Time for The Purple Hatter's Ball

We Honor Rachel Morningstar Hoffman

The mah-velous Purple Hatter’s Ball happens this VERY weekend --May 8-10-- at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. with a pre-party starting at 6 p.m. tonight. This is an intimate, dance-y fest held annually to honor music fester Rachel Morningstar Hoffman (she of the fuzzy purple hat,) who left this earth way too soon.

Expect a young-ish crowd and some new bands for discovery. You’ll see funk, world-beat, soul, reggae, dub, electronica, bluegrass, jazz and jam on four different stages, including a stage out at the lovely Suwanee river beach.

Nahko and Medicine for The People

Three-day weekend tickets, which include primitive camping, are $140. Tickets to the Thursday night pre party, which features Elephant Revival, Space Capone, DubConscious, Mouth, Cure For The Common, and El Dub, are $50.

Here is a look at this year’s Purple Hatter’s Ball lineup:

Lotus
Nahko and Medicine For the People
Alex Grey & Allyson Grey
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaries
Toubab Krewe
The Werks
Random Rab
Roosevelt Collier's Suwannee Jam
Adrian Crutchfield and the Extraordinary Gentlemen
DubConscious
Greenhouse Lounge
TAUK
The Malah
Catfish Alliance
Benyoro
Mingo Fishtrap
Raja Kassis' Humanbeing
Kansas Bible Company
Cadillac Jones
Grandpa's Cough Medicine
Mouth
Cure For The Common
Trial By Stone
Empire Strikes Brass
Les Racquet
Shak Nasti
MZG
Scott Campbell Band w/ Avis Berry
SuperMande Jam
Parker Urban Band
New Earth Army
Future Vintage
The Galbraith Group
Lucky Costello
Sex Manatee’s Basshole
Aaron Lebos Reality
Daria & The Hip Drops
Firewater Tent Revival
Lava
Tambor
Bells and Robes
Flat land
Grit
Ruby & Friends
Vlad the Inhaler
Sir Charles
Zak the Blak
Ben Danner
Combustible
bleek 'n coy.
Charlie Hustle
Cry Havoc
Chews
Ardency
Brother Dan

You can check out the schedule here.

festgrrl highly recommends this laid-back, sweet fest. Rachel was a sweet girl who was murdered by thugs because of wrong-headed public policy and incompetent authorities who put her in harm's way, promised to protect her, and didn't. Her parents fought for statewide changes in the law to try to prevent another senseless tragedy.Make sure you make it to the special ceremony at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the ampitheater, where Rachel's family and friends honor her in a beautiful butterfly release ceremony.

This Weekend in West Palm Beach - Sunfest Rocks It

Lenny Kravitz is one of the headliners

The downtown waterfront area of West Palm Beach hosts the 33^rd annual SunFest this weekend, April 29-May 3.

The eclectic musical roster includes Fall Out Boy, Pixies, Lenny Kravitz, Paramore, Hozier, Kaskade, BOSTON, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Wilco, 311, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, SOJA, Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, AWOLNATION, Lindsey Stirling, Matisyahu, Iration, Milky Chance, ScHoolboy Q, Eddie Money, John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band, Letts, The Shadowboxers, Bo Ningen, Lizzo, Copeland, Knox Hamilton, Hundred Waters, Kehlani, Bea Miller, Zeale, Dreamers, Spazmatics, Elliot Root, Johnnyswim, SomeKindaWonderful, The Hip Abduction,The Rico Monaco Band, Dear Tatiana, Dew Pendleton Band, FELICITY, Jonnie Morgan Band, JS THE BEST, Jumbo Shrimp, Kasson Leaving Haven, Morning Fatty, Sidereal, The Inverted, The McNaughstys, Trial by Stone, and YARDIJ. 

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

This is a huge (100,000-plus crowd) street festival, not a camping festival, so you will have to arrange lodging. It runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1, then from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, May 1, and kicks off at noon on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. The fest closes out with a fireworks show at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Kids 5 and under are free, and kids aged 6-12 are $10 a day advanced and $12 a day at the gate. There are lots of multi-day ticket bundles for kids and adults. A 5-day adult pass, for example, is $70 advanced and $80 at the gate. Check out the options here.

You can use the Sunrail trains, and you can also reserve parking spots ahead of time here.

Zach Deputy, Col. Bruce Hampton headline Swamptown Getdown in Ga. This Weekend

Zach Deputy headlines

The intimate, laid-back Swamptown Getdown happens this weekend (April 24-26) at the Okeefenokee Fairgrounds in Waycross, Ga.


This is a family-friendly bargain camping festival. Kids 12 and under are free. Adult tickets, which include primitive camping, are only $45 for the weekend  ($35 for student/military tickets.) There are showers and bathrooms on site, as well as food and craft vendors.

No alcohol will be for sale, but you can bring your own cooler, no problem.

You can also bring pets! Here is a look at the lineup:

 Zach Deputy
Col. Bruce Hampton and The Madrid Express
Back From The Brink
Beauty & the Beard
Chillakaya1
Copperhead
dangfly
Droppers
Lazy Lightning
Lowdive
Mojo Bone
My First Circus
The Pine Box Dwellers
Thunderbird
Uncle Dave and The Younguns
The Woodgrains
Kris Bell Band
Red on Red

If you want to bring an RV, there are some electric and water hookups and you can buy an RV pass for $30 on the fest website. This is going to be a chill time in a great place.

SunFest in West Palm Beach

Lenny Kravitz is one of the headliners

The downtown waterfront area of West Palm Beach hosts the 33^rd annual SunFest April 29-May 3.

The eclectic musical roster includes Fall Out Boy, Pixies, Lenny Kravitz, Paramore, Hozier, Kaskade, BOSTON, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Wilco, 311, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, SOJA, Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, AWOLNATION, Lindsey Stirling, Matisyahu, Iration, Milky Chance, ScHoolboy Q, Eddie Money, John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band, Letts, The Shadowboxers, Bo Ningen, Lizzo, Copeland, Knox Hamilton, Hundred Waters, Kehlani, Bea Miller, Zeale, Dreamers, Spazmatics, Elliot Root, Johnnyswim, SomeKindaWonderful, The Hip Abduction,The Rico Monaco Band, Dear Tatiana, Dew Pendleton Band, FELICITY, Jonnie Morgan Band, JS THE BEST, Jumbo Shrimp, Kasson Leaving Haven, Morning Fatty, Sidereal, The Inverted, The McNaughstys, Trial by Stone, and YARDIJ. 

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

This is a huge (100,000-plus crowd) street festival, not a camping festival, so you will have to arrange lodging. It runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, May 1, then from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, May 1, and kicks off at noon on Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3. The fest closes out with a fireworks show at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Kids 5 and under are free, and kids aged 6-12 are $10 a day advanced and $12 a day at the gate. There are lots of multi-day ticket bundles for kids and adults. A 5-day adult pass, for example, is $70 advanced and $80 at the gate. Check out the options here.

You can use the Sunrail trains, and you can also reserve parking spots ahead of time here.

WANEE Festival This Week!

festgrrl photo

Wanee, one of the biggest and finest festivals in our region, kicks off  this week with a Grateful Happy Hour pre-party on Wednesday April 15. 

The festival proper happens at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla. from Thursday April 16 through Saturday April 18. Wanee is always an excellent time; festgrrl has seen some of the best shows of her life at this annual gathering in the North Florida woods. 

Gregg Allman playing Wanee last year. Josh Webster photo

The Allman Brothers have held this festival for lo these many years, and this year will definitely be different without the Brothers in their familiar configuration taking the stage each evening. Still, Gregg Allman will play for us, as will Jaimoe's Jassz Band and Butch Trucks and Very Special Friends (Derek and Susan? One can hope. )


Widespread Panic headlines Friday and Saturday nights, the rest of the line-up includes: Gov’t Mule ¤ Earth, Wind & Fire ¤ Cheap Trick ¤ The Word featuring: Robert Randolph, John Medeski, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson & Chris Chew ¤ Hot Tuna Electric ¤ JJ Grey & Mofro ¤ Galactic ¤ Zappa Plays Zappa ¤ Leftover Salmon featuring Bill Payne ¤ Yonder Mountain String Band ¤ Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk ¤ Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes featuring Doyle Bramhall II ¤ Raw Oyster Cult ¤  Dragon Smoke ¤ The Revivalists ¤ Home At Last - The Nth Power Performs Steely Dan ¤ Tea Leaf Green ¤ Bobby Lee Rogers Trio ¤ Pink Talking Fish ¤ Eric Lindell & Company ¤ Royal Southern Brotherhood ¤ Natural Child ¤ Twiddle ¤ Jacob Jeffries Band ¤ Juke. 

The park's lovely lake camping area. festgrrl photo

A 3-day ticket (which includes primitive camping) is $215 (plus $23 service fee.) Keep in mind that Wanee's crowd is larger than most festivals at Spirit of the Suwannee, so stock up on supplies and bring a lightweight chair to carry to the shows.

Wednesday's very cool Happy Hour lineup is included with your 3-day ticket price, but be aware that there's a $20 per person camping fee to attend Wednesday's shows. 

Totally worth it: the Happy Hour lineup includes Melvin Seals & JGB along with Crazyfingers, Cope, Juke, The Parker Urban Band and Bonnie Blue. Wednesday's shows happen in the ampitheater, starting at 3 p.m.

festgrrl is telling you all this so you can plan now to get there as early as you can next week, I promise that you'll be so very, very glad you did. 

"Nuff said. festgrrl photo

Sweet Farm To Family Fest This Week!

For many years, a small community of music lovers has been gathering for regular family-friendly and dog-friendly weekend camp outs in the countryside around Gainesville, Florida.

These inexpensive Farm to Family festivals has a small but dedicated crowd, a single stage, and a few food and arts & crafts vendors. Bring your cooler and chair, set up at the stage, and you're done.

It is so laid back and fun. Farm to Family took some time off while looking for a new venue, and this weekend, it's BACK, and it is timed or us to enjoy Saturday night's full moon!

Farm To Family happens Thursday  through Sunday at Ellie Ray's RV Resort along the Santa Fe River, near Branford, Fla. (outside High Springs, just north of Gainesville.) Latest details are on the fest's Facebook page.

The fun and talented bluegrass band, Applebutter Express plays, along with String Kings, Thomas and Hannah Winn, De Lions of Jah reggae band, Quartermoon, and assorted regional acts. You can see the lineup here.

Tickets are $45 advanced through March 31, and $55 at the gate.

This is a great fest to take kids to. (Kids under 13 are free.) You can bring dogs, but you have to register them,

It's going to be a beautiful weekend along the river with kind folks and cool tunes, and remember:

Fests Bustin' Out All Over, Here Are This Week's Offerings

Well, there is a boatload of  talent for our listening pleasure in Florida right now. Here is a look at three fests happening this weekend, one in Southwest Florida, one in the center of the state, and one just north of Jacksonville.

Safety Harbor Songfest happens in the Tampa area this weekend, March 28-29. It's $45 for a weekend pass and $25 for a single-day ticket. 

The Americana lineup is fine, indeed: 

The great percussionist Joe Craven plays Safety Harbor Songfest

STEEP CANYON RANGERS • SHAWN MULLINS • JOE CRAVEN • JIM LAUDERDALE 

WILLIE SUGARCAPPS  • MEIKO • SETH WALKER • CAROLINE KOLE • CALLAGHAN
RANDALL BRAMBLETT • DAVID JACOBS-STRAIN • KAWEHI • JOSEPH ARTHUR
DAPHNE WILLIS • CHRIS GELBUDA • GARETH ASHER • EMILY KOPP
SHANNON WHITWORTH • RYAN MONTBLEAU • THE VESPERS

This happens in the Safety Harbor Waterfront Park by the Safety Harbor Resport and Spa. This is not a camping festival, so you will have to find a place  to stay, check out the fest’s lodging, RV and primitive camping links.

Kids 12 and under are free

Railroad Earth headlines Slide Into Spring Festival

The Slide Into Spring Music and Craft Beer Festival  happens  in Northeast Florida's Fernandina Beach. (Friday March 27th 2015 from 6pm – 9pm; Saturday March 28th 2015 from 12pm – 10pm;Sunday March 29th 2015 from 1pm – 8pm)

Railroad Earth headlines, with Matisyahu, The Wailers, The Fritz, The Corbitt Brothers, Post Pluto, and amazing New York funk band Turkuaz paying, among others. 

Weekend tickets are $75, Saturday only tickets are $40 and Sunday tickets are $35. You can get a primitive camping site for $100 for up to four people  at an offsite location with a shuttle to and from the fest site  (shuttle ride is $1 and benefits local council on aging.) This is a family friendly event, also accommodates late-nighters with  after parties at local watering holes and a silent disco. 

Toubab Krewe plays Little Econ Love Fest

The Little Econ Love Fest  happens outside Lakeland (March-26-29.) This is a primitive camping festival (with showers and potties available) at Maddox Ranch. RVs are welcome but there are no hookups. 

Four-day admission is $65, single day options also available. North Carolina world-beat wonders Toubab Krewe headline the event that also features The Mud Flappers, Holey Miss Moley, S.P.O.R.E., Displace, Lucky Costello and many more local and regional acts. You can get the latest info at the event's Facebook page.This is a family friendly event with kids activities.

Here's the lineup:
Toubab Krewe
The Mud Flappers
Holey Miss Moley
S.P.O.R.E.
Leisure Chief
Displace
Ajeva
Deaf Poets
Evan Taylor Jones
Fat Night
Ancient Sun
The Groove Orient
Bellows
Dem Lil Econ Boyz
Lucky Costello
Bath Salt Zombies Band
The Getbye
Adi Raja
Endless Flow
Flat Land
The Welzeins
Christian Ryan Music's Solquarian Revue
Legacy Orchestra Collective
Frank Asaurus Fresh
Bear With Me
The Woolly Bushmen
Post Pluto
Sonic Graffiti
ButterQueen
The Happy Campers
The Psychedelic Monks
The Real Clash
Shotgun Betty
We're All Gonna Die
Fuzzhound
Bengali 600
The Filthy Deniro's
Twigs
Law Abiding
Chronic Kids
VSN QST
Apache Resistance
Sleazy Cheese
The Luna Bellum
Phoenix Tweak's Sunshine Family Band
SRA Beats
RAS dig-ITAL