Sweet String Break Fest This Weekend

For those of you not heading west this weekend to the epic musical mecca that is the New Orleans Jazzfest (April 27- May 6), there's an intimate roots-bluegrass fest called String Break  at the lovely Sertoma Youth Ranch outside Brooksville.

Have Gun Will Travel, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, The New 76ers, the Aaron O'Rourke Trio, the Packaway Handle Band, Blue Highway, Gatorbone Trio and more perform. Check out this link to hear the bands' music.

This is a family friendly fest with a nice vibe. The music is wonderful and the whole experience is so relaxing. The campground is lovely, everything is close by, so it is a good place to take kids. Kids 13 and under are free, and they have a bunch of activities for them.

It's $99 for the weekend, which includes three days of music (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and two nights of primitive. You can also get a Friday-Saturday only ticket for $84. RV sites are extra. For more pricing info, click here.

Here is video of a lovely song from Bradenton's Have Gun Will Travel, who plays String Break on Saturday at 12:45 pm. Love this sweet band!

Orange Blossom Jamboree this weekend!

Head on out to the Orange Blossom Jamboree this weekend outside Tampa, an intimate, family friendly  fest in a lovely location, the Sertoma Youth Ranch outside Brooksville. This venue has hot showers, bathrooms, and vendors. It's $45 advance and $60 at the gate, kids 12 and under are free. That price includes primitive camping. Water an electric sites are $40 more, and you can pile as many folks on your site as you can fit.

The lineup includes 3rd Stone, the funk/blues world beat group out of Gainesville, talented Dead cover band Crazy Fingers, Orlando jam band funkUs, Tampa jam band Cope, Saltwater Grass, and national up-and-comers, The Heavy Pets.  

Music cranks up at 11 am Friday and goes through 4 p.m. Sunday.

The fest website has a free 3 CD download for your listening pleasure -- nice!

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!!

New Fest on Spring Lineup

Fabulous Afrobeat Funkateers 3rd Stone, above, will play.

Hey folks, check out the Orange Blossom Jamboree, May 21-23 at the gorgeous Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville (home of Riverhawk and String Break)

Looks like a great lineup with Gainesville-based 3rd Stone, Orlando's Funk Us (both bands have new CDs out, BTW), and the excellent Dead cover band, Crazy Fingers, among others.

This is a really nice park to camp at, with lots of bathrooms and showers, a pretty lake and a pretty creek running through it. It's also a small venue, very intimate, festgrrl recommended!