California Festivals

All across the Country we look forward to spring and summer for many reasons. I feel blessed to call California home. Something that brings out the masses quite literally, is the plethora of music-driven festivals dotting our Nation throughout the year. This post focuses on the array of happenings that will take place right here in beautiful California. The Golden State is boundless in its ability to captivate. Below is just a small sample of the festivals catching my eyes, and ears, with a handful of selections. Click the links for full lineups and details. Whether or not we all attend is another story. Spring has been gorgeous thus far, here's to summer's steady approach, and its chance to up the ante.

Enjoy the warm months,

Bottle Rock | May 30-June 1 | Napa Valley CA
*TV On the Radio, *The Black Angels, Weezer, De La Soul, Ben Sollee, Thee Oh Sees, & Outkast (I'm not so sure after Coachella)

Sierra Nevada World Music | June 20-22 | Boonville CA
*Seun Kuti, Sly & *Robbie, Barrington Levy, Ozomatli

Kate Wolf | June 27-29 | Laytonville CA
*Garth Hudson w/ his sister Maud, *The Wood Brothers, Playing for Change Band, Poor Man's Whiskey (Allman Brothers & Old and In the Way), Patchy Sanders, Anne & Pete Sibley

High Sierra | July 3-6 | Quincy CA
*STS9, *Darkwave, *Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, *Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lord Huron, Trampled By Turtles, Hard Working Americans, The Budos Band, Widespread Panic, The Del McCoury Band & the Travelin' McCoury's

Reggae on the River | July 31-August 3 | Humboldt Co. CA
*Alpha Blondy & the Solar System, *Third World, Jimmy Cliff, Israel Vibration

Outside Lands | August 8-10 | Golden Gate Park | SF
*Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, *Ray Lamontagne, *Lykke Li, *Jenny Lewis, *Phosphorescent, The Killers, Macklemore, Death Cab for Cutie, *Flaming Lips, Spoon, Atmosphere, Tegan & Sara, Haim, Chromeo, Local Natives, Tycho, Nicki Bluhm, Dum Dum Girls

First City | August 23-24 | Monterey CA
*Best Coast, *Beck, The National, Phantogram, Tokyo Police Club, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dawes

Russian River Jazz & Blues | September 20-21 | Guernville CA
Gary Clark Jr., Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings,

Treasure Island | October 18-19 | San Francisco Bay
Save the date, the line up has yet to be revealed. Those with an * are my must sees.

eightychoices.

so much music!

there is an array of great new music being released. couple that with the immense summer tours & festivals going off & one can only hope to get a piece of the action. being a fan of live music, i would recommend supporting the artist in that capacity. i would also encourage concerts goers to take a risk sometimes. by that i mean, seeing something outside of your favorite genre or perhaps not investing all of your hard earned money into catching only your favorite band(s). there is such a myriad of potent music available. let alone all of the local talent that is just starting to reach new ears. there's intrigue in experiencing something new, fresh & undiscovered so to speak. variety is the spice of life, right? would you rather catch the same band for the Nth time in this calendar year or would you rather say you were there when...? it's tough to say if it's the perfect dilemma. i definitely have my favorites, so i understand that side of the story too.

i would encourage anyone & everyone, depending of their level of interest & keeping in mind their preferences of intimate venues vs. mega events with the masses, to consider the growing list of summer music festivals. having been fortunate enough to experience some great fests, they can be well worth it, if not unforgettable. often times the journey just to get there (let alone leaving) can be equally worthy of future stories that will surely be elaborated upon.

there are all types, located all over the country & the globe for that matter, with multiple days, ways, tastes, shapes, sizes & vibes. there's most definitely one out there that will suit you. whether you just want a weekend getaway or a week's vacation, fuel it with the great creativity that is live music.

my wife & i always enjoy checking out all of the folks who are hooking up the good eats, expensive beverages & artisan vending that spans the consumer gauntlet. the big daddy festivals even boast comedians, movie theatre tents, late nights that run until morning & yoga to rejuvenate (i prefer bacon & beer). amidst all of this i failed to mention how cool it is when something epic goes down that could only occur there & then, due to the setting. of course these fests can get spendy, but hey, we all need time & space to unwind & release.

if the small local show, or the big time festival aren't your bag there's always your local record store!

~eightychoices