New site for Festival Preview

Hello festival-goers,

Festival Preview has recently gone through a major site upgrade and will now be posting festival news for all genres on the new beta version of FestivalPreview.com. The rock section of the new site can be found here. Come sign up at the new site and join in on the fun!

Jessica Bailiff
Publishing Associate
Festival Preview

Outside Lands: the time is upon us

By Mike Ruby

I'm posting this article immediately after selling off my Lollapalooza ticket. It was difficult to part with, but this cloud has a silver lining that could lift the spirits of festival-goers nationwide. Outside Lands, which I've since nicknamed Silver Lining Festival '08, is less than a month away, making attendees giddier than a kid in a candy shop.

I, for one, couldn't be more ecstatic. At the ripe old age of nineteen, I've been to a lot of concerts in my day, but I've never seen either Radiohead or Beck live, let alone in the same evening. I have, however, attended one or more performances by Primus, Ben Harper, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Coup, Tom Petty, Cold War Kids, Rogue Wave, and Toots & the Maytals, and it's safe to say that every one of them is well worth seeing again. I'm also intrigued by Lyrics Born, The Black Keys, and Mike Gordon (sans Phish), all three of which are said to put on excellent shows.

With any freshman festival, you never know how it will turn out or how it will be received. Outside Lands has the potential to become the new Coachella. On the other hand, it could bomb worse than Britney at the VMAs. I find the latter to be very unlikely, but again, you never know.

It's high time that San Francisco host a major festival, and I couldn't be happier that Golden Gate park is being utilized to its full extent. I find the venue to be more beautiful and suitable for a festival than Chicago's Grant Park or even Central Park in NYC. In a cramped and compact city like SF, the park provides a haven of open space. Not only that, but places within the park such as Stow Lake, the DeYoung Museum, the tea garden, and the Academy of Sciences have been a few of my favorite destinations since I was born not too far from there. Now that I live across the bay in Oakland (aka San Francisco's bastard stepchild), a find that something new and exciting happens every time I go into the city, and I predict that the SF atmosphere will make the Outside Lands experience that much more powerful.

As August 22 draws nearer and nearer, my excitement level has been going up exponentially. Every element of Outside Lands is unbearably intriguing. I'm even a little excited to see Jack Johnson for God's sake. That's how you know you've created a damn good festival. Silver Lining '08, here we come.

Rodrigo y Gabriella—a Rothbury discovery

By Andrea Moreno-Beals

The best part of any festival is discovering a fantastic new artist or band that you have never heard before. I had such an experience when I stumbled upon the main stage set by Latin jazz rock fusion duo Rodrigo y Gabriella.

I had just finished listening to what had been up to that point the highlight of my Rothbury weekend — folkly bluesman Taj Mahal. How could it get any better than sitting in the first row right in front of an artist I have loved for years but had never seen live. And he played many of my favorite songs of his that I had been hoping to hear.

When Taj finished up, I wandered over to the main stage to see what was going on there, and sheer amazement rapidly spread over me with every step as I approached Rodrigo y Gabriella's show.

At first I couldn't believe they had booked just two guitar players on the main stage, especially since they didn't seem to be playing any kind of rock n' roll. Soon I realized that they weren't singing either.

It was all instrumental music that they were playing, and yet they had a huge crowd of thousands of people in front of them ecstatically moving to the rapid and invigorating rhythms of their flamenco-style arrangements. The energy was infectious. It was like they were the source of a huge wild fire that had spread over the field full of people.

For the first time that weekend, I was taken out of time and place by the music I was hearing — transported to that place of sheer joy and inspiration that only a live music experience can send you. Bravo for an unforgettable festival experience.

Rothbury should embrace Michigan music scene

By Dustin Edward

Now that the first Rothbury Festival is in the books, it serves as a case-in-point of how to give a big boost to a local economy and save the farm (or ranch, in this instance). Bring in the biggest stages with the best gear and put on the biggest name artists. That'll bring out the people, and everything else follows.

That's what any festival is about, making a city of the people, and creating mass coherence through shared experience. In this case, Rothbury City was built by some of the nation's finest — young, old and corporate alike —people from across the land doing what they do best. I think everybody left honored to have been a part of it.

It took a lot of organizing to get this fest started, and I appreciate being able to see a show as good as any in the nation, right in my backyard.

As great as it was, Rothbury hardly felt like a Michigan festival. The "vibe" that goes with Northern Michigan festivals is some of the best in the land. You'll find voices that speak to your heart. You'll find a town of people who recognize the importance of sharing, sustainability, community building, and music.

First, there weren't many Michigan artists onstage and in the lineup, only two that I counted. This is a state that can support a three-day festival with strictly Michigan artists (check out Hoxeyville). It was a shame that Rothbury missed the chance to include more of the local culture.

I understand that the festival was designed to draw attendees from across the region. A lot of the locals just couldn't afford the high ticket price, or if they did, it meant that they were going to have to miss out on other Michigan fests.

That's the hard line of sustainability that we're dealing with as a planet. It's hard to throw a big festival while maintaining truly sustainable practices, including investing profits back into the community. Sustainability is not just a matter of recycling waste from a festival. It includes the full life-cycle of everything that goes into it—and out of it.

Growing a festival organically takes time. To get Rothbury off the ground and on the map in its first year, the organizers needed to bring in most of the infrastructure from outside, and to transplant the festival in our local soil. Hopefully this transplant will be harmonious and healing to its surrounding environment, and not an invasive species getting a hold over this region.

It is up to us now to do our part to help it grow in the right way. All of the reports I've heard give me hope that the festival promoters are going to work more with Michigan's local culture to make this a Michigan summer music festival fixture, starting off the season with a bang.

Then we Michiganders can head off to Blissfest, Hoxeyville, Dunegrass and Wheatland, to name a few — festivals with years of history and a roots connection with the local scene.

The peninsulated region of Michigan might as well be an island, so every action comes back around. If people are going to come here from afar, that is great. Let's introduce them to peninsula vibe and give them a taste of our culture, whether it's our super beer, our local businesses or our amazing musicians.

And as we enjoy the smaller budget local events, we can use that perspective to understand how we can best integrate Rothbury '09 into the Northern Michigan festival community — there's room for everybody to be a part. Whether that happens by creating a local stage (a little Michigan festival within a national festival) or by having smaller acts in between bigger acts, we can make it even better by building it with the local community.

Next year at Rothbury, we can be patronizing a world-class Michigan brewery like Short's, Bell's or Founder's while listening to some world-class singer/songwriters from right here in our backyard. All the people that travel long distance to see the big acts will take that peninsula vibe with them back to their own lands and spread the word about the culture brewing right here in Michigan.

Mile High announces stage schedule

With Rothbury underway this holiday weekend, the next of the big new rock festivals for 2008 is Mile High Music Festival, two weeks out at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City CO, outside Denver. Today, the festival announced its jam-packed five-stage lineup. Here's a few observations:

The two big headliners, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Dave Matthews Band, close each night on the SanDisk Main Stage, beginning around 9 pm and without competition from the other stages. A late-night Rebel Alliance Jam runs both nights in a side tent after headline act, running till 1 am.

The other open air stages are the Bullsnake and Lizard stages, and two covered venues are the Bison and Elk tent stages. Each will host from four to six acts on each of the festival's two days, and each will have appeal.

Besides the headliners, the Main Stage will host John Mayer, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Rodrigo y Gabriela and more. At Bullsnake, you can catch The Black Crowes, Michael Franti, Steve Winwood and Flogging Molly. Lizard features some of the best local bands, but also acts like m.o.e., Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat.

Head for the tents for relief from the afternoon sun. The Bison tent stage has Andrew Bird and Spoon on Saturday, Leftover Salmon and The Roots on Sunday. On the Elk tent stage, JJ Grey & MOFRO and Lupe Fiasco are the Saturday draws, while Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Pinback hold forth Sunday.

The five-stage schedule offers an infinite set of choices that will drive some attendees crazy trying to fit everything in. My advice is to pick four or five artists that you want to be sure to see start to finish, and then fill in as many partial sets of others that you can reasonably do.

But don't expect to see every act you are interested in — if you try you'll find that you didn't stay long enough to really enjoy any of them.

Vibes inks a five-year deal in Bridgeport

By Dan Ruby

After trying out several sites during its 13-year history, Gathering of the Vibes is settling in for an extended stay at the 370-acre Seaside Park in Bridgeport CT. The festival and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch will sign a five-year contract that will keep The Vibes in place through at least 2012.

This year's event comes off July 31–Aug. 3 with The Neville Brothers, The Black Crowes, and Phil Lesh & Friends headlining. This will be the second consecutive year at the site since the park was renovated several years ago. GOTV also took place in the same location in 1999 and 2000.

In a statement, Mayor Finch said, “We’re excited to continue developing Bridgeport’s relationship with Gathering of the Vibes. The Vibes is an exceptional addition to Bridgeport’s blossoming arts and entertainment scene, as well as a tremendous opportunity to showcase the Park City to thousands of out-of-town guests from throughout the country.”

The four-day festival attracts as many as 20,000 attendees per day. In addition to hosting 40 bands on three stages, the festival features environmental activities, custom arts and crafts vendors, and kids program. Public transportation options are plentiful, making the site easily accessible from anywhere in the region.

The festival and city officials will hold a public contract signing event June 27 at the Seaside Park Bandshell, and the 2008 festival opens for business just about a month after that.

Outside Lands...it just keeps getting better and better

By Mike Ruby


It's always refreshing when a brand new festival emerges onto the scene for the general public to sink its teeth into. Outside Lands has done just that, and while its still two months away, the festival has already proven itself to be the new kid on the block who's intriguing mystique lures people in. I'd put my money on Outside Lands selling out, especially after its latest additions to the lineup. Toots & the Maytals and Rogue Wave are two new ones that I thoroughly look forward to. I've been a loyal Toots fan ever since I discovered them during a reggae festival at Berkeley's Greek Theater. Considering how long the Maytals have been around, they carry themselves on stage as if they hadn't been playing the same songs for thirty years. Their performance at Outside Lands is not to be missed.

As for Rogue Wave, a band from my home town of Oakland CA, their indie vibe ought to integrate quite nicely into the already diverse lineup. Frankly, it took Rogue Wave a couple albums to get their sea legs, but at this point in time, they're ready to rock. When I watched them open for Death Cab a few days ago (also incidentally at the Greek), the band played with enough energy and confidence to turn the thankless job of being the opening band into a legitimate performance. If you've never seen Rogue Wave, circle them on your festival schedule. Also recently included are The Walkmen, Mike Gordon, Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet feat. Bela Fleck, Vienna Teng, Howlin' Rain, Everest, The Dynamites and Carney. Not too shabby.

Like Rothbury, another freshman summer festival, Outside Lands has a group of headliners that would make the average festival-goer require a clean pair of undergarments. Personally, I'd say that the Radiohead/Beck/Primus trifecta seems like more than enough reason to attend the festival. On top of that, Tom Petty, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and the Coup sweeten the deal and The Black Keys and Ben Harper are icing on the cake.

As part of my previous post, I stated my views toward Jack Johnson and how he is less than deserving of the closing slot. However, looking at the size of his fan base, lots of people clearly see in his music something that I don't. So if he's gotten successful enough to headline the final day of a three-day festival, more power to him. The same goes for Wilco and Widespread panic. I don't really get all the hype, but in all fairness, I haven't seen either live, so you never know. The important thing is that all the other bands are still there and the great vastly outweighs the mediocre.

My hat goes off to the producers of Outside Lands. If it turns out as well as I think it will, San Francisco is in for an event the likes of which it has never seen. Hang in there. There's only two more months left to go. Stay tuned for more posts on Outside Lands.

California Worldfest set to kick off July 17th

With Ozomatli as the veritable headliner, the California Worldfest will run from the 17th to the 20th at the Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, CA. With more artists TBA, Worldfest already boasts over 25 artists, and the festival certainly retains the right to use the word "World" in its title-- it's not just reggae that will be played here. Celtic rock, gypsy, Afropop and Sufi trance music are just  some of the world musics that will be encountered in Grass Valley this year; bands are coming from locales as diverse as Iran and Australia.

In keeping with its name, this event will not only feature musicians, but also artisans from around the globe. In addition, there will be a kids program for youngsters' entertainment while adult festivalgoers enjoy the jamming coming out of the festival's eight stages.

If you get your tickets in advance, you can get access to the festival's four days of music and activities, as well as camping, for $140, while non-camping four-day passes go for $120. Single-day tickets will be $60 w/camping and $39 without camping in advance, with the gate prices for campers and non-campers being $70 and $45, respectively.

To check out more of what the 2008 edition of the California Worldfest has to offer, go to the festival's official website.

Take the ferry to All Points West

The All Points West Music & Arts Festival will operate a ferry service to deliver customers between downtown Manhattan and the festival site at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Needless to say, this will provide an attractive option for New Yorkers going to the festival.

Ferry service begins at noon and runs until all festival patrons have returned to Manhattan on all three days of the festival, August 8, 9 and 10. The 15-minute excursion departs from Pier 11 at Wall Street on the East River. The ride passes the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The round-trip fare is $20 at the early bird price and $30 purchased the day of the show. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com. Three-day ferry passes are not available.

Rothbury Makes Adds, Think Tank Announcements

The addition of Trey Anastasio to the lineup of Rothbury Music Festival has just been announced by festival organizers. He is set to perform officially for the first time since December of 2006 at the festival. Anastasio is only one on a list of additions, that include Kraak & Smaak, Underground Orchestra,  DJ Harry, Pnuma Live PA and Fiction Plane. The new lineup can be viewed here. 

In addition, organizers have released the schedule for Rothbury's in-house thnk-tank. Notable events and panelists include Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist Dr. Stephen Schneider and a live taping of the nationally syndicated radio show etown. For the Rothbury Think Tank's full schedule, click here.

Rothbury unveils Think Tank program

By Nick Frazier

Every big music festival pays lip service to sustainability and green practices, but the upcoming Rothbury Festival (July 3-6, Rothbury MI) is looking to differentiate itself by devoting a complete program of panel discussions, workshops and hands on activities to the environmental awareness.

The festival today announced details for the Think Tank program. Sessions run all afternoon Friday, Saturday and Sunday in three venues around the JJ Ranch site. A distinguished faculty of environmental leaders—Eban Goodstein, Hunter Lovins, Stephen Schneider and lots more—will host the panels.

Typical session topics include "The Path to Energy Independence and a New American Energy Revolution" and "How America's Youth Are Driving the Energy Revolution." Several of the sessions feature a "focus on the festival" in looking to apply global topics to the festival experience.

Some sessions will also feature musical guests such as Michael Franti, Citzen Cope and others. The nationally syndicated radio program eTown will provide coverage from the conference that will air on XM and 240 radio outlets following the festival.

Speaking of music, the festival also announced more additions to the music lineup, most notably Trey Anastasio (formerly of Phish). Also added: Kraak & Smaak, Underground Orchestra, DJ Harry, Pnuma LIve and Fiction Plane.

The complete lineup, which is headed by Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic and John Mayer, remains one of the best music menus of the summer, so you have to wonder how many Rothbury attendees are going to sacrifice seeing bands for attending the Think Tank. The detailed music schedule has not yet been posted by the festival, so it isn't possible to see what the conflicts will be.

Hopefully, for many attendees, the conference sessions will provide a change of pace and they will take the time to attend a couple of the panels. Rothbury deserves credit for devoting resources and attention to raising awareness, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact the conference has on the festival audience and the rock music market generally.

Rothbury aims to make a splash with water park

By Nick Frazier

With the recent release of the venue map for Rothbury music festival, to be held in Rothbury, Michigan on July 3-6, the focus is on the festival venue. The Double JJ Ranch, a large family camping and golf resort, offers a substantial number of attractions that make Rothbury more than “just another music festival.”

One example: a water park! The Gold Rush Water park is a staple of the resort will be open during the festival. Alas, nothing in this world is free. For $20, you get admission to the water park, a ride from the festival grounds to the park, plus a towel and shower. The park features multiple water slides, a wave pool, lazy river and several child-oriented areas.

I suppose the water park will be an attraction to some festival attendees, but I can't imagine many will want to sacrifice an afternoon of music for the experience. The greatest benefit of the park to festival-goers may be the showers, but $20 is pretty steep for that, especially since showers are also available in the campground for festival attendees.

With all the ways to spend money at Rothbury, cavorting on the water slides is just the latest enticement from festival promoters to draw a big crowd for the first-time festival. Expect to hear about more ways to enhance your festival experience (and spend your money) as the event approaches.

FN sets details for Whistler and Jackson Hole fests

Festival Network fleshed out its strategy for producing quality new events in resort locations by announcing details this week for two new properties, Whistler Music Festival and Jackson Hole Music Festival. Both festivals will present mainly rock lineups, but the emphasis is on performers like Elvis Costello and Wilco that will attract an older and better-heeled audience than some of the mainstream rock festivals.

Both events take place at major mountain resort destinations and will offer an attendee experience that reflects the upscale positioning. No camping facilities will be provided, since the tourism associations partnering with Festival Network on the events are mostly interested in filling condo rooms during the summer season. Both locations offer plenty of good off-site camping options.

The preliminary lineup for the Whister Festival shapes up as a diverse set of artists that could appeal to more discerning festival-goers. The list starts with Elvis Costello, who will apparently take a night off from a U.S. tour with The Police, for the Whistler engagement. Others named so far are The Roots, Broken Social Scene, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Medeski Martin & Wood, Bedouin Soundclash and Serena Ryder.

The event will be held July 19-20 at The Tube Park at Base II on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, the ski resort 75 miles north of Vancouver BC that will host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. It is flying into direct competition from Live Nation Canada's Pemberton Festival, which runs a week later in the same market. Pemberton will present Coldplay, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nine-Inch Nails, Jaz-Z, The Tragically Hip and lots more on two stages.

The shootout for the British Columbia market in July is a microcosm of the competitive North American festival market as a whole in 2008, in which a half dozen or more big new festivals are launching first-time events during a period of economic slowdown.

Festival Network's Jackson Hole event has a slightly alt-country tilt, with Wilco and Son Volt among the headliners and The Avett Brothers on the bill. The Black Crowes also get headliner billing, and Medeski, Martin & Wood, Backdoor Slam and Kaki King round out the preliminary lineup. Additional artists will be announced for both festivals in the coming weeks.

The Jackson Hole event takes place in a natural outdoor amphitheater at the base of the Bridger Gondola in Teton Village, adjacent to Grand Teton National Park. According to Festival NetworkCEO Tom Shepard, Jackson Hole embodies the qualities the company wants to define its festivals—"presenting a diverse array of artists for the refined musical ear in a unique destination setting."

Two-day tickets are $120 for Whistler and $130 for Jackson Hole. Single day passes are also available and VIP packages including accommodations will be announced soon. Visit the Festival Network site for full details.

Monterey Music Summit pushed back to October

                                   Photo Credit: Tampabay.com
After being given a conditional permit to hold the second edition of his festival, Monterey Music Summit, at Laguna Seca Recreation Area, presenter Joe Fletcher has decided that the conditions are just a bit too costly (or unnecessary). According to a release from the festival's PR firm, Fletcher plans to relocate the festival to an unknown Monterey, CA-area location in October of this year.

The reason for the costly permit is everybody's favorite Southern Californian rapper-entrepreneur, Snoop Dogg. Appeals from local residents, who cited Snoop's violent lyrics and suggested that his connections with various gangs would be strong enough to attract a critical mass of opposing factions to the festival, led one member of Monterey County's Board of Supervisors to vote against the permit and the four other members to attach a security proviso before allowing it.

The proviso, according to the Salinas Californian, mandates the following measures to be taken in order for the festival to go on as planned, with Snoop at Laguna Seca: presence of undercover Monterey County Sheriff's deputies at the festival, a ban on all firearms except for those used by on-duty law enforcement, extra searches for Snoop Dogg, his entourage and vehicles; last, but not least, metal detectors for everyone going into the venue. The press release mentions "heightened security demands... noise restrictions (and) production costs" as major factors for the rescheduling, along with "minimal demand for camping."

In response, Fletcher has decided not to do any more festivals on land controlled by Monterey County. Understandably so (my apologies if you thought that this was going to be a standard un-biased news item).  The events that have Fletcher and the festival is pure lunacy, and I feel like I almost shouldn't explain why it is, for it might be insulting to your intelligence.

Snoop was an active member of the large L.A. street gang the Crips in high school (the late 80's) and has faced numerous recent charges for gun and drug possessions. However, he's also a 20 million album-selling father of three and has done a track with the Game, who has an affiliation with the Bloods, who have a major historical rivalry with the Crips. 

In addition, Snoop is the only performer at the festival with any ties to a major street gang like the Crips whatsoever, so its doubtful that many members of any gang would show up in the first place. Laguna Seca is pretty well removed from the San Francisco and L.A. metro areas, so it doesn't seem like a good place for some major showdown to occur, no matter who would perform there.   

Let's just hope that the griot of the L.B.C. maintains his wits and opts to play in October. 

No word on how the lineup will be impacted by the announcement.

Ticketholders will be contacted by inticketing.com for refunds. 

-- Ross Moody

Bonnaroo schedule announced

                                                            Photo Credit: Showclix
Friends, start your meticulous planning again. The official schedule for Bonnaroo 2008 (June 12-15 in Manchester TN) has been announced. Spread out over 7 stages, the schedule chart at Bonnaroo's website makes the blockbuster festival look a bit more modest than did the single huge mass of artist names that was published earlier.

Part of the modesty has to do with the fact that no one is even playing on the What (main) or Which (1st support) stage until Friday, the 13th. Spooky.

With the Vampire Weekend as the veritable headliner (latest show on the "mainest" operating stage) on Thursday, Metallica will come right after Chris Rock (yes, he's not playing in the comedy venue) on Friday at the What (main) Stage. For my money, that's about the most exhausting live entertainment 1-2 punch anyone could put themselves through. First Rock's pummeling verbal assault, and then Metallica's equally mind-lacerating sonic onslaught. Let's hope there aren't to many seizures-- from psychotropic substances or non-drug-induced sensory overload-- on Friday.

Pearl Jam and Phil Lesh and Friend's will no doubt bring maximum jams on as they round out Saturday on the What Stage, though at 1:00 a.m. people might want to just chill out a bit and focus on Sigur Rós's cosmic art-rock, in the That Tent (the 3rd support venue). There will be plenty of jamming to catch on Sunday, with Derek Trucks ending the That Tent's run, and Widespread Panic headlining. 

As far as comedy goes, performances will come mainly in the form of three-set blocks. My personal favorite (on paper) is the trio of Jim Norton, Michelle Buteau and Brian Posehn, who can be seen late Saturday and Sunday afternoon. 

So head on over to the festival's website, and get that excruciating process of who you will and will not see over with. At least the site offers a customizable schedule option, which means you won't have to look at any program handed out on the first day of the fest and be reminded of the sets you'll have to forego to see your very favorite performances...

Vibes to gather on Connecticut shore

Deadheads and jam music fans from around the east coast will converge on Bridgeport CT July 31 to August 3 for the 13th edition of The Gathering of the Vibes, which returns to Seaside Park for the second consecutive year and fourth time overall. The Bridgeport park includes 370 acres of lawns, glades, fields, a skate park and two miles of Long Island Sound beach front.

The festival's lineage as a gathering of Grateful Dead fans is reflected in the headliner role for Phil Lesh & Friends plus lineup slots for Bill Kreutzmann Trio, Dark Star Orchestra, Donna Jean & The Tricksters, New Riders of the Purple Sage, David Gans and emcee Wavy Gravy—all performers with close association to the original jam band.

Other performers include The Black Crowes, The Neville Brothers, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Revival, Sam Bush, Taj Mahal and lots more.

The festival hosts a "Green Vibes" program featuring a variety of non-profit organizations and charities. Visit the festival website for complete details and ticket information.

2008 Treasure Island Fest lineup announced

                                   Photo Credit: Static Multimedia

The lineup for the 2nd edition of the Treasure Island Music Festival, slated for September 20-21 in San Francisco, has just been unveiled by organizers APE and Noise Pop. While still following a general format of having a more "exotic" (electronica, worldbeat, hip-hop) collection of artists concentrated on the first day and a more pop/rock scene on the second, the festival has arguably grown in terms of the big-name artists its attracted, with Justice and The Raconteurs headlining.

Other banner names include Tegan & Sara, Vampire Weekend and TV On The Radio. And, of course, this lineup certainly isn't final. To get more info, go to the festival's website.

Outside Lands (Oh Mama!)

By Mike Ruby


As a festival reporter and potential attendee, it's high time I examine the lineup of San Francisco's debut festival, Outside Lands. First off, San Francisco is an amazing place to spend a long weekend. It's the home of the windiest road in the world, it's where some guy lost his heart, and it's where the legendary 49ers play (hey, shut up, they'll go to the Superbowl some day). I can't imagine a better location to hold an event of this caliber than Golden Gate Park, a place which I've visited consistently since I was a baby.
This is the first year that Outside Lands will take place, serving as a Bonnaroo West, of sorts. And wow, what a lineup. For an event that's yet to enter its freshman year, the organizers have sure assembled one hell of a group of artists. I do have one complaint though. Despite the fact that the lineup is great throughout, the organization of acts seems a little skewed. I don't want to say that the lineup gets worse each day, but the headliners get less amazing and the festival doesn't end on as strong of a note as was hoped by many festival-goers.
The first day of the festival looks nothing short of mind-blowing. Although it's only half as long as the two proceeding days, the two headliners compensate. Beck and Radiohead will supposedly be the last two playing on Friday. Radiohead, who will be the first band to ever play Golden Gate Park at night, is one of my favorite bands, and I'm anticipating their performance more than any other act at the festival, probably because I've never seen them live. The same goes for Beck, who is supposed to have a fantastic live performance. In addition, Cold War Kids and The Black Keys are something to look forward to.
Day two is also pretty damn good. But unfortunately, Radiohead and Beck are two acts that, needless to say, would suck to follow. Still, if Primus is as good as they were when I last saw them, that should be a surefire festival highlight. Also, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are always fun, but again, not the right band to perform on the night after Radiohead. I predict that Ben Harper and Devendra Banhart will be memorable. And of course, I wouldn't miss The Coup for the world. I'm also curious to see Steve Winwood and Cafe Tacuba.
Now the third day is the only one with which I have a bit of a problem. Let me just say that if you are a Jack Johnson fan, I don't think any less of you. But come on, that guy in no way deserves the closing slot for the festival. Frankly, I'm tired of all the hype around Jack Johnson. His slew of acoustic diddies that all sound pretty much alike don't have a fraction of the depth of the music of Tom Petty or Radiohead. And yet his mediocrity is being constantly awarded. I'm sorry, I don't get it.
My dislike for Jack Johnson doesn't fully extend to Wilco or Widespread Panic, but I do think both bands are overrated to a point where I'm plain tired of seeing them on festival bills. I'll give them points for talent, but it just seems anticlimactic to have these bands on the last day. The act I'm looking forward to most on Day 3 is Rodrigo y Gabriela. I'm also curious to see Broken Social scene and Ian Neville's Dumstaphunk.
For the record, my complements toward Outside Lands vastly outweigh my criticisms and with a little rearranging, this could be the ultimate festival. Stay tuned for more Ouside lands posts.

Plan ahead for winter cruise season

With the 2008 high festival season about to unfold, it is not too early to be planning your winter 2009 fun. Jam Cruise 7 might be all you need to tide you over. It sails January 4-9, 2009 out of Fort Lauderdale with stops in Belize and Costa Maya, Mexico and a lineup worthy of any big-time summer fest.

The performers include Les Claypool, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Michael Franti, Keller Williams with Moseley, Droll and Sipe, Leftover Salmon, Martin Sexton, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Porter, Batiste & Stoltz, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Bonerama, The Lee Boys, and lots more.

The MSC Orchestra has nearly 800 cabins with ocean view balconies, 13 decks, fitness area, jogging track, restaurants, theatres and shopping, and all the pools, Jacuzzis and baths you might expect on an elegant cruise ship.

Jam Cruise is presented by Cloud 9 Adventures. Bookings open June 4 at the Jam Cruise website.

2008 Coachella Pictures now up!

A little over a week ago, I got the pleasure of checking out the massive Coachella festival. With over 60,000 attendees, 133 bands, and 3 days of wonderful weather and great company, I managed to catch a few great snapshots. Here are a few of my favorites. Check out the full gallery here.