R.I.P. Bear

Grateful Dead family member Owsley “Bear” Stanley died in a car crash near his home in Australia over the weekend. He was in his 70s, reports say. Here is a nice writeup from our friends at Jambands.com.

Will McLean Festival This Weekend

The gorgeous Sertoma Youth Ranch near Brooksville will host the  22nd annual  Will McLean Festival this weekend (March 11-13) Will McLean was a legendary Florida folk musician, and his legacy is celebrated by singer-songwriters every year.

The fest location can't be beat -- it is intimate, has nice campsites, nice bathrooms and showers, and super-friendly folk.

Weekend tickets are $30 online and $35 at the gate. Friday-only tickets are $15, Saturday-only costs $18 and Sunday-only is $15. Camping with hookups is $20 and primitive camping is  $10.

My friend Grant Peeples (check out his hot new CD, Okra and Eclesiastes) will be playing there, which gives me an excuse to post a You Tube of one of my favorite Grant songs. Trust me , you will laugh and you will love it!!

Langerado is Back

South Florida's Langerado Festival, which featured fabled performances deep in the Everglades during its hey day, then moved to Miami, then stopped for a year, is back.

It takes place October 8 and 9 in Markham Park, which spans more than 600 acres by the Everglades in Sunrise. The promoters are offering what they say is a limited amount of  2-day early bird tickets for $75 on sale at 11 a.m. TOMORROW (March 9.) Catch is, no lineup anouncement until June 1. Tickets will be $150 then.

Hmmmmmm.... what to do, what to do?

The Swamptown Getdown This Weekend

The new Swamptown Getdown Festival happens this Friday and Saturday (March 11-12) in Waycross, Georgia at the Okeefenokee Fair Grounds up there at the border of the great Okeefenokee Swamp.

The price is right, just $20 for the weekend advance, $30 at the gate. Here's a great blog post from Flagpole with links to the bands that will be performing. Having never been to the Okeefenokee Fairgrounds, festgrrl can't offer much intel on the fest site or fest crowd.

Here's a nice story about the festival from Connect Statesboro
Swamptown Getdown music festival
Waycross hosts hot bands from the Southeast


March 02, 2011

WAYCROSS, GA — The first annual Swamptown Getdown Music Festival will take place on the vast Okefenokee Fair Grounds, just minutes from the fabled Okefenokee Swamp on March 11 and 12.

This 2-day event is the perfect way to kick off Spring Break and will be a celebration of regional artists as well as the decades-strong artistic talent from Waycross.

"We really wanted to support bands from the Southeast, which is why we have so many area favorites playing at this festival," said Chris Johnson, of Safe @ Home Productions.

The Swamptown Getdown music festival will be playing host to an eclectic mix of more than 20 acts from all over the Southeast. From Country to Jam, Funk, Blues, Americana, Jazz and points in between. The Getdown's diverse line-up includes Levi Lowrey (Lawrenceville, GA, of Zac Brown Band), The Woodgrains (Athens, GA), Laney Strickland (Waycross, GA), The Fritz (Jacksonville, FL) and Betsy Franck (Athens, GA) to name a few.

The weekend will offer the full festival experience with RV parking as well as primitive and powered camping available on site.

Many vendors will occupy the grounds including food and drink, jewelry, music, clothing and original artwork. Two-day weekend passes available NOW for ONLY $20.00 at www.swamptowngetdown.com. Tickets are half-off with a student ID.

Swamptown Getdown is beign produced by Safe @ Home Productions. Safe @ Home has been presenting events for 15 years running.

It's productions include the nationally acclaimed Gram Parsons Guitar Pull which draws artists and attendees from all over the world. The Parsons tribute festival focuses on his musical impact and the artists who've been influenced by his "Cosmic American" take on music.

As well as providing a good time, the Getdown strives to give back to the community by donating a portion of the proceeds to the Ware County High School music program. It is hoped that the proceeds from this event will also facilitate the growth of the already established music scene in the Southeast. So come on out and enjoy the show.

Bear Creek Tickets on Sale Today!

Yes, it may seem like a long way off, but tickets for the full-on funky Bear Creek Music and Art Festival, held Nov. 11-13 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak., Fl, go on sale today. Early bird tickets will be sold through March 17, then the price starts going up.Buy now and you can save $70 off the price of a 3-day ticket, $85 off the price of the 4-day ticket, and $95 off the price of a 5-day ticket.

And the fest is offering a new EZ Pay Payment Plan that allows folks to spread their ticket payment out over a period of 5 months or 5 equal payments.  Here's how they explain it: On the day you purchase your ticket, your credit card will be charged 1/5th of your ticket fee. Every 30 days for the next five months, your card will be charged the same amount. For example, the $115 early-bird three day ticket will be billed at $23.00 a month for 5 months.


Early Bird tickets (which include primitive camping, taxes and fees included) are available in three levels: Wednesday – Sunday ($160), Thursday – Sunday ($150) and Friday – Sunday ($115) If you buy a 3-day ticket and end up deciding you want the extra days, you can call the Spirit of the Suwannee Park and upgrade. Wednesday and Thursday acts have not yet been announced, but last year the pre-shows were outstanding and intimate.

Plus, let's face it, the park is magical and a great place to have a five-day vacation! Time to pre-plan, people!

Here's the lineup:

Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood

The Funky Meters

Medeski Martin & Wood

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

John Scofield & Piety Street

Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk

Lettuce

George Porter Jr.

Jon Cleary: Piano, Bass & Drums

Pimps of Joytime

Soulive

The New Mastersounds

Anders Osborne Trio

The Coup featuring Boots Riley

Zach Deputy

Beats Antique

Break Science

Breakestra

Dr. Lonnie Smith

Marco Benevento Trio

Eric Krasno & Chapter 2

The London Souls

Spam All-Stars

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band

Orgone

Papadosio

Jennifer Hartswick Band

Snarky Puppy

Nigel Hall

The Lee Boys

Shane Pruitt Band

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

Rubblebucket

Juno What?

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds

Van Ghost

Gramatik

Zoogma

Sub Swara

3rd Stone

Turkuaz

Catfish Alliance

Greenhouse Lounge

Dopapod

Flight Risk

Zongo Junction

Strange Arrangement

Trial By Stone

Jazz Chronic

Green Sunshine

DJ Craig Heneveld

Monozygotik

Scott Campbell Band

Earphunk

Cypress

Klob

Saint Francis

Gaslight Street

Betsy Franck & the Bare Knuckle Band

A Good Fest For a Good Cause This Weekend!

The Greater Good Music Art and Children Festival happens in Milton, Florida near the Blackwater River at the Adventures Unlimited camping resort this weekend -- March 4-6.

Headliners include pychedelic blues/rock legend Colonel Bruce Hampton (Friday), funk/hip hop band Entropy (Saturday) and bluegrass pickers The Mosier Brothers (Sunday at 4 pm). Tickets are $65 for three days, $50 for two days, $25 for a day pass Saturday or Sunday and $15 for a day pass for Friday night. Kids under 13 are free. Proceeds benefit children's organizations. Pensacola's public radio station, WUWF, is a sponsor.

Camping is extra -- it is first-come first serve, $5 per person per night. All sites have access to water, if you want electric, you have to pay $10 a night. RV sittes are $22 a night. There are a couple of cabins left -- one sleeps 2, and it is $87.70 a night, and one sleeps 8, and it is $243 a night.

Here's a cute song -- " I Wonder if Trees Talk To Each Other?" by the Moon Shine Babies, who are scheduled to appear Sunday at 3:.

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.