCourys with The Lee Boys, Jim Lauderdale, Mosier Brothers, Acoustic Syndicate, Danny Barnes, Scythian, Trampled By Turtles, Steep Canyon Rangers, Joe Craven, Pangea with Michael Kang, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, The Motet, Dread Clampitt, Rowan Cunningham, Tornado Rider, Ralph Roddenbery, Greensky Bluegrass, Galen Kipar Project, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Larkin Poe, Two Foot Level, Sloppy Joe, New 76ers, Saltwater Grass, Amy Hendrickson & the Prime Directive, Grandpa's Cough Medicine, The Whetherman.

 A recent study found that people are happier when they spend money on EXPERIENCES rather than THINGS. So go ahead and get happy!

Early bird tickets are $125 through Jan. 31. Give one to yourself or to someone you love.

Catch This Radio Interview With Peter Rowan

Bluegrass great Peter Rowan has just done an interview with National Public Radio's Fresh Air show, so you might want to check it out at the link I just included.

We get the pleasure of hearing Rowan's soulful voice every Magnolia Fest and Springfest at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. -- I especially loved his sit-in this year with Keller & The Keels

Fantastic Honey Island Swamp Band in Tally tonight

The Honey Island Swamp Band hits The Engine Room in Tallahassee tonight. festgrrl previewed this band last week, and saw them at Bear Creek Music and Art Festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. last week for the first time. She is hooked! Infectious, rootsy grooves for a dance party! Check out their great song "Party 'Til The Money's Gone" on their myspace music player.

Doors open at 9 pm, $10 cover. Gonna be a funky good time.

Bear Creek Brings The Funk

A big thank you to Paul Levine and Lyle Williams, creators of Bear Creek!! (Photo by the wonderful Jeffrey Dupuis.)

The gathering if the funkateers at Bear Creek Music and Art Festival was everything it was cracked up to be -- a glorious assemblage of the finest funk and jam players on the planet. "This," declared trombonist Fred Wesley (an alumni of James Brown's band and George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic) "is where the funk lives."

And it is -- horns blaring through live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, booties shakin' through the starry night, newcomer funk bands popping up in the campgrounds and drawing an impromptu raging crowd. All of it is rare and special. To have the funk greats come play at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and to get a chance to really pay them their due is a beautiful thing indeed. People like Wesley, James Brown saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, George Porter of the Funky Meters, the Rebirth Brass Band, and Ivan Neville. Seeing a show by any one of these folks is a treat. Six stages for five days is epic!

Mix in the second-generation funk players -- bands like Orgone, the New Mastersounds, Matt Grondin Band, Snarky Puppy, Soulive, and The Amazing JC's, and you've got the tasty musical stew that Levine and Williams are getting known for. Besides the funk, jam band fans had their fill with acts like moe., Umphreys Magee, Toubab Krewe, Cope, The Everyone Orchestra, the Heavy Pets, and Garage Mahal. Again, all these players brought ridiculous talent and energy to the nonstop party. Add to that an audience that manages to rage and be kind at the same time and its a euphoric mix.

Bear Creek festival gets better every year, as the word spreads among musicians that they'll get treated right and fans learn that seeing this explosion of talent in a gorgeous, friendly setting is an experience not to be missed.

Promoters Williams and Levine put so much love into creating the musical mix of this very special festival, and their taste is impeccable. Make your plans to get to Bear Creek for next year, people -- this is one you definitely don't want to miss!

Bear Creek Begins!!

The village is starting to form here at Bear Creek Music and Art Festival at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Tents and tapestries are going up, old friends are reconnecting and everybody’s getting ready to rage.

Early birds get a treat: funky New Orleans string band The Honey Island Swamp Band, which plays at 9pm. South Florida's Aquaphonics opens at 7:30, and The Heavy Pets close the night out from midnight to 2 am.

Honey Island Swamp Band is great (check out their streaming music player) and they have a cool back story on their web site:


"The band came together after Aaron Wilkinson (acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Chris Mulé (electric guitar, vocals) were marooned in San Francisco after the levee breaches following Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, and had a chance encounter with fellow New Orleans evacuees Sam Price (bass, vocals) and Garland Paul (drums, vocals). They'd all worked together in New Orleans bands for years, but with no prospects of getting home any time soon, they figured they’d better cook up something new, and quick!

A few days later they had put together a song list, landed a recurring gig at San Francisco’s Boom Boom Room, and settled in to share a little taste of Southern culture with their new West coast neighbors. Their 7-song eponymous EP was recorded in 2006 at famed studio The Plant in Sausalito, CA, and was received so well that they all decided to continue the band upon moving back to New Orleans in early 2007.

Honey Island Swamp Band's sound has been described as "Americana on the Bayou", with timeless songs from Wilkinson & Mulé, highlighted by Mulé's searing guitar, Wilkinson's sure-handed mandolin, and 4-part vocal harmonies, all anchored by the powerful groove of Price & Paul's Louisiana stomp rhythm section.

In April 2009, the band released its first full-length album, Wishing Well, produced by Tom Drummond of Better Than Ezra. Throughout the rest of 2009, the band toured relentlessly in support of Wishing Well, on the strength of such songs as "Natural Born Fool", "Till the Money's Gone", and the album's title track. In January 2010, Wishing Well was named 2009's “Best Blues Album” at OffBeat Magazine's BEST OF THE BEAT Awards, where the band was also honored as “Best Emerging Artist”.

The newest offering from HISB, Good To You, was released in April 2010, and has quickly become a staple of most DJs on the Crescent City's legendary radio station WWOZ, as well as on Sirius/XM satellite radio’s Bluesville and traditional stations from coast-to-coast. Featuring the southern strut of songs such as “Rod n Reel” and the album’s first single “Chocolate Cake”, Good To You illuminates the mix of country-inflected rock and New Orleans funky blues that makes Honey Island Swamp Band's music so familiar and unique at the same time."

Kicking it off here at Suwannee!!