Summer Festival Guide 2009
With Bonnaroo a week away, I’m totally in summer festie mode now. So I figured I would break down everything worth considering left to fest this season and evaluate whether it is worth your economic stimulus:
June 4 – 7: Wakarusa (Ozark, AR)
The lowdown: A jamband heavy festival formerly based in Kansas, sometimes called the “Poor Man’s Bonnaroo”, has been happening since 2004.
Best bets: STS9, Gov’t Mule, Les Claypool, Buckethead, Galactic, The Hood Internet
The verdict: Only for hippies, but definitely a fun one.
June 5 – 13: Riverbend Festival (Chattanooga, TN)
The lowdown: Huge corporate city festival happening since 1981.
Best bets: Dead Confederate, Willie Nelson, The Wailers, The B-52′s
The verdict: Worth checking out if you happen to accidentally end up in Chattanooga.
June 5 – 6: Wanee Music Festival (Live Oak, FL)
The lowdown: Allman Brothers affiliated festival heavy in southern jambands that has been happening since 2005.
Best bets: Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, Keller Williams, The Doobie Brothers, Buddy Guy
The verdict: Great if you want to just chill out on some headies brah.
June 6 – 7: Virginia-Highland Summerfest (Atlanta, GA)
The lowdown: This will be the 26th year of this typical Atlanta neighborhood fest.
Best bets: The Constellations, Manchester Orchestra, Cowbow Mouth
The verdict: I hope you’re not going here for the music.
June 11 – 14: Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (Manchester, TN)
The lowdown: “The superbowl of music festivals” has been the flagship of this decade’s golden age of festivals.
Best bets: Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Phish, Nine inch Nails, Mars Volta, TV On The Radio, Of Monteal, Bon Iver
The verdict: Wouldn’t miss it for anything.
June 25 – 28: Athfest (Athens, GA)
The lowdown: The Athens music scene’s greatest showcase.
Best bets: Twin Tigers, Cinemechanica, A Armada, Pegasuses-XL, We Versus the Shark, Dead Confederate
The verdict: I wish this wasn’t the same weekend as Corndogorama.
June 27 – 28: Corndgorama (Atlanta, GA)
The lowdown: Atlanta’s premiere festival in showcasing the local underground scene.
Best bets: Club Awesome, Nomen Novum, This Piano Plays itself, Today The Moon, Tomorrow The Sun, Thy Mighty Contract
The verdict: Don’t be a sucker and miss this one.
July 2 – 5: Rothbury Music Festival (Rothbury, MI)
The lowdown: Jamband-era Bonnaroo V 2.0; the hippest big hippie fest
Best bets: Broken Social Scene, Bob Dylan, The Dead, Nas, Girl Talk
The verdict: I would like to see what all the hype is about.
July 4 – 5: 80/35 Festival (Des Moines, IA)
The lowdown: Iowa keeps getting more progressive I guess.
Best bets: Broken Social Scene, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Maps & Atlases, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks
The verdict: If you’re looking for an excuse to celebrate the 4th in the heartland.
July 9 – 11: The SPOONX3 (Austin, TX)
The lowdown: Spoon has a micro-fest at Stubbs to debut new material.
Best bets: …And You Will Know us From The Trail of Dead, Low, Atlas Sound
The verdict: Would be cool, but probably not worth the trip.
July 9 – 12: All Good Music Festival & Campout (Masontown, WV)
The lowdown: Has a reputation for being one of the funnest jammy fests
Best bets: Lake Trout, Buckethead, Bob Weir & Ratdog
The verdict: Do it for the party, not the music.
July 10 -14: Forecastle (Louisville, KY)
The lowdown: This 8th annual fest tries to please every sort of genre fan.
Best bets: Royal Bangs, Maps & Atlases, Dead Confedrate, Gringo Star, Man Man, Annuals, Umphrey’s McGee
The verdict: If you’re going to at least 10 fests this year, add this to your itinerary.
July 12: Rock The Bells (Washington, DC)
The lowdown: Touring hip-hop festival that will only come as close to us as DC.
Best bets: Nas, The Roots, Common, Big Boi, Wu-tang members, Chali 2na
The verdict: If you want to see the best in hip-hop touring this year, its probably worth the trip.
July 16 – 18: Camp Bisco 8 (Mariaville, NY)
The lowdown: The Disco Biscuits‘ own festival that is a huge danceparty
Best bets: Disco Biscuits, Flying Lotus, Nas, Chromeo
The verdict: If you’re looking for the highest concentration of drugs per square mile, you’ve found your fest.
July 17 – 19: Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago, IL)
The lowdown: The music website taste makers showcase their favourites.
Best bets: Built To Spill, Yo La Tengo, Tortoise, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Plants And Animals, Ponytail, Final Fantasy, The Flaming Lips, Grizzly Bear, M83, Women
The verdict: The best fest left this year that I have no chance of attending.
July 22 – 26: Merge XX (Carrboro, NC)
The lowdown: Merge Records celebrating their 20th anniversary
Best bets: Lou Barlow, Destroyer, Lambchop, The Magnetic Fields, Conor Oberst, M Ward, The Rosebuds
The verdict: This looks like a pretty awesome reason to visit the Carolina booneys.
July 31 – August 2: All Points West Music & Arts Festival (Jersey City, NJ)
The lowdown: Coachella’s east coast imperialism
Best bets: My Bloody Valentine, Tool, St. Vincent, Mogwai, Akron/Family, MGMT
The verdict: it’s not like you need a reason to visit New York, but here you go.
August 7 – 9: Lollapalooza (Chicago, IL)
The lowdown: Perry Farrell’s once fallen fest has risen like a phoenix after adopting the Bonnaroo/Coachella model and calling Chicago its home.
Best bets: Depeche Mode, Tool, Jane’s Addiction, Animal Collective, Of Montreal, TV On The Radio, Bon Iver, Deerhunter, Dan Deacon, Bat For Lashes
The verdict: Chicago has the best urban festivals.
August 28 – 30: Nophest (Atlanta, GA)
The lowdown: Everything good about the local DIY scene.
Best bets: No lineup yet, but trust me, there will be plenty of goodness.
The verdict: You will want to be here.
August 28 – 30: Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival (San Francisco, CA)
The lowdown: In its second year, they are upping the ante
Best bets: Mars Volta, TV On The Radio, Built To Spill, Mastodon, Deerhunter, The Dodos, Akron/Family, Ween, Pearl Jam
The verdict: A worthwhile fest in the west.
September 11 – 13: All Tomorrow’s Parties New York (Monticello, NY)
The lowdown: This global festival from the future occurs multiple times a year and now has a regular annual throwdown in New York State.
Best bests: Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Deerhunter, Deerhoof, Autolux, Atlas Sound
The verdict: ATP = lifechanging
- Posted by Davy Minor on June 3, 2009 at 4:28 pm
One Response to “Summer Festival Guide 2009”
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Anonymous Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Be sure to check out We Vs. the Shark at Athfest!
Post a comment.
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Anonymous Says:
June 4th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Be sure to check out We Vs. the Shark at Athfest!
