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Sure, we were all a bit bummed when it was announced that Langerado was canceling due to some strategic issues back in February. But lucky for us Florida festival lovers, there’s always something else brewing. This weekend, it’s the first annual Harvest of Hope Fest, a multi-stage music festival blending punk rock, hip hop and blues into one outdoor setting all benefiting the Harvest of Hope Foundation, an organization providing direct aid to migrant farm workers and their families.
I’ve been following the Fest since early February, and it’s like Christmas Eve knowing that opening night is tomorrow. If you want more details, check out the links below to articles in the Gainesville Sun, including a one-on-one with Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel.
Harvest of Hope Fest will draw music lovers
I love February. And not just for the fact that winter is finally over in Florida and we’re back to enjoy 70 degree weather.
Every February Dave Matthews Band releases their summer tour dates. It’s like clockwork. Right around the time when I need to renew my membership on Warehouse, an e-mail pops up in my inbox announcing the next strand of tour dates.
This summer will mark my 11th Dave Matthews Band show (Call me obsessive, fine, but you haven’t lived until you’ve seen them live). Last year was pretty incredible because his Atlanta show fell on my 21st birthday, so it’ll be hard to top. But this year is a big year for Dave. With their first studio album in four years coming out June 2, it’s going to be a different kind of tour. I’m always hesitant about seasoned bands touring a new album, because obviously you want them to play the songs that got you hooked—Crush, Satellite, Two Step, Ants Marching, you know, the songs that embody everything the band is—but the band will most likely be promoting their new stuff. And I’m always down to groove to something different, as long as few throwbacks are tossed in the middle.
But I’m even more curious about who’s going to replace LeRoi Moore on sax since he passed last August after an ATV accident. It’s eerie thinking he’s not going to be on that stage. For the 18 some years that DMB has been touring, the band hasn’t shuffled through a slew of members. For the most part, it’s always just been Dave, Stefan, Boyd, Carter and LeRoi. (Minus the beginning 3 years when Peter Griesar was on keyboards.) And it’s rare to say that the the majority of founding members of a band are still playing together almost 20 years later. I am pumped that Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is going to stick with the band on sax through the summer tour and future projects.
But, here are the dates:
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | SUPPORT |
| 05/27/09 | Darien Center, NY | Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center | Robert Randolph & The Family Band |
| 05/29/09 | Boston, MA | TBA | TBA |
| 05/30/09 | Boston, MA | TBA | TBA |
| 06/05/09 | Hartford, CT | New England Dodge Music Center | Femi Kuti and The Positive Force |
| 06/06/09 | Hartford, CT | New England Dodge Music Center | Femi Kuti and The Positive Force |
| 06/09/09 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Molson Amphitheatre | Femi Kuti and The Positive Force |
| 06/10/09 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Parc Jean Drapeau | Femi Kuti and The Positive Force |
| 06/12/09 | Saratoga Springs, NY | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | The Hold Steady |
| 06/13/09 | Saratoga Springs, NY | Saratoga Performing Arts Center | The Hold Steady |
| 06/16/09 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center | The Hold Steady |
| 06/17/09 | Maryland Heights, MO | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | The Hold Steady |
| 06/19/09 | Burgettstown, PA | Post-Gazette Pavilion | The Hold Steady |
| 06/20/09 | Burgettstown, PA | Post-Gazette Pavilion | The Hold Steady |
| 07/18/09 | East Troy, WI | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | Umphrey’s McGee |
| 07/19/09 | East Troy, WI | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | Umphrey’s McGee |
| 07/21/09 | Wantagh, NY | Nikon at Jones Beach Theater | Old Crow Medicine Show |
| 07/22/09 | Wantagh, NY | Nikon at Jones Beach Theater | Old Crow Medicine Show |
| 07/24/09 | Hershey, PA | Hersheypark Stadium | Jason Mraz |
| 07/28/09 | Clarkston, MI | DTE Energy Music Theatre | Old Crow Medicine Show |
| 07/29/09 | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | Blossom Music Center | Old Crow Medicine Show |
| 07/31/09 | Noblesville, IN | Verizon Wireless Music Center | Hill Country Revue |
| 08/01/09 | Noblesville, IN | Verizon Wireless Music Center | Hill Country Revue |
| 08/04/09 | Syracuse, NY | Alliance Bank Stadium | Donovan Frankenreiter |
| 08/05/09 | Bethel, NY | Bethel Woods Center for the Arts | Donovan Frankenreiter |
| 08/07/09 | Virginia Beach, VA | Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater | Donovan Frankenreiter |
| 08/08/09 | Bristow, VA | Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge | Donovan Frankenreiter |
| 08/12/09 | Tampa, FL | Ford Amphitheatre | Robert Earl Keen |
| 08/14/09 | West Palm Beach, FL | Cruzan Amphitheatre | Robert Earl Keen |
| 08/15/09 | West Palm Beach, FL | Cruzan Amphitheatre | Robert Earl Keen |
| 08/29/09 | San Francisco, CA | TBA | TBA |
| 08/30/09 | Fresno, CA | Save Mart Center | TBA |
| 09/01/09 | West Valley City, UT | USANA Amphitheatre | Yonder Mountain String Band |
| 09/04/09 | George, WA | Gorge Amphitheatre | G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band |
| 09/05/09 | George, WA | Gorge Amphitheatre | G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band |
| 09/06/09 | George, WA | Gorge Amphitheatre | G. Love & Special Sauce and Yonder Mountain String Band |
| 09/12/09 | Chula Vista, CA | Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre | Switchfoot |
| 09/13/09 | Irvine, CA | Verizon Wireless Amphitheater | Switchfoot |
| 09/19/09 | Scranton, PA | Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain | TBA |
| 09/22/09 | Camden, NJ | Susquehanna Bank Center | Robert Randolph & The Family Band |
| 09/23/09 | Camden, NJ | Susquehanna Bank Center | Robert Randolph & The Family Band |
| 09/25/09 | Des Moines, IA | Principal Park | Robert Randolph & The Family Band |
| 09/26/09 | Tinley Park, IL | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre | TBA |
| 09/29/09 | Little Rock, AR | Dickey-Stephens Park | TBA |
| 09/30/09 | Kansas City, MO | Sprint Center | TBA |
| 10/02/09 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center | TBA |
I’ll probably head to West Palm Beach for the Aug. 15 show, although I secretly hope to be making enough money to make it the the Gorge. I’ve yet to make out there (It’s tough to fly across the country for a concert when you’re a poor, starving college student), and I’m really not serving my duty as a devoted fan and music lover if I haven’t seen a show there. Cause c’mon, check out the view:
There’s a strong possibility that I would see God if I went to that concert.
People always seem shocked when I drive home to Atlanta by myself for Christmas from Gainesville, FL. Sure, it’s a boring drive with not a sole to talk to, but it never really bothers me. I find it refreshing: just me, the open road and my constant scroll of music.
The upgraded from an iPod Nano to an iTouch makes the 5-hour drive through middle-of-nowhere Georgia much more bearable. The opportunities are endless when you have 16gigs of music and a limitless amount of battery–OK…14 hours, but anywhere I’m going I’ll get there by then. That’s right, the perfect ingredients for an all-out dance party. Unfortunately I’m bound to a couple cubic feet of wiggle room once I lock my 2006 Ford Escape on cruise control, but the energy is just the same.
I have the bad habit of rocking out on these drives. And along with the cheapest places to stop for gas all through Georgia, I’ve come across my absolute favorite songs to sing loudly too with the windows rolled up so no one can hear my screeching.
1. Martina McBride – A Broken Wing
2. Stroke 9 – Washin’ and Wonderin’
3. Carrie Underwood – Last Name
4. John Legend – Green Light
5. Kellie Pickler – Red High Heels
6. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
7. Corey Smith – If I Could Do It Again
8. The Who – Baba O’Riley
9. Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men
10. Dave Matthews Band – Ants Marching
11. Reba McEntire – Fancy
12. Benjy Davis Project – Louisiana Saturday Night
13. Carrie Underwood – Before He Cheats
I’m really not the biggest fan of country music. It’s not my fault that pissed off Southern chicks come up with the best lyrics to sing loudly.
Read for round two?
Feeding Fingers announced their second album, Baby Teeth, will be released Jan. 27 in a split-label release between front man Justin Curfman’s company Tephramedia and Stickfigure Records.
In keeping with the current trend of digital downloads, Feeding Fingers is throwing in free downloads of unreleased music and a full-track download of Baby Teeth, promised within 24 hours of your pre-order, for those fans not willing to wait the five month downtime. Plus you’re entered in a drawing to win a slew of Feeding Fingers merchandise. Not a bad deal for the $12 album that’s shaping up to be as addictive as their first full-length Wound in the Wall. Check out 30-second clips from upcoming tracks here.
Nothing goes better with a new album than a U.S. tour. When and where is yet to be decided, but the opening show and official CD release of Baby Teeth is booked for Jan. 29 at the Drunken Unicorn as part of the Stickfigure Records 2009 Showcase.
It’s no denying what happened to the independent record industry when Best Buy hit the market in the early 90s. But whether that happened directly because of Best Buy or from the beginning of the digital revolution in the later 90s/early 2000s, is still a toss up.
So when Best Buy announced it will begin to sell music instruments and gear by the end of the year, what would it be like for independent retailers?
I caught up with some of Atlanta’s indie music stores—Earthshaking Music and Dirt Cheep Music—to get their views on Best Buy invading their turf.
What I thought would be concern turned out to be indifference. Sure, it’s not as though they’re welcoming this surge in competition, but they’re confident that the expertise that strictly instrument retailers offer can’t be matched by a warehouse-like store.
Atlanta’s music stores not worried about Best Buy’s in-store music centers
The Internet rocks.
Due to previous commitments, I missed the premiere of MTV’s newest show Buzzin’ last Wednesday. But thankfully, most major networks stream whole episodes of your fave shows via the Internet, so Thursday morning before work I got to check out what everyone’s been buzzin’ about—pun, intended.
Cisco Adler has teamed up with a Malibu trailer park resident, 22-year-old Aaron Smith, better known to the mainstream as Shwayze, for not only the TV show but on his first full-length album, Shwayze, which will be released August 19.
I’ve listened to the two singles, Buzzin’ and Corona and Lime about 50 times since they’ve been released online. Strangely addictive and fitting perfectly into the college-music scene, it’s pretty chill music, and you can’t help but bounce to the beat.
Cisco Adler and Shwayze’s Buzzin’ premiered Wednesday on MTV
Catching up on my daily dose of kissatlanta.com sometime back in June, something caught my eye. Preston Craig has created an ice cream truck, Bodega Nights, that caters exclusively to the late night club scene.
I was intrigued, but I had to see this for myself.
So I pitched the idea, my editor took hold and I swapped a Friday night out for some quality time with this truck.
It was awesome. I spent most of the night chatting with Lindsey Ibarra, kissatlanta.com blogger, Preston’s best friend/sidekick and keeper of ice cream, inside the truck and getting a taste of what this whole idea was all about.
Preston assured me that “Ice cream trucks outside of clubs is not a new phenomenon.” I admit to not being the most traveled party girl, or the most researched party girl, or even the biggest party girl, but I’ve never seen or heard of being greeted after a long, sweaty night of boozing and dancing with some good, old-fashioned frozen treats.
Craig first had the idea of a hot dog cart. But, apparently open food carts are illegal in Atlanta. It must be sold in a closed area. There’s a new thing I learned today. But ice cream is a much better idea, especially since things are definitely getting warmer in the city.
It is a pretty revolutionary idea for Atlanta though, it being the only late night mobile convenience store/ice cream truck in the city. Sure greasy food and alcohol mix perfectly, but I can’t think of anything I would want more than something cold to suck on—That’s what she said!—after being cramped in a club for long hours.
When need something like this is Gainesville, Fla., when summer doesn’t end until December.
Preston Craig kicks off Eastern Bloc with Bodega Nights ice cream truck
I’m a sucker for trashy television. Primetime dramas, meaningless reality shows and “The search for the next (insert action noun) with (insert celebrity has-been).” I watch one segment of one hour of one show, and I’m hooked until the end. Rock of Love, Shot of Love, Legally Blonde, Grey’s Anatomy, Next Food Network Star. (OK, the last one might not be that bad, but it still made the cut.) It’s a horribly vicious cycle.
But hey, at least I’m not afraid to admit it.
So when I saw that Atlanta was hosting an open call audition for—you guessed it—an MTV reality show, I jumped on the chance to go check it out.
Credit goes to Ms. Janet Jackson for bringing us the next reality series and her search for her prodigy.
Doron Ofir Casting, responsible for the fine-picked contestants from some of our favorite reality shows like Shot of Love, Bachelor/Bachelorette, Flavor of Love, Real World/Road Rules and Survivor, picked up on the chance to oversee casting for Ms. Jackson’s prodigy search.
Being the untalented person that I am, I’ve never been to audition before, expect if you could cheerleading tryouts back in high school. It was definitely entertaining, although I was surprised that there weren’t more outright horrible contestants like in American Idol (as if we didn’t already know they picked some bad people on purpose). The majority of them had some sort of talent, even if they weren’t exactly what Doron Ofir and his casting crew were looking for.
Rock on, Atlanta.
Janet Jackson’s reality show hosts open call audition
Pictures to come in next post.
Bluegrass is one of those genres that’s touch-and-go for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love toe-tappin’ melodies and a bit o’ twang in my life. And when a band comes along that just nail those harmonies—ah, it’s golden. But I’ve got to be a particular kind of mood to fully appreciate everything about it.
One of the first—if not the first—articles I wrote for Creative Loafing was about DejaBlue Grass Band’s release party, celebrating their debut CD, Bucket Full of Rain. I would never have believed that these Atlanta locals who packed out the dim-lit Red Light Cafe one Thursday in May would be competing on the main stage at the 35th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in the same contest that launched Dixie Chicks and Nickel Creek.
Twelve acts were initially chosen for the contest, and narrowed to four that played in front of thousands. Click ahead to read the rest.
DejaBlue Grass Band placed 2nd at 35th annual Telluride Festival
