Summer plans and summer scams
Listen Up!
Brian Washburn
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Lifestyles
Summer is quickly approaching as the UA has less than a month until students take their dreaded finals and embark on whatever summer adventure they have come across.
But this summer is going to be a little bit different for music lovers in the Northwest Arkansas area. Festivals, releases, awards and big-name concerts will be the name of the game this summer.
The big draw this year for NWA music fans is undeniably Wakarusa, which has moved from Lawrence, Kan., to the party field up on Mulberry Mountain. The festival - which usually consists of jam bands and alternative/country artists - contains some pretty big names this year, including the Black Crowes, Gov't Mule, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Les Claypool, Fayetteville favorites G. Love and Special Sauce, Matisyahu, Buckethead, Lucero and Perpetual Groove.
Although this is only a small chunk of the acts to perform during the four-day festival, which will begin June 4 and end on June 7, Fayetteville has finally arrived on the festival market. It's about time concert promoters take advantage of the nature, location and music taste NWA offers.
Wakarusa is not the only festival many NWA residents flock to. The long-time king of all festivals, Bonnaroo, will reign supreme again this year, giving music fans from all over the chance to see multiple bands from multiple genres in the Memphis area. Unfortunately, the line-up of this year's Bonnaroo is not as good as the selection they've had in the past couple of years. Jam-band hippies might flock for the two-day Phish reunion, and old hipster wannabes will love to hear the blue-grass rock n' roll of Bruce Springstein.
But these headliners do not catch the eye of this music columnist. Is it intriguing to attend Bonnaroo just to see the likes of The Mars Volta, MGMT, Wilco and, especially, The Decemberists? And is it really worth it if you have to sit through Jimmy Fallon's performance?
Even though Bonnaroo does not have the best lineup of the year, it is not as bad as the one annual punk rock summer camp has revealed. The Vans Warped Tour mystifies scene kids and punk rock alum every year with their diverse band choices and scene headliners (they even scored everybody's favorite wannabe lesbian, Katy Perry, last year).
This year, however, is horrendous with the inclusion of the worst-band-of-all-time candidates Brokencyde, 30H!3, Millionaires and Jeffree Star. Even the looming opportunity to once again get down and rock out with Underoath, Saosin, Chiodos, The Devil Wears Prada and Flogging Molly might not be enough to save Warped Tour this year.
The possibility for this year's best festival might just be Lollapalooza, but a lineup has not yet been announced. Let's just hope it includes some of the indie-world's best up-and-coming artists (I'm praying for an epic Manchester Orchestra performance).
For music fans who like to stick closer to home, the Arkansas Music Pavilion is also offering a few big-name concerts beginning in May. Cake, Darius Rucker, Queensryche (no, not Queen), Ben Folds, Peter Frampton (the bald version) and the Marshall Tucker Band gives Fayetteville a much-needed boost for local shows this summer. Hopefully college students and music junkies alike will stick around to hear, celebrate and give promoters the initiative to bring bigger and better names in to the blossoming Fayetteville spectrum.
Brian Washburn is the news editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Monday.
But this summer is going to be a little bit different for music lovers in the Northwest Arkansas area. Festivals, releases, awards and big-name concerts will be the name of the game this summer.
The big draw this year for NWA music fans is undeniably Wakarusa, which has moved from Lawrence, Kan., to the party field up on Mulberry Mountain. The festival - which usually consists of jam bands and alternative/country artists - contains some pretty big names this year, including the Black Crowes, Gov't Mule, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Les Claypool, Fayetteville favorites G. Love and Special Sauce, Matisyahu, Buckethead, Lucero and Perpetual Groove.
Although this is only a small chunk of the acts to perform during the four-day festival, which will begin June 4 and end on June 7, Fayetteville has finally arrived on the festival market. It's about time concert promoters take advantage of the nature, location and music taste NWA offers.
Wakarusa is not the only festival many NWA residents flock to. The long-time king of all festivals, Bonnaroo, will reign supreme again this year, giving music fans from all over the chance to see multiple bands from multiple genres in the Memphis area. Unfortunately, the line-up of this year's Bonnaroo is not as good as the selection they've had in the past couple of years. Jam-band hippies might flock for the two-day Phish reunion, and old hipster wannabes will love to hear the blue-grass rock n' roll of Bruce Springstein.
But these headliners do not catch the eye of this music columnist. Is it intriguing to attend Bonnaroo just to see the likes of The Mars Volta, MGMT, Wilco and, especially, The Decemberists? And is it really worth it if you have to sit through Jimmy Fallon's performance?
Even though Bonnaroo does not have the best lineup of the year, it is not as bad as the one annual punk rock summer camp has revealed. The Vans Warped Tour mystifies scene kids and punk rock alum every year with their diverse band choices and scene headliners (they even scored everybody's favorite wannabe lesbian, Katy Perry, last year).
This year, however, is horrendous with the inclusion of the worst-band-of-all-time candidates Brokencyde, 30H!3, Millionaires and Jeffree Star. Even the looming opportunity to once again get down and rock out with Underoath, Saosin, Chiodos, The Devil Wears Prada and Flogging Molly might not be enough to save Warped Tour this year.
The possibility for this year's best festival might just be Lollapalooza, but a lineup has not yet been announced. Let's just hope it includes some of the indie-world's best up-and-coming artists (I'm praying for an epic Manchester Orchestra performance).
For music fans who like to stick closer to home, the Arkansas Music Pavilion is also offering a few big-name concerts beginning in May. Cake, Darius Rucker, Queensryche (no, not Queen), Ben Folds, Peter Frampton (the bald version) and the Marshall Tucker Band gives Fayetteville a much-needed boost for local shows this summer. Hopefully college students and music junkies alike will stick around to hear, celebrate and give promoters the initiative to bring bigger and better names in to the blossoming Fayetteville spectrum.
Brian Washburn is the news editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Monday.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Stoner Hippie
posted 4/07/09 @ 1:05 PM CST
Just one thing, Bonnaroo isn't really near Memphis. Manchester is about forty miles east of Nashville.
And who's to say that Lollapalooza is the best before the lineup is even announced? Granted, they usually get the biggest names, but they also get the biggest crowds and the least amount of oxygen (an important part of every festival). (Continued…)
Dom
posted 4/07/09 @ 2:57 PM CST
The Warped Tour is great. There are TONS of styles and genres represented on that tour. Granted, I may not be a fan of some of the bands on the tour there are still tons of great bands I do enjoy going to see. (Continued…)
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