Check Out These Good Shows In Tallahassee This Weekend

This just in... the full lineup for the New Year's Eve Bond-Fire festival outside Orlando, featuring. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, has been announced. The weather's fine in Tallahassee these days and the tunes are cookin.'

Don't forget, next weekend is the free PoJo Fest, so make your plans now to head down to Port St. Joe for some very fine national touring acts who are, improbably, coming to play this very sleepy place. It has something to do with BP oil spill reparations but I don't even want to dwell on that. It's Friday, after all....

In Tallahassee this weekend, a couple of promising shows:

The very talented indie Sarah Mac Band plays The Warehouse tonight at 8 p.m.

Provocative rock-punkers Catfish Alliance play the Krewe de Gras at 10 p.m. tonight.

Americana-folk  pickers Lon and Lis Williamson play the Mockingbird Cafe from 7-10 pm. tonight.

 JB's Zydeco Zoo , that wild band of Cajun celebrants, will be tearing it up at the Bradfordville Blues Club at 9:30 p.m. tonight. You'll get your weekend workout at this show - you can't sit still when these guys are rocking it!

Oh yeah -- and on Monday, alt-country up-and-comer Grant Peeples , of Wakulla County, comes back from national touring to play the Mockingbird Cafe from 7 to 10 pm.

I gotta include this song by Grant today because he is a stellar Floridian and it is freaking brilliant -- too bad the people who picked the state song couldn't get jiggy with it. Enjoy!

Loving Honey Island Swamp Band

Here's a nice clip of the hot New Orleans band Honey Island Swamp Band, who will be playing the free PoJo Festival in Port St. Joe, Fl. Sept. 16-17. Honey Island Swamp Band headlines Friday night!

Get Your Mag on Before The Price Goes Up

The price increases tomorrow for one of the loveliest festivals in these parts -- Magnolia Fest, Oct. 20-23 at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Llive Oak, Fl. . Magfest is moving a little away from its pure-bluegrass/newgrass roots, with jamband moe. as a headliner this year, performing two shows. The price is $150 today and $165 tomorrow.

This is a family-friendly fest in such a gorgeous time of year. I always make the most of it by showing up Wednesday and staying through Monday morning. Sunday day and night is especially sweet, with just one stage and Donnna The Buffalo and special guests closing out what becomes and intimate party.

Performers include Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Lucinda Williams, Railroad Earth, Keller Williams and The Traveling McCourys, 7 Walkers, Tornado Rider,  Infamous Stringdusters, Toubab Krewe, Honey Island Swamp Band, Cornmeal, and more. Seeing banjo great Bela Fleck -- especially with the Flecktones, is always a treat. Enjoy this performance, and get those tickets today!

Langerado Cancelled!

Langerado, which was supposed to happen next month -- Oct. 8 and 9-- down in Sunrise, Fl. has been cancelled -- no explanation why yet.  The promoters are offering a full refund at the Langerado site.


As my previous post about Langerado noted, this South Florida fest was supposed to feature Death Cab for Cutie, Trey Anastasio Band, Ben Harper, Thievery Corporation, Ween, Arctic Monkeys, G. Love & Special Sauce, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Wolfgang Gartner, Etienne De Crecy, the Glitch Mob, Ghostland Observatory, Das Racist, Portugal. The Man, Friendly Fires, Childish Gambino, Smith Westerns, Super Mash Bros., Conspirator, Savoy, Mates of State, the Whigs, Yuck, Metropolis, Keys N Krates, Two Fresh, RAC DJs, Lance Herbstrong, HOTTUB, Bobby Lee Rogers, the Heavy Pets, Nicos Gun, a Million Pieces, Nic Cowan, Bear Cub, K. Flay, Rachel Goodrich, and the Kingston Springs.

I am thinking this is the second time Langerado has been cancelled in the past few years. They moved the fest out of the Big Cypress wilderness into downtown Miami, then cancelled it altogether. Too bad.

Fest Season is Heating Up

Actually, festgrrl is hoping it is cooling DOWN. She's about worn out from dancing in the 90-degree-plus heat.

Many, many music festivals are on the books for the next few months here in the southeast, and I will be running them down as we move along through fall.

My wallet is digging the free fest coming up in a few weeks, the Po Jo Festival  Sept. 16 &17 in downtown Port St. Joe, in Florida's panhandle. Danceable New Orleans Honey Island Swamp  Band  headlines Friday and    ALO (Animal Lienberation Orchestra) out of California, headlines Saturday. Bob Schnieder also plays Saturday.

ALO is a jazzy-jammy band hardly ever makes it to our neck of the woods, so I'm definitely hustling to the sleepy burg of Port St. Joe to check them out. No camping there, but there are a bunch of motels. Here's a great ALO song (sorry the video is nothing, but the song is great!)

Langerado Advanced Tickets On Sale

Advance tickets -- at $150 for 2 days and $75 for one day -- are now on sale for the Langerado festival, which returns to the South Florida scene October 8 & 9 in Markham Park in Sunrise, Fl. This year they are offering free camping, but spots are limited so you need to get on that as soon as you can.

Wierdly, all the music ends at 10 p.m. The lineup includes Death Cab for Cutie, Trey Anastasio Band, Ben Harper, Thievery Corporation, Ween, Arctic Monkeys, G. Love & Special Sauce, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Wolfgang Gartner, Etienne De Crecy, the Glitch Mob, Ghostland Observatory, Das Racist, Portugal. The Man, Friendly Fires, Childish Gambino, Smith Westerns, Super Mash Bros., Conspirator, Savoy, Mates of State, the Whigs, Yuck, Metropolis, Keys N Krates, Two Fresh, RAC DJs, Lance Herbstrong, HOTTUB, Bobby Lee Rogers, the Heavy Pets, Nicos Gun, a Million Pieces, Nic Cowan, Bear Cub, K. Flay, Rachel Goodrich, and the Kingston Springs.

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times has a nice "Langerado Survival Guide," with hotlinks to help you decide where you want to stay, etc. This is a big fest in a pretty populated area, so pre-planning now is a really good idea.

Elvis Costello Tours Florida in September

New Wave pioneer Elvis Costello is playing four Florida shows in September -- Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Sept. 17, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Sept. 18, Bob Carr Performing Arts Center in Orlando on Sept. 19, and the Florida Theater in Jacksonville on Sept. 21. He'll do a show at Atlanta's Chastain Park on Sept. 24.

Costello continues to be one of the most innovative performers around, a musician's musician who has spread art and tunes around the globe. On this tour, he's bringing along "The Wheel" a roulette game which has songs and themes. Folks from the audience are chosen to spin the wheel, then Costello and his band The Imposters will play the random song or a series of songs which correspond to a theme. Costello pioneered this fun live approach back in the 1980s. Here's a blast from that past to start your week out right: