Yonder Mountain String Band Get By With A Little Help From Their Friends at the Harvest Music Festival

Words and pictures by Bradley Darby

Jeff Austin - Yonder Mountain String Band

In a world flooded by music festivals priding themselves on having a diverse lineup that will attract fans of all genres, Yonder Mountain String Bands Harvest Music Festival stands apart. Entering its second year with the Yonder Mountain taking over the main billing, the Harvest Festival features some of the best bluegrass and folk acts out there today as well as one of the premiere festival sites in the country, Mulberry Mountain.

YMSB's Harvest Festival @ Mulberry Mountain 2011 from Brandon Sloan on Vimeo.

Taking place October 13-16 in Ozark, Arkansas (about an hour from Fayetteville) this year the incredible lineup is led by Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Railroad Earth, 7 Walkers feat. Papa Mali and Bill Kreutzmann, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Trampled by Turtles, Todd Snider as well as Harvest regulars Cornmeal, Mountain Sprout, and Split Lip Rayfield. In addition to their friends, your festival hosts the Yonder Mountain String Band will play 3 sets, and if the 2010 fest is any indication you will find them popping up all over guesting with other bands throughout the weekend. Music is scheduled to go until 3A.M. most nights with late night sets featuring Speakeasy, Split Lip Rayfield, and and of course Dirtfoot, who played a set that lasted until 5 A.M. last year and are scheduled for two more late night sets this year.

Dirtfoot - 2010 Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival is a family friendly event as well, with The Roost area offering a Kidz Kamp, Hooping Lessons, Tye Dye lessons, and glass blowing classes as well as Yoga sessions each morning. This year will also mark the First Annual Fiddlin’ and Pickin’ Contest, where contestants will compete in four competitions - Mandolin, Banjo, Flat Picking, and Fiddle - with winners of each receiving cash prizes. On Friday make sure to stop by the Chompdown, a free communal breakfast put on by festi-folks for festi-folks taking place in the RV Reserved campground at 9A.M. featuring a morning set by Dirtfoot.... the Chompdown is always one of the highlights of the weekend. Bring some bacon and eggs, or just bring yourself and meet some new friends while filling your belly. Check out the video below for a better idea of what the Chompdown really is.

But Mulberry Mountain offers so much more than just great music and people..... you can arrange a float trip on the gorgeous Mulberry River, or take one of the many trail heads off of Highway 23 for a scenic hike in the beautiful rolling hills of Northwestern Arkansas. Don’t forget about the waterfall located near the festival grounds, a popular site for many patrons.

Mountain Sprout - 2010 Harvest Chompdown

Though the event is capped at only 7500 people, making it one of the more intimate festivals out there, tickets can still be purchased online or possibly at a local retailer near you to save some fees. Check www.yonderharvestfestival.com for ticketing info and last minute changes. Don’t forget to check back here at the end of October for a full recap and photo gallery!

• Full Band Lineup and Schedule
• Harvest Festival Message Boards (Great place for all your heady festi info)
• Harvest FAQ 

"I'll Do It Tomorrow" - A Procrastinators Review of Wakarusa 2011

Words & Pictures by Brad Darby

For the fourth consecutive year I made the trek to the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival to enjoy four days of music and camping in a setting that they call “Where Music Meets Mother Nature.” With acts ranging from My Morning Jacket and Ben Harper to the Budos Band and Dark Star Orchestra to STS9 and Bassnectar, a total of over 100 bands spread out across six stages, with on-site camping, showers, and even a grocery store to pick up last minute forgotten items.

Taking place the first weekend in June, and located just outside of Ozark, Arkansas, Wakarusa is in their third year at Mulberry Mountain. The festival, started in 2004, was previously held in Lawrence, Kansas at Clinton State Park through 2008 but has now moved to a much more fitting location in the beautiful rolling hills of the Ozark National Forest. Showcasing bands from a wide array of genres and now featuring the Interstellar Meltdown, a late night festival inside the festival including electronic acts and DJ sets, Wakarusa is one of the premiere festivals in the country drawing upwards of 20,000 people.

For a complete photo gallery, including something like 100 pictures of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, click his link.

Thursday - Dirtfoot - Main Stage

Wakarusas favorite Gypsy Punk Country Grumble Boogie band kicked things off Thursday on the main stage with a bean can shaking good time. This was the second of Dirtfoot's FIVE sets over the weekend, including the previous night on the Backwoods Stage for the early arrival crowd, along with Mountain Sprout and Dumptruck Butterlips.


Wakarusa Press Conference - Thursday



Members of Dirtfoot, Cornmeal, Lotus, as well as Grace Potter and Simon Posford sat down with part of the Wakarusa braintrust for a press conference featuring free Boulevard beer and an air conditioned building. It was difficult to hear, but questions were asked to Grace Potter about how her band has grown quite a lot since starting the festival circuit in 2004, and Dirtfoot talked about their affiliation with the Chompdown, a FREE communal breakfast put on by a group of volunteers in the campground featuring a live set by Dirtfoot started by a man named Rabbit five years ago in Lawrence, Kansas.



Thursday - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Main Stage

The beautiful Grace Potter took the stage on Thursday afternoon after participating in the first ever Wakarusa Press Conference. With her band The Nocturnals burning it up in the hot Arkansas sun, GP&N played an hour and a half set that was one of the highlights of my weekend. The set included Grace doing an amazing vocal solo of "Nothing But The Water Pt 1" and a rocking version of "Stop the Bus."

Thursday - Umphreys McGee - Mainstage
Umphreys McGee played from 10:15pm-12:15am on Thursday night and though only having one set after getting a late night and mainstage set the prior two years, Umphreys made up for the lack of sets with a cover of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" as well as The Who's "Baba O' Riley." (Video courtesy of RebelINSoo)

Friday Morning - Chompdown - RV Reserved Campground



The Chompdown takes place on either Friday or Saturday morning at each Wakarusa or Harvest Festival. It was started five years ago in Lawrence by John "Rabbit" Cabarara and is a completely FREE communal breakfast put on by about 30 volunteers and donations from anyone and everyone. Dirtfoot has been fortunate enough to be asked to play the prestigious slot at 9 am for the last 5 years and if you ask any of the 6 members they will tell you it is the highlight of the weekend for them.





Friday - My Morning Jacket - Main Stage

Friday was a day of recovery, and a day that I didnt get the camera out as it charged most of the day after taking a few hundred pictures of Grace Potter. My Morning Jacket headlined the Main Stage, and were followed by 3 and a half hours of Dark Star Orchestra. Other acts on Friday were bluegrass mainstays Split Lip Rayfield, who also played Thursday night late night, and Cornmeal as well as Ryan Bingham and soul sister Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. (Video credit to Colbruce)

Saturday - Dirtfoot Campground Set



Dirtfoot had announced about a month before the festival that they would be playing a special surprise set at the campsite that created the best Dirtfoot flag for their campsite. There were actually two winners, and each site received a visit from Dirtfoot on Saturday afternoon. Our site was fortunate enough to have one of the creators of the Dirtfoot pirate flag camping with us, so we were treated to a special three song set including "Little Bit of Rum."

Saturday - Mumford and Sons - Main Stage



England's newest craze Mumford and Sons took the main stage on Saturday afternoon for their first ever appearance in Arkansas. Vocalist Marcus Mumford made it completely clear how hot it was, and seemed fascinated by the waterfall just a short hike off the Wakarusa property. They played most of their debut album Sign No More as well as three new tunes. Noticably missing was the upbeat dance worthy "Dust Bowl Dance." Great to see them, though I was slighty disappointed. They were followed by Ben Harper & Relentless 7 show played a great cover of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" and prevailed through some sound problems that were persistant with the main stage all weekend.

Saturday - Budos Band - Revival Tent



Budos Band threw down some serious funk in the Revival Tent on Saturday night. As a matter of fact, all day Saturday the Revival Tent featured funk acts including March Fourth Marching Band, Papa Grows Funk, and Budos. Other acts on Saturday included Galactic, Thievery Corporation, Wookiefoot and Arkansas' very own "hillbilly bluegrass machine" Mountain Sprout.



Sunday - Dirtfoot Late Night Sexy Panty Party - Backwoods Stage



Sunday night to close out Wakarusa, the grumble boogie boys took the stage for their fifth and final set of the weekend, a set dubbed the Dirtfoot Late Night Sexy Panty Party by Scott Girardy, the sax player for Dirtfoot. Other bands playing on the toned down Sunday lineup included Ozomatli, Beats Antique, EOTO and Toots and the Maytals.

Bayou Soul Singer-Songwriter Shares His Heart at Old Rock House

Words and video by Bradley Darby

It had been almost three years since Marc Broussard had last played here at The Duck Room, a venue he had played for his previous three trips to St. Louis. Broussard had taken a break from touring to spend time with his family and record a new self titled album, released earlier this year.  The news only got better when it was announced just a week before that Broussard would be stopping by St. Louis’ favorite new and used record shop, Vintage Vinyl, to perform and meet fans before the show at Old Rock House.

Broussard played a short three song set including “Lucky” from the newest album as well as an acoustic version of the fan favorite “Home” in front of a few dozen fans. He then took time to sign autographs and take pictures with fans, and at one point even took a woman’s phone and talked to a friend that was unable to make the show. See the full performance below. It was then over to the Old Rock House for the main event of the evening.

There were two opening acts for the evening.The first was a Canadian brother and sister duo known as Sarah & Christian Dugas, who I unfortunately did not get to see. The second opening act has been garnering a lot of attention as of late as one of their songs was apparently featured on an episode of Grays Anatomy. Scars on 45 are an indie rock group that hails from the UK. The group consists of four blokes as well as a girl named Aimee that shares vocal duties with guitar player Danny. Scars are completed by bassist Stu, drummer Chris, and Nova on the piano. The Brits did a great job with their 45ish minute set, and converted quite a few folks into new fans on this night. All they had available was an EP called Give Me Something, and they tackled all four of those songs in addition to a few more. A full length album should be out in January. You can get more information about Scars on 45 at their website, or you can catch them in STL opening for Matt Nathanson at The Pageant on October 18.

Straight out of Carencro, Louisiana and bayou born and raised, Marc Broussard was up next. If you haven’t heard of Broussard, you should do yourself a favor and indulge in his blend of the best elements of soul, classic R&B, and Bayou infused blues rock. He self released his first album, Momentary Setback, in 2002. That was followed up in 2004 by his major label debut Carencro, named after his hometown. In 2007, it was S.O.S. (Save Our Soul), a cover album featuring his takes on songs from Sam Cooke to the Pointer Sisters to Al Green. After releasing a 5 song EP, Broussard released Keep Coming Back in 2008 and most recently he released a self titled album in June of 2011. The first time I heard the man sing, opening for Matt Nathanson at a small defunct club called Hi-Pointe in 2003, I was shocked to see this voice coming out of a 21 year old white boy. Now at the rip old age of 29, its quite obvious he has learned a lot in the last ten years of his career.

He kicked the night off with a few upbeat songs, “Come Around” and “Hard Knocks.” It was then time to romance the ladies with the ballad “Lonely Night in Georgia”, one of my favorite songs of his. Broussard then played his anthem of self-discovery, and one of his oldest tunes “The Wanderer” before calling up opening act Sarah & Christian Dugas to help out on backing vocals for two new songs, “Lucky” and “Yes Man.”

Marc then introduced us to each member of the band as the played a brief solo before exiting the stage, leaving Broussard alone with his acoustic guitar and a room full of people. First up in the acoustic set was “Come In From The Cold”, the only song on S.O.S. that is NOT a cover. Broussard then played “Let Me Leave” before asking the crowd what they wanted to hear, and no shocker at what was being yelled at the stage.....the fan favorite hidden acoustic song about his son from Carencro called “Gavins Song.”

After continuing the solo acoustic portion of the show with “Hope For Me Yet”, he asked us “do you want the band to come back up?” and as the band started coming in from the outdoor patio and collected the Jager shots poured by a gentlemen who’s sole responsibility seemed to be mixing Jagermeister with A&W Root Beer, the crowd shouted back NO!!! At this time Broussard sent the band back off the stage and he then played “Saturday” followed by another great ballad of his, “Beauty of Who You Are.” It was at this time that Marc told us that it gets boring playing  yourself, and asked the band to come back out to finish up the set. The boys then tore through a few more songs including a cover of Al Greens “Love and Happiness” and finally his biggest hit to date, “Home”, which he had played at Vintage Vinyl acoustic, but now we got to enjoy a rocking rendition with the full band. For the encore, Broussard came back out and slowed it down to sooth the souls with another song from S.O.S., “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”, originally performed by Donny Hathaway, a song that really showcases his vocal chops.

After making his was through a ten year, four album catalog, most of which seemed to come from his 2004 major label debut Carencro, Broussard left the stage. He hung around on the patio to meet some fans, as its no secret Marc has always been a man of the people. It was yet another great performance from one of the hardest working men in the singer songwriter game. Broussard is not only a great songwriter and vocalist, but a fantastic performer. Get more information about Marc here, or just go see him when he plays a club near you, because you need some bayou soul in your life.

My Morning Jacket at The Pageant - St. Louis - 8/2/2011

Words, Photos, Live videos by Bradley Darby

This is being posted two weeks after the show due to lack of internet access for last two weeks.

When it was announced in May that My Morning Jacket would be playing at The Pageant, the feeling that immediately came to me was jubilation. This is a band that I had been dying to see since I first watched the Okonokos DVD and caught a glimpse of what a MMJ show was like. Only problem was, tickets went on sale while I was away at Wakarusa, seeing My Morning Jacket. Luckily a friend that is in the right place was able to help me out and secure me tickets. I vowed to get their early to obtain a premium spot, as their set at Wakarusa not only was the highlight of the weekend, but was nothing short of amazing.

Its not a coincidence that some people consider My Morning Jacket to be one of the best live bands out there right now. The raw energy and emotion put into a performance by the Louisville, Kentucky five piece is something that is hard to express in words (luckily there is video evidence to help me out!) Since the release of their debut album The Tennessee Fire in 1999, MMJ has released five more studio albums with each one giving you a different vibe than the last. Talking with another fan after the show, we both agreed that upon the first listen of each album you are questioning what you just heard.... but give it a few more spins and you start to see what Jim James and the boys are trying to do, as no two albums sound alike. 

The opening band was California indie rockers Delta Spirit, who were fantastic and spent their 45 minute set doing their best to convert each and every person in the room into a believer. By the near standing ovation they received after their set, I think they succeeded. The highlight of their set was the fact that on a few songs they initiated the duel drummer sequence and had two kits set up next to each other while percussionist Brandon Young and Kelly Winrich banged away with the fury of a honey badger as they rattled the bones in your body. I sadly cant give you any more info on their set, but I recommend you check them out. 

 TOUCH ME I'M GOING TO SCREAM PT 2.

My Morning Jacket took the stage at around 9:15 and came on to ominous green glows and haunting bass, both of which borrow from the theme of their most recent album Circuital, released just two months ago. The set kicked off with the opening track from that album, “Victory Dance”, a perfect song to start a set and get the crowd going. Near the end, vocalist Jim James belts out a primal scream and then seamlessly flowed into the second song and title track, “Circuital” before venturing into their prior catalog. 

Yim Yames - The Angel

Front man James has a way for controlling a crowd as he bounces around the stage from side to side, using the monitors as stepping stones along the way while his mane of hair flows through the air like he’s floating above the rest of the world like some angel (shout out to American Dad!) But that’s only when he’s not busy shredding your face off on his flying V guitar and howling screams or soothing your soul with his soft spoken inside voice and acoustic guitar. He is joined by Tom Blankenship on the bass, Patrick Hallahan on drums, Bo Koster on keys and Carl Broemel on guitar. 

“I’m Amazed” from 2008’s Grammy nominated Evil Urges went into another new one, “First Light.” After James took a second to talk to the crowd by telling us about St. Louis being the “power center of the country” and talking about how great it was that there is a place where “the City Museum and the Arch can coexist” (if you dont know the City Museum, you should check this link out) they then went right into “The Way He Sings”, the only song from their 2001 album At Dawn that was played. The new album, Circuital, would make up a major part of the set list as it was only released two months ago. But its a fantastic album, so thats not a bad thing whatsoever. The remainder of the night featured a solid mix of their entire catalog and a total of 24 songs over two and a half hours.

WORDLESS CHORUS

One of MMJs more epic tunes, “Touch Me and I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” went into “Dondonte”, a beautiful, yet deep song about long time friend of the band who took his own life. That song is from 2005’s, Z, one of my favorite MMJ albums that actually played a heavy role in the night with 5 songs including “Dondonte” to end the set and the always amazing “Wordless Chorus” to kick off the encore. After a few more song James then again addressed the sold out rowdy crowd as he told us a story about visiting the City Museum earlier in the day, and how he was trapped in a door maze where he kept having the option of going through two doors, and they kept getting smaller as did the rooms until he was eventually just stuck in a tiny room. (See: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) James then said that made him think of the next song as they then played “Holding On To Black Metal.” The set then ended with the crowd favorite and the always guaranteed to rock your socks off “One Big Holiday” from It Still Moves, their major label debut from 2003. 

ONE BIG HOLIDAY

It had been five years since their last visit to St. Louis, and My Morning Jacket made up for it by keeping a sold out crowd happy for nearly three hours, and blowing the motherfucking roof off The Pageant. I took a friend along who had just gotten into them in the few days leading up to the show, and he was blown away as well. We both agreed that it was quite possibly the loudest concert we had ever attended, and both of us have seen many shows over our years. This show is in strong contention for Best of 2011, and it is going to be tough to top. Luckily I have Wilco at the soon to open Peabody Opera House to look forward too........

 

Setlist

1. Victory Dance (Circuital)

2. Circuital (Circuital)

3. The Dark (The Tennessee Fire)

4. I'm Amazed (Evil Urges)

5. First Light (Circuital)

6. The Way That He Sings (At Dawn)

7. Gideon(Z)

8. Golden (It Still Moves)

9. Slow Slow Tune (Circuital)

10. Heartbreakin' Man (The Tennessee Fire)

11. Off the Record(Z)

12. Mahgeetah (It Still Moves)

13. You Wanna Freak Out (Circuital)

14. Movin' Away (Circuital)

15. Smokin' From Shootin' (Evil Urges)

16. Run Thru (It Still Moves)

17. Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt 2 (Evil Urges)

18. Dondante(Z)

Encore

19. Wordless Chorus (Z)

20. Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream, Part One (Evil Urges)

21. The Day is Coming (Circuital)

22. Holdin' On To Black Metal (Circuital)

23. Anytime(Z)

24. One Big Holiday (It Still Moves)

I Got Funked in the Earhole by Orgone!

Words, Videos, Photos By: Bradley Darby

California funksters Orgone made a stop at the Old Rock House on Saturday night and brought along some friends from Chicago known as The Right Now to support them. It is safe to say that things got a little funky at the Old Rock House on Saturday night, just ask the break dancers or the hundred or so people moving their body to the oh-so-sexy grooves that both bands laid out for three and a half hours.
Orgone also paid a visit to Vintage Vinyl on Saturday afternoon, setting up and playing a 30 minute set for a small gathering of people, some there to see the band and some just shopping for records with a soundtrack. I had the opportunity to record this intimate show, and you can check it out below.



Meanwhile back at the Old Rock House, an eight piece soul group known as The Right Now kicked things off. Vocalist Stephanie Berecz has an amazing, soulful voice that you would expect to hear on a R&B diva and grabbed the attention of everyone in the room by the start of their third song, that is, if her stunning looks hadn’t done so by the first. Backed up by her 7 piece band dressed in shirts and ties, sans the drummer, The Right Now took the crowd by storm. The horn section provided us with some choreographed dance moves when they weren’t tooting their own horns. The set included a Chaka Khan cover of “Ain’t Nobody” as well as a few standout tracks “Ain’t Going Back”, “I Am Who I Say I Am” and “Can’t Speak For You.” Their full length debut, Carry Me Home is available now....I picked a copy up at the show and I am very impressed, I look forward to seeing them again in the near future. Get more information at www.therightnow.com where you can stream a few songs and find plenty of into. You can also stream the full set here.

The Right Now

Up next was the eight headed uber-funk beast from the west coast, Orgone. Hailing from the City of Angels, Orgone is a funk/soul/afro-beat group that features six “regulars” as well as a rotating cast of as many as eleven additional musicians to help out. Always containing a rhythm section with drums, percussion and bass, as well as a horn section, keyboards, and guitar. Saturday they chose to go with an eight man lineup. They also brought along a very special guest in Nicki J. Crawford from Louisiana to provide vocals on a few songs. The energy this band can exude at one of their shows is unparalleled, and it can be seen in either guitarist Sergio Rios as he is constantly dancing around with his curly hair isn’t flopping around. As the first song started, a break dancing circle began directly in front of Rios, with around five or six dancers passing off the break dancing torch to one another. At time a drunk girl would stumble into the middle and attempt to dance, but not long after she would be run out by the break dancer as they continued to bust a move throughout the entire set.

Orgone

Orgone wasted no time jumping right into some filthy funk with “Mantanza” from their most recent album, Cali Fever. After “Its What You Do”, Sergio Rios addressed the crowd for the first time by saying “Whats up St. Louis! we have a lot of fucking love for St. Louis” and then he introduced Nicki J Crawford for the first time for “Funky Nassau”, from The Killion Floor, that featured a fantastic percussion solo by Stewart Killen. After one more song, “You Got to Give It Up”, Crawford left the stage and the rest of the band played one of my personal favorites, “Hambone” as well as “Sweatshop.” Just under two hours after they set sail on the journey that is an Orgone show, they ended the set with a song that included no horns, a nice change of pace, and it sounded just as good as the rest.

Watching Orgone jam out some soulful funk while just feeding off of each others energy is an experience. I would highly suggest you check them out if given the opportunity. You can get more information on Orgone by checking out their website www.orgonespace.com

Orgone Setlist


The Right Now Setlist

WakaRooJamCamp: A Summer Music Festival Preview

Note: This is the article that gave me the idea for the name of this blog...there are multiple reasons behind it, but the name was just something fun I thought of so I went with it. I am also going to be attending Wakarusa next week with some special privileges so look forward to an in depth review appearing both on Concert Confessions as well as InsideSTL, the two sites that I contribute to. What you are about to read was originally posted on both of those sites previously.
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Perpetual Groove bassist Adam Perry - Wakarusa 2010

Originally Appeared:

5/15/2011 Concert Confessions http://concertconfessions.com/2011/05/wakaroojamcamp/

5/15/2011 InsideSTL http://www.insidestl.com/insideSTLcom/Community/STLMusic/tabid/77/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6666/WakaRooJamCamp-A-Summer-Music-Festival-Preview.aspx

It is an interesting time in the music world right now. Concert ticket sales are way down, yet prices seem to be up. Massive tours have been forced to cut dates due to slow ticket sales. With the music industry in disarray and the future leaning towards digital music (and quite possibly the return of the vinyl!!) the multi-day music festival made famous by Woodstock has made a strong return.

There is something unique about being able to see multiple bands from different genres while having the ability to indulge in as many tasty beverages as you wish and stumble back to a camp site just a few hundred yards from the action, only to wake up the next morning and do the whole thing over again. Not to mention hanging out with 7,000 - 70,000 of your closest friends; enjoying bonfires, drum circles, costume contests and villages filled with vendors offering a wide array of food from gyros to NY style pizza to dank nachos and portabello wraps. I have heard the 2 Sisters Corn Dogs are the things that legends are made of..... You can buy a hand knitted koozie cup with a string to hang it from your neck, or a grilled cheese for $1 after a 3am late night Perpetual Groove , Umphreys McGee or Dirtfoot set.

Everyone has heard of Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Coachella, and Lollapalooza but I want to introduce you to some other festivals that you may want to consider checking out this summer. Some of these are in their first or second year, while some of these are established but maybe just not as well known or large. There are more festivals popping up each year now, and some such as 10,000 Lakes and Rothbury not returning, leaving space for promoters to start new festivals such as Hangout Music Festival and the Yonder Mountain String Band Harvest Festival.

Here’s a quick peek at a few festivals happening this summer, and links to get more information. Please note that all artists are subject to change. Also, I have not attended all of these... but I know a guy that dated a girl who knows a guy that once met a guy who has been to quite a few of them. Gas up the VW minibus and get out your tie-dye, the music festival is back!

Hangout Music Festival - May 20-22 Gulf Shores Alabama

A truly unique festival experience , the Hangout Festival enters its second year ocean side in Gulf Shores. Offering one of the more diverse lineups over three days, the Hangout Festival will feature artists from Widespread Panic to Paul Simon to the Foo Fighters, it is easy to find something for everyone at Hangout. Late night get your freak on with sets from Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and Big Gigantic. Other acts over the weekend include The Black Keys, Ween, STS9, Motorhead, Cee-Lo Green, Primus, Medeski Martin and Wood, Matisyahu and Old Crow Medicine Show. Since you are on the beach you can relax with some sand in your feet and wind in your hair, and there is no need to bring your tent or shower shoes as they offer condo VIP packages. Tickets start at around $174

Summercamp - May 27-29 at Three Sisters Park - Chillicothe, Illinois

This one is heavy on the jam bands, but in a damn good way. Enjoy sets from Widespread Panic, STS9, Bassnectar, The Avett Brothers, Girl Talk, and Yonder Mountain String Band. In addition to their three sets, Umphrey’s McGee will serve as the backing band to Huey Lewis for his set which is being billed as Huey Lewis and the rUMors. New Yorks moe. also has three sets. Do yourself a favor and catch Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile who will slay dragons with his mandolin, don’t forget a hefty dose of Tea Leaf Green, and the 7 Walkers featuring drummer Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead, Papa Mali on guitar and vocals, and bassist George Porter Jr. Tickets will run you $180 plus fees but do NOT include the late night sets, those must be purchased separately.

Wakarusa - June 2-5 at Mulberry Mountain - Ozark, Arkansas

Born in 2004, Wakarusa originally took place in Lawrence, Kansas until moving to the current location about an hour outside of Fayetteville in the stunning Ozark National Forest in 2009. With 6 stages, 140 bands, 170 sets of music and 24-hours of endless music and activities throughout 4 days including My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper and Relentless 7, Mumford and Sons, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Umphreys McGee, Budos Band, Split Lip Rayfield (pictured), Cornmeal and Galactic. Late night the festival is overtaken by the Interstellar Meltdown, where for no additional cost you get to catch late night sets from STS9 (2 sets), Bassnecter, Ghostland Observatory, Shpongletron, and Thievery Corporation in addition to many other DJs and electronic acts. Dont forget to stop by the Chompdown on Friday morning in the campground and meet up with nearly 1000 of your closest friends for a communal breakfast. Thats right, going on its 5th year at Wakarusa the Chompdown is a group of people coming together to prepare and serve a FREE breakfast. Campers donate everything from bacon and eggs to juice and supplies for mimosa’s and bloody mary’s to cure that hangover from the previous night. You can even get fried oreos and PB&J for the kids and music will be provided by Dirtfoot, who also kick the festival off on Thursday afternoon and close it down on Sunday evening. Mix this all together with one of the more beautiful festival sites around and you have the makings for an epic extended weekend. A full event pass will cost you $169 plus camping, and both camping passes and event passes are selling fast!

Split Lip Rayfield at Wakarusa 2010

Mountain Jam - June 2-5  at Hunter Mountain - Hunter, New York

The Seventh Annual Mountain Jam, created by Warren Haynes who will also perform with Gov’t Mule and the Warren Haynes Band, takes place at Hunter Mountain, a world class ski resort in the Catskill Mountains. Other than host Warren Haynes, you can also catch performances from My Morning Jacket, Avett Brothers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Bela Fleck, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, as well as Umphreys McGee making dreams come true by performing with John Oates. Attendance will be capped at 15,000 people, with a very limited number of camping packages also available. A full event pass will run you $187.50 and includes camping.

Dave Matthews Band Caravan - 4 Stops - Atlantic City, Chicago, New York City, The Gorge

It was announced last year that for the first time in their 20 year history, the Dave Matthews Band would be taking some much deserved time off. It was widely known that there was no chance of Dave Matthews sitting back and not getting together for a Dave & Tim tour, or maybe even a Dave & Friends festival appearance. But DMB decided to go a whole different route and play four weekends, in a festival like setting, and to call it the Dave Matthews Band Caravan. The four city trek will hit Atlantic City, NJ June 24-26 before stopping in Chicago on July 8-10. After that its off to New York City August 26-28 and finally in typical DMB fashion, The Gorge in Washington for Labor Day Sept 2-4. Every stop features different acts, but each will feature the Dave Matthews Band performing a full set each night. In both Atlantic City and Chicago you can catch Ray Lamontagne, O.A.R., The Flaming Lips, and David Gray. Atlantic City also throws in Budos Band, Punch Brothers, and Bassnectar. If you decide to wait for Chicago in July then you will get Drive By Truckers, Ben Folds, and G. Love. Recently reunited jam band Dispatch joins The Roots and Gogol Bordello for the last two stops in New York City and The Gorge, with the west coast getting Australia’s John Butler Trio and NYC getting moe. Three day tickets start at $195 for each stop.

Summerfest - June 29 – July 10 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The worlds largest music festival attracts between 800K - 1 Million people annually at the Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee. Featuring 700 bands spread out across 11 stages, including the 23,000 seat Marcus Amphitheater, the festival runs for 11 days from noon-midnight. This year you can see Peter Gabriel, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates, and Heart if you are not into the whole 80s thing, or you can watch legends like George Clinton, Wanda Jackson, and Taj Mahal.... and that is just in the first two days! Maroon 5, Kid Rock and Ben Harper will also appear, along with Florence + the Machine, The Black Keys, O.A.R. and Peter Frampton. The possibilities are endless at Summerfest! American Idols Danny Gokey, teenage dream Katy Perry, and the Yonder Mountain String Band or Goo Goo Dolls, Dropkick Murphys, and the Flaming Lips. Do you like country? How about Sugarland, Toby Keith, and Jason Aldean? Finally 311 and Hollywood Undead close it out on Sunday July 10. If you cant find at least one or two artists each day that you would like to watch, then you just don’t like music.

LouFest - August 27-28 at Forest Park - St. Louis, Missouri

This will be the 2nd year for St. Louis’ LouFest featuring two days of music on two stages at the Central Fields in Forest Park.  Last years lineup featured She & Him and Jeff Tweedy, this years lineup is headlined by The Roots and TV on the Radio. Other performances will include The Hold Steady, Deerhunter, Cat Power, Das Racist, and !!!. Another great aspect of LouFest is that it offers St. Louis’ own local bands a chance to play in front of crowds they typically wouldn’t draw, including Troubadour Dali, Jon Hardy and the Public, and Old Lights. Last years festival was a great success, and this years is shaping up that way already with both levels of Early Bird pricing selling out in a matter of days. The festival also carries a very strong ‘green’ message, offering recycling, composting, free valet bike parking, and a refillable water station for those Nalgene bottles.

Dirtfoot's Sax-man Scotty Gerardy - Harvest Festival Chompdown 2010

YMSB Harvest Festival - October 13-16 at Mulberry Mountain - Ozark, Arkansas

Sure I said summer festivals, but this one is too good to not mention now. One of the highlights of 2010 for me, Yonder Mountain String Band overtakes Mulberry Mountain in October, the same site that holds the Wakarusa Festival in June, for a much more intimate vibe when they bring us their Harvest Festival. Featuring four days of bluegrass, newgrass, folk and americana music this is quickly becoming a must attend festival. Last year was the first installment and featured Keller Williams, Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Martin Sexton, Leftover Salmon, Split Lip Rayfield, Dirtfoot and of course two nights of Yonder. It is still early for the specific lineup, but the stars are pointing towards a great weekend when you see the leaked rumored artists on Pollstar and Jambase including Bela Fleck, Todd Snider, Leftover Salmon, Great American Taxi, The Travelin' McCoury's, Steep Canyon Rangers, and of course the Yonder Mountain String Band. The OFFICIAL lineup should be coming out in the next few weeks, but this one is limited to only 7,000 tickets sold so don’t hesitate to get your tickets early! Plus the Ozark National Forest is in its prime during the middle of October.  Right now tickets are only $99 plus fees.