Emmitt-Nershi Band headlines Alabama bluegrass shindig

Wild mushroom rock at Horse Pens 40

Now, this little out-of-the-way fest looks really great. The gorgeous -- but oddly named - Horse Pens 40 park in northern Alabama hosts the Red Clay Revival camping bluegrass and art festival Sept. 7-9. (The park got its name for the tall rock formations which made a handy horse corral in the olden days. )

Headliners are the Emmitt-Nershi Band (Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon and Bill Nershi of String Cheese Incident), Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth, Alabama music collective Red Clay Revival, Colonel Bruce Hampton, and Donna Hopkins. You know it's gonna be good. You can see the daily schedule here.

Also playing:

* Rollin' in the Hay
* Earthbound
* Antioquia
* Rorey Carroll Band
* Dorian Green
* Festival Expressions
* Joe Mack
* Sarah Shaffer
* River Dan
* Sp accoustic

The price is right at just $55 for a 3-day ticket. VIP is $115, and you get free beer and lunch and dinner on  Saturday and Sunday with that.  Emmitt- Nershi plays Sunday night, and there are Sunday-only day tickets also available for $25.

This place is so cool!

The venue is family-friendly, and has bath houses. No campfires, no glass. Also, you can't car camp, but you can drive in to unload your stuff at your campsite, then park in the parking area.

I hear the after-hours picking is sublime up in that rocky paradise. The show is a fundraiser for  Space One Eleven, a visual arts nonprofit in Birmingham.

Deluna Fest Coming Soon to Pensacola

Florence

Pearl Jam, Florence and the Machine, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Jett,  the Zac Brown Band, Ben Folds Five, Dumpstaphunk and many others converge next month on the sugar-white sands of Pensacola Beach for Deluna Fest, which happens Sept. 21-23.

This festival started in 2010, and it's an eclectic mix of big-name rockers, New Orleans power bands and Southeastern tour stalwarts. It's not a camping festival, so you'll have to find lodging or get a spot in one of the state parks or private campgrounds.

Three-day tickets cost $234 (that includes taxes and fees) and single day tickets are $75.

The weird aspect of this fest is no one is allowed to bring any chairs.You can't bring an umbrella either.Or a camera with a "detachable lens." You can't swim in the ocean at the concert site, even though you're standing right there on the beach. Like I said, weird.

Ron Jordan Photo

You can see the daily lineup here. Here's a look at who all is playing:

Pearl Jam, , Foo Fighters, , Zac Brown Band, , Florence And The Machine, , Band Of Horses, , Jimmy Cliff, , Dwight Yoakam, , Fitz and the Tantrums, , Ben Folds Five, , Diplo, , Guided By Voices, , DJ Jazzy Jeff, , The Joy Formidable, , The Gaslight Anthem, , The Wallflowers, , Superchunk, , Bob Mould plays COPPER BLUE, , Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, , Bad Brains, , City And Colour, , Trampled By Turtles, , Band Of Skulls, , OFF!, , The Wood Brothers, , Walker Hayes, , Redd Kross, , Kermit Ruffins And The Barbecue Swingers, , 12th Planet, , Blackberry Smoke, , Mike Doughty, , The Corin Tucker Band, , Paper Diamond, , Rebirth Brass Band, , Fishbone, , Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, , The Silos, , Motopony, , Anders Osborne, , Twothirtyeight, , Honey Island Swamp Band, , AC Slater, , Bonerama, , The Parlotones, , Ben Sollee, , Washboard Chaz w/ Tin Men, , The Canvas Waiting, , Eric Lindell, , Legendary JC’s, , Mishka, , Charmaine Neville, , High on Fire, , Chris Thomas King, , Lights Resolve, , Brass-A-Holics, , Antoine Knight, , Astronautalis, , The Villains, , Kitt Lough, , Dead Sara, , Hip Kitty, , Deadly Fists Of Kung-Fu, , Paloma, , DLP, , Pioneers! O Pioneers!

Some of the very same performers will be playing the Atlanta Music Midtown  Festival  the same weekend -- Friday, Sept. 21 and Saturday, Sept. 22. No camping, downtown scene.

The Foo Fighters, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts,Van Hunt, The Avett Brothers and more play Friday.  Pearl Jam, Ludacris, Girl Talk, Florence and The Machine, Civil Twilight, LP,  O’Brother and more play Saturday.

Advanced tickets to Atlanta Music Midtown are $100 for a two-day pass and $55 for a one-day pass. VIP will set you back $500, and something called Super VIP is a whopping $1,000!

Donna The Buffalo at Suwannee This Weekend!

Festgrrl will be indulging in one of her very favorite things this weekend -- dancing with friends to The Funky Side, by Donna the Buffalo. The New York state roots rockers are playing the Suwannee Valley Flood Jam at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park Saturday in the moss-draped natural ampitheater. They hit the stage at 7:30 pm, after Peter Rowan, and they'll host a jam later in the evening.

The two-day fest is a benefit for the many folks who lost their homes and belongings in June when Tropical Storm Debby dropped a whole lot of water on Live Oak and the surrounding area. Tickets are $45 advanced, $60 at the gate.

 The Funky Side:

Peter Rowan at the Suwanee Valley Flood Jam

How wonderful that bluegrass lion Peter Rowan is coming down here to steamy North Florida to play the benefit Suwannee Valley Flood Jam  this weekend (Aug. 17 & 18. ) The fest -- only $45 for advance tickets -- will raise money for the many who lost their homes and belongings during Tropical Storm Debby.

Here is a great, longish jam featuring Rowan with Jeff Mosier. He really starts to rage after Panama Red:

Get your tickets before price goes up!

Tickets for Magnolia Fest, (Oct. 18-21) with Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, JJ Grey and Mofro, Jimmy Herring Band, Donna the Buffalo and the Mickey Hart Band among many others playing this year, are $150 now. On Aug. 19, the price increases to $165.

Magnolia Fest happens at the beautiful at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fl. It is a great time of year to camp. Magfest is very family friendly and there are after-hours picking circles everywhere.

And don't forget that Aug. 17- 18 is the Suwannee Valley Flood Jam at Spirit of the Suwannee. So many people lost all their belongings during Tropical Storm Debby, and this is a benefit for them. Water was waist-high in downtown  Live Oak, and higher in other places. Peter Rowan and Donna the Buffalo are coming to our steamy region to headline this gig.

100% of ticket sales will go to flood victims. 2-Day Tickets are $45 in advance, $65 at the gate and include primitive camping.

Day tickets cost $20 per day and are available only at the gate. Day tickets don't include primitive camping.

You can see the schedule here.  There's also an online auction to raise funds, and the organizers are asking folks to bring school supplies to donate to kids in the area.