Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Magnolia Fest Reveals Powerful Lineup

Dr. John headlines. Michael Wilson Photo.
What a treat -- the lineup for Magnolia Fest, the Americana fest that happens each fall at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. every year, just came out. This year's dates are Oct 16-19.

And there are some fine, fine musicians on the bill. We're talking Dr. John and the Night Trippers, Lyle Lovett, The Indigo Girls, Jason Isbell, Bela Fleck, Marcia Ball, Abigail Washburn, (the a-maaaaazing) March Fourth Marching Band, Keller Williams, Donna The Buffalo, The Wailers, Honey Island Swamp Band, and more.

This is a family-friendly fest with wonderful campground picking all weekend. Heads up: Tickets are $150, and go up tomorrow to $170. They will be $200 at the gate. VIP tickets are available for $300.

Be prepared for some powerful acoustic magic in the woods for this one. This very well-run festival gets better and better every year. I can say with confidence that you will not be  disappointed!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Make Your Plans, Peeps! Suwannee Hulaween Lineup and Early Bird Tix





One of the best events that festgrrl attended last year, and as y'all know, there were MANY, was the inaugural Suwannee Hulaween at Sprit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak. The psychedelic "Spirit Lake" art installations were outstanding, the music top notch and the crowd took its costume responsibilities seriously. So happy to hear that Suwannee Hulaween is back this fall, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

A limited number of early bird tickets go on sale Friday, June 20, 2014 for $149 including all taxes and camping fees. There's also a fancy option: Ultimate Incident VIP Packages. To reserve cabins, golf cart rentals and RV hook-ups, call (386) 364-1683. Here's a look at the lineup:


The String Cheese Incident (3 nights)
Thievery Corporation
Big Gigantic
Beats Antique
The New Deal
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
Greensky Bluegrass
EOTO
Conspirator
Future Rock
Nahko & Medicine For The People
Rising Appalachia
The Soul Rebels
Van Ghost
The Heavy Pets
Greenhouse Lounge
Cope


Monday, June 9, 2014

Bonnarooooooooooooo!!



The Fountain -- Welcome Relief!

The big daddy of Southern music fests happens this coming weekend in Manchester, Tennessee --- Bonnaroo. Some 80,000 people are expected for the four-day extravaganza, which features Elton John, Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Cake, Slightly Stoopid, Yonder Mountain String Band and a TON more. (Lineup posted below.) The 700-acre site becomes an impressive city, with "streets," stores, bars, comedy and dance clubs -- you name it, it's happening, 24 hours a day.

Tickets are still available! A 4-day ticket (including fees)  is $313.30. That includes primitive camping on the 700-acre site. You can camp with your vehicle, but be aware, once you've parked your car, you can't move it until the festy finishes. There are various limited options for RV camping and the like here.

The keywords for this 12-year-old festival are Be Patient and Be Prepared. Have what you need for all weather conditions. Bring lots of water, but also know they promise to have fresh water stations available onsite to fill your bottle, showers for a fee, and, of course, port-o-lets. Here's a handy "Alternative Bonnaroo Festival Guide" which is definitely worth a read.


If you can't be there in person, Bonnaroo offers a webcast -- on XBox and on the festival website.  Now, about that impressive lineup:


Thursday, June 5, 2014

See The Allman Brothers, The Avett Brothers, Gov't Mule and More from Your Couch This Weekend



Southern festers, when it gets super hot, fear not. For what will appear? Couch tour is here!!!

Set up the screen and speakers, and check out the  Mountain Jam webcast this weekend.

This fest , now in its 10th year, happens in Hunter Mountain, New York, and it has a big-ticket lineup: 

The Allman Brothers Band, Anders Osborne, Antibalas, The Avett Brothers , Beats Antique , Blitzen Trapper , Bob Weir and RatDog , Chris Robinson Brotherhood , Citizens Band Radio , Connor Kennedy , Damian Marley , Dark Star Orchestra , The Dough Rollers , The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger , Gov't Mule, Jackie Greene , Jeff Tweedy , Jonathan Wilson , Lucius , Michael Franti & Spearhead , Moon Taxi , Paul Green Rock Academy , Pretty Lights , Reignwolf , Sean Rowe , Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds , Tedeschi Trucks Band , Trampled By Turtles , Treetop Flyers , Umphrey's McGee, and more.

Let us give thanks for the Internet, for air conditioning, and for frosty beverages. 

 

Monday, June 2, 2014

A Great Lettuce Set

Here's a great recording of the kick-ass set from the great funk band  Lettuce at the 2012 Bear Creek Music and Art Festival . Thanks to our friends at TheFunkItBlog for taping this epic event. This show was such a blast!.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Two Featured Fests For the Last Weekend in May



Thomas Wynn and The Believers play the Briar Patch
Here are a couple of fests to check out this coming weekend!

The Briar Patch Music Festival happens May 29-May 31 in Damascus, Georgia  -- three hours south of Atlanta and about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Fl.   It's only $40 for the whole weekend, and that includes primitive camping. Kids 12 and under are free. Single-day passes are $25.

festgrrl has not been to this venue or this gathering before. She highly recommends the headliner, Thomas Wynn and the Believers. Here is who is playing and the details::

·        * Thomas Wynn and the Believers
·        * Rollin' in the Hay
·        * Bo Henry Band
·        * Tony Brook
·        * Evan Barber and the Dead Gamblers
·        * Larry Mitchell Band
·        * Funk You
·        * Bibb City Ramblers
·        * Evergreen Family Band
·        * Wainwright Applegate
·        * Bret Mosley
·        * Bubba Hall
·        * Ben Sutton
·        * Pine Box Dwellers
·        * Biggest Band in the Land
·        * Spong
·        * Rod Holt and the Fractured Souls
·        * Travers Brothership
·        * Mathis Brothers
·        * Lee Lindsey

·        * Lingo

The organizers say: 

"The Briar Patch Music Festival was created in 2010 by Jeb Tabb, Brandon Lovering, and Bo Henry. These natives of Damascus, Ga wanted to better their community through live music with many different genres.

What better way than a festival to accomplish that. In a musical landscape polluted by the same old two or three radio stations with the exact same Nashville pop playlist, the Briar Patch is bringing meaningful, thoughtful, and entertaining music that would otherwise never be heard in this area.

This festival is here to change the culture of South Georgia music by bringing "The Real to the Field". The Briar Patch is located at 13810 Five Bridges Road Damascus, Ga. It embodies all of what you think of in a rural farming community. The stage lies in between cotton, corn, and peanuts field in one of the most peaceful environments to ever see your favorite band perform. Bring a tent, lawn chair, cooler, and have the musical experience of a lifetime."

Tickets are $40 for the weekend, kids 12 and under are free. RV hookups are sold out, but you can bring a camper with a generator.

No glass, fireworks, golf carts/ four-wheelers, or campfires. 

The Randall Bramblett Band plays Finsterfest

Summerville, Georgia is home to the Finster Fest 5/31-6/1. That's about an hour and a half drive north of Atlanta. This fest is a fundraiser for an art garden left behind by the late Southern Folk artist, Howard Finster. Here's who is playing:

·        * Shenandoah
·        * Randall Bramblett Band
·        * The Whiskey Gentry
·        * Travis Denning Band
·        * The Van Lears
·        * Thayer Sarrano
·        * Yankee Slickers
·        * 3 & 20
·        * Tracie Victoria Mattox
·        * True Blue
·        * The Strange
·        * Dennis Brown Trio
·        * Daniel Parrish

This is not a camping fest. So look to this link for places to stay. Here's a little more about the event:

From the organizers: "Paradise Garden Foundation was developed to help raise funds to help successfully revive the site and continue Howard Finster’s inspiring work of inspiring. Our annual fundraising event, Finster Fest, is one of the Southeast’s most popular folk art and music festivals.

What began in 1992 as “Howard Finster Day” in Summerville, Finster Fest has grown into one of the region’s most popular events. Throughout the years, Finster Fest has continued to draw significant artists from all over the country. Howard Finster was a man with many “visions". His art and message had international appeal, drawing thousands from around the world to his Paradise Garden. The Paradise Garden Foundation hopes to continue in Howard’s faith-filled messages with art, and part of those efforts include presenting a community event like no other. Finster Fest 2014 will take place on May 31st and June 1st in Summerville, GA and will feature art and live music in Dowdy Park. Finster Fest will host over 50-juried artists and hundreds of visitors from around the world. We are excited to be bringing to the area a wide spectrum of art, live entertainment, and fabulous food, all in a family-friendly atmosphere.

On Saturday night, May 31st, the Man Of Vision  Aftershow with Randall Bramblett Band, The Whiskey Gentry, and the Travis Denning Band will take place from 5:00 P.M. to 12 am in historic Downtown Summerville on the corner of East Washington and Economy St. The show will feature nationally known musical acts on a professionally assembled stage. Tickets to the concert are $10. 

The Whiskey Gentry  play Finsterfest



Monday, May 19, 2014

Get Your Folk On - Florida Folk Fest This Weekend

JJ Grey and his band Mofro headline Saturday
The Florida Folk Festival happens this weekend (May 23-25) in White Springs, Florida, along the Suwannee River.

This fest is 61 years old, and these days, it is run by the state. There's a lot of interesting folk dancing, home-grown food, crafts, storytellers and demonstrations at the Folk Fest, and lots of musical acts all day on various stages. It's a great place to bring kids.

Clog dancers kickin' it old-style

Advanced weekend tickets are $50; $60 at the gate. Single-day tickets are $25 advanced; $30 at the gate. Kids under 6 are free, Kids aged 6-16 are $5 for the whole weekend -- yes!! The only way you can camp onsite is if you are a performer or have signed up beforehand as a volunteer. There are, however, campgrounds and motels nearby. 

Seminole sewing traditional clothing

Friday's headliners include two shows by talented blues guitarists --  Albert Castiglia and Ben Prestage.

On Saturday night, it's Star Time, when the great swamp rock/blues performer JJ Grey and and his band Mofro -- out of Jacksonville, but touring all over the world -- headline. Also playing Saturday -- fiddler Mark Johnson and mandolinist Emory Lester, blues man Willie Green, country music singer Billy Dean, and Tallahassee up-and-coming Americana act Belle and The Band.


Talented guitarist/singer Sam Pacetti from St Augustine headlines Sunday, as well as Florida folk troubadour Frank Thomas. Longtime folk festival guitarist-singer Doug Gauss and his folk-singing gals, "The Enablers,"  also perform.

Don't miss the Seminole fry bread and the amazing Church-lady suppers lovingly prepared at the fest, it's all Southern cooking at its finest, for sure.


A luthier building instruments

And, don't forget, up Alabama way this weekend, is another excellent little fest called The Acoustic Cafe, read all about it in my previous festgrrl post.