Mysteryland Announces Line-Up for its First USA Festival

Last summer, it was announced that one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world would finally make its debut in the good ol' USA. This Memorial Day weekend, Mysteryland, which has been going strong in its home country of the Netherlands since 1993, will be taking residence at the hallowed site in Bethel Woods, NY where the original Woodstock was once held. Dutch promotion outfit ID&T made their first major mark on America last September when they hosted TomorrowWorld, the US version of the legendary TomorrowLand held each year in Belgium, in Atlanta to rave reviews (that pun was terrible, I'll show myself out).

Shaky Knees Music Fest Announces 2014 Lineup

The Lumineers headlined Shaky Knees '13.
Image courtesy of Shaky Knees

The onslaught of festival lineup announcements continue. This time, it is for the Shaky Knees Fest in Atlanta, Georgia held May 9th-11th. In only its second year, this festival is drawing major names and I would honestly be surprised if this is not a festival we'll be hearing for a while. It has a lot in common with Hangout, as reported earlier, but its differences are most definitely its strengths.

Modest Mouse, Conor Oberst, and Portugal. The Man, swing through Hotlanta before continuing on to Alabama for Hangout, but the undercard and other headliners make this an easy and obvious choice. The National, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Spoon, The Gaslight Anthem and Trampled by Turtles are obvious highlights, but for sake of brevity, I will forego simply typing the entire lineup; with some exceptions: Dawes, Lord Huron, Lone Bellow, Hold Steady, Blitzen Trapper, and the Airborne Toxic Event. There, guys, I'm done, I promise.

As mentioned, Shaky Knees is located in Atlanta, GA. Unfortunately, there is no camping, but I think it may be refreshing to be able to shower and use an air conditioner at a music festival. Staring down the barrel of thirty, I attribute this entirely to my advanced age. The bright side, here, is that tickets start at $150, so even with the added cost of a hotel room for the weekend, you're paying about the same as you would for a larger scale festival with the benefits of a hotel room.

Deer Tick, Man Man, Foals, San Fermin, Apache Relay, Mutual Benefit, Wake Owl, Cold War Kids - I'm sorry, it's just a really impressive lineup. You can find it in its entirety on the Shaky Knees Music Festival's website, as well as purchase tickets and find out a little bit more about the fest.

Raleigh's 2012 Hopscotch Festival Announces Lineup

The Roots are one of the headliners at the third
annual Hopscotch Music Festival, Sept 6th-8th.

Those of you who've been reading Myxem for a while know that we're huge proponents of the annual Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh, NC and have been anxiously awaiting this year's lineup. Well, at approximately 12:01AM on Wednesday April 18th, that wait was over. This year's festivities will be headlined by hip-hop all-stars (and Jimmy Fallon's favorite co-workers) The Roots, legendary noise pop pioneers The Jesus & Mary Chain, and influential introverts Built to Spill. Also of note: the one-of-a-kind solo set from John Darnielle (a.k.a. the Mountain Goats) consisting of 50% acoustic Mountain Goats rarities and 50% heavy metal songs covered on a grand piano, Matthew E. White performing his currently unreleased 5-track album with a gospel choir and full string section, and what is certain to be an electrifying performance from quirky Pittsburgh MC Danny Brown. Also, according to the official press release, "New York guitarist Ben Greenberg, who performs as Hubble, will offer the world premiere of a piece called Lag, in which he uses the Internet as a delay pedal." Not sure how exactly that will work, but I'm excited to find out.

3-Day Wristbands and VIP wristbands are on sale now for $110 and $165 respectively, with single day passes and City Plaza tickets going on sale in July when the performer schedule is announced. Check out the full lineup after the jump and be sure to check out the festival website for details and ticket information.

Shakori Hills Spring 2012 - The Undercard

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival,Shakori Hills' spring 2012 iteration has more than enough variety to please every taste. The full list of performers, including a schedule of events is over on Shakori Hill's official website, but we're going to be taking the weeks leading up to the festival to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about.

---

Jim Avett

 WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Sunday, Cabaret Tent: 5:00pm
  

After 35 years of running his own welding company, Jim Avett has returned to his true passion: making music. He first recorded a collection of gospel music, Jim Avett and Family, featuring his daughter Bonnie, and sons Scott and Seth Avett (yes, those Avett Brothers). In 2010 and 2012, he released albums of original tunes, ranging from lighthearted rock n' roll to soulful true country ruminations of boyhood memories and loss. All of Avett's endeavors are marked with an unwavering honesty and an unflappable charm, and Shakori Hill's Cabaret Tent is a perfect, intimate setting to experience the earnest, heartfelt songwriter up close.

Bonnaroo Announces 2012 Comedy Lineup

A few short months after dropping a stellar list of bands for 2012's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (including Radiohead, the Beach Boys, Bon Iver, Phish, Skrillex, Das Racist, tUnE-yArDs, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers just to name a few), the folks behind the four-day affair in Manchester, TN announced their hotly anticipated comedy lineup, which has been a festival mainstay since 2005. This year's roster of funny folk does not disappoint. We already knew Aziz Ansari would be performing since his name was announced with the initial offering of bands, but he will now be joined by comedy greats such as Steven Wright, Brian Posehn, and "World Champion" Judah Friedlander (perhaps best known as supernerd Frank on 30 Rock). The festival's official website promises more names have yet to be announced, but be sure to check out the full list so far after the jump.

Shakori Hills Spring 2012 - The Local Bands

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival,Shakori Hills' spring 2012 iteration has more than enough variety to please every taste. We're going to be taking the weeks leading up to the festival to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about. It's starting today with bands from the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle and North Carolina as a whole. Look for new Shakori updates every Wednesday.

---

 Bombadil

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Saturday, Grove Stage: 11:00pm

As one of the resounding highlights of the Hopscotch Music Festival, Bombadil was a not-so-surprising but thoroughly exciting addition to the Shakori Hills line-up. Having recently released their second album, All That the Rain Promises, Bombadil's star is rising. After a hiatus related to health issues, Bombadil is roaring back to form, expertly crafting their singular mixture of Bolivian folk, roots rock, and chamber pop as if they'd never missed a beat. It is highly recommended that everyone make every effort to catch their set at the Grove Stage Saturday night. This is a quartet of masterful musicians and unparalleled showmen whose live performances vacillate between bombastic energy and restrained solemnity.

Two Raleigh, NC Festivals Add New Venues

Photo courtesy of progressenergycenter.com

The burgeoning metropolis of Raleigh, NC is already gearing up for the 3rd Annual Hopscotch Music Festival this September (check out our extensive past coverage here). For those of you unfamiliar with the event, the aptly named Hopscotch Festival takes place across over a dozen different venues in downtown Raleigh, all within reasonable walking distance of each other, consisting of a large outdoor stage in City Plaza and an assortment of bars, clubs, and theaters of all shapes and sizes. Back in November, a mere two month after 2011's stellar weekend, the folks at Hopscotch announced that they would be adding the main gallery of Raleigh's Contemporary Art Museum as their fifteenth performance venue, indicating that the festival was continuing to build on the expansive growth that it made after between 2010 and 2011. It turns out that was only the beginning.

In Brief: Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Spring 2012

Photo courtesy of The Bottom String.

Recently, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance released a scintillating taste of what is sure to be an EXCELLENT lineup for their Spring Festival, to be held April 19th-22nd. Featuring returning favorites and some fresh blood, there's no way to complain about this preliminary list. Myxem favorites Driftwood are returning, as well as Midtown Dickens, Mandolin Orange and Holy Ghost Tent Revival. After stunning the entirety of our staff at Hopscotch, seeing Bombadil make it onto the lineup was a delightful surprise. Having been recently introduced to Curtis Eller's banjo-based roots-ragtime, seeing his name pop up was both unexpected and certainly a good reason to dig further into his catalog.

The preliminary lineup announcement is after the jump AND on Shakori Hills' website

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - Retrospective (Part Two)

The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, held twice annually in idyllic Silk Hope, North Carolina, attracted major national acts, including Donna the Buffalo, legendary banjoist Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, NY natives Driftwood, Toubab Krewe, Thousands of One and many, many more. While we attempted to make an itinerary, there were too many equally wonderful listening options at any given time to resign ourselves to a schedule. What follows is a day-by-day breakdown of what we saw throughout the weekend. Too large for a single post, this is our account of the last two days of the four day festival.

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - Retrospective (Part One)

The Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, held twice annually in idyllic Silk Hope, North Carolina, attracted major national acts, including Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, legendary banjoist Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, up-and-comer Brett Dennen, Dirty Bourbon River Show, The Emmit-Nershi Band and many, many more. While we attempted to make an itinerary, there were too many equally wonderful listening options at any given time to resign ourselves to a schedule. What follows is a day-by-day breakdown of what we saw throughout the weekend. Too large for a single post, this is our account of the first two days of the four day festival.

Shakori Hills Fall 2011 - The Undercard

With over 60 bands attending the four-day festival and acts ranging from Noot d'Noot to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to Hammer No More the Fingers, Shakori Hills has more than enough variety to please every taste. We're going to be taking the next few days to introduce you to some of the acts we're most excited about. Today's list features some of the bands from the undercard that deserve your attention at the festival.

---

 Dirty Bourbon River Show

 WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

Friday, Cabaret Tent: 12:45am

Combining Americana, roots, jazz-tinged blues and gypsy style, Dirty Bourbon River Show continues the tradition of great New Orleans music (with a bit of  NOLA's flair for spectacle). Pegging themselves as "an interactive multi-genre variety hour-style band," listening to their recorded material does not do justice to the bombastic stage presence, energetic performance and all-around impressive musicianship the band has to offer. I managed to meet the members at a show they played with Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and I can say that they are also nice guys, as if you needed more of a reason to go see their show. This is one that I know for sure I will not, under any circumstances, be missing. DBRS is gearing up for an album release November 11th, 2011, and is touring strong to support it. After Shakori Hills, they are heading to Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. You can listen to their first three albums, as well as a preview of their upcoming album The Old-Timey AfroPop Jibberish Junction, on their Bandcamp.

Myxem Picks 'Em - Shakori Hills Fall 2011

Click above to listen to this week's playlist.

With the excitement building (I spent time this weekend getting my camping gear ready) for Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, we dedicate this week's playlist to the incredible artists the organizers have lined up this year. Pulling down large names like Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings speaks to the reputation this festival's been building as an up-and-comer. Never forgetting its roots, situated in the hills outside of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle, they also offer an impressive array of local talent, from The Old Ceremony, Hammer No More The Fingers, and Big Fat Gap. Other bands that piqued our interest include the pyschedelic stylings of Noot d'Noot, the roaring bluegrass of The Emmitt-Nershi Band and Brett Dennen's thoughtful folk-pop.

Click the banner above to listen to this week's playlist, highlighting Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival's lineup!

Shakori Hills - Itinerary Fall 2011

Sun sets on the Meadow Stage at Shakori Hills.
Image courtesy of Wild Goose Festival.

Back in April, I had the great pleasure of attending the first day of the spring edition of the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. I was immediately charmed by the location: Shakori is a peaceful little patch of land nestled in Chatham County, NC that has become a thriving community built on environmentalism, sustainability, and local art and culture. In other words, you couldn't ask for a better place to attend a music festival. It's a utopian vision put into practice, a society of open-minded individuals realizing a dream.

I could go on for pages describing the incredible vibe I felt for one day last spring, but with the fall festival less than two weeks away, it's time to start looking forward to what my next Shakori endeavor has to offer.

Preview: Shakori Hills Fall 2011

Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival will be held Oct 6th-9th.
Click above to visit their official site.

Having fully recovered from the breakneck pacing of Hopscotch, we now set our sights on another of the Triangle's (well, just outside the Triangle) hidden gems: The Shakori Hill Grassroots Festival of Music & Dance, Shakori for short. On October 6th, the sleepy rural community of Silk Hope will erupt to vibrant life as folks of all stripes gather together on its beautiful countryside to enjoy a four day music festival.

The last festival, held in April, boasted 50 bands, including jam-band mainstays (and upstate New York natives) Donna the Buffalo, as well as astonishing sets from Arrested Development and Holy Ghost Tent Revival. As vibrant a musical community as the Triangle is, it featured a fair number of local acts, including Birds and Arrows, Mount Moriah and perennial favorites Midtown Dickens (whom I watched in the rain).

This time around, the organizers have gone all-in, so to speak. They've attracted major national acts, including Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, legendary banjoist Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, up-and-comer Brett Dennen, Dirty Bourbon River Show, The Emmit-Nerishi Band and many, many more. Still, they make a fantastic effort to highlight local talent with Hammer No More The Fingers, Dub Addis and Des Ark. With a grand total of over 50 fifty bands lined up and a boatload of daily activities, there is something for everyone to listen to and enjoy.

Hopscotch '11 - Day Two Review

TOW3RS at The Hive were definitely a
highlight of the Day Party lineup.
Photo courtesy of The Bottom String

After the incredible first day, featuring obvious highlights Empress Hotel and Dinosaur Feathers, we awoke Friday with that festival feeling, the mixture of weariness and palpable excitement. After all, we had lined up a pretty big day and it was by no means disappointing.

Terry and I had been pretty excited about Shit Horse, so our first stop of the day was Odessa Fest at King's Barcade. Their set was all of the incredibly well-done, weird rock we'd come to expect and set the day off on the perfect note. While at Odessa Fest, we also caught Wesley Wolfe's vinyl cutting demonstration, which was definitely a pretty neat spectacle. The singles Wesley cut at the demonstration were later auctioned off.

From Odessa Fest, we headed to The Hive for Diggup Tape's Rooftop. We caught a stellar set from TOW3RS in what was only their second live performance and actually their first with that lineup. They stand-out as a highlight of the day, their preternatural skills in songwriting and musicianship set my expectations for the band high, and I wait with bated breath for their release.

Hopscotch '11 - Day One Review

The Love Language played a stellar set at the
Lincoln Theater last night.

I began my endeavor into Hopscotch's first day with high hopes. As I've previously mentioned, the sheer atmosphere of downtown Raleigh during the festival is electrifying. The Myxem staff spent most of the day exploring the downtown area, learning the lay of the land and such. We unfortunately did not get settled in time to attend a day party but were instead indulging ourselves in local cuisine (check out Kyle's review of Beasley's Chicken + Honey, which was stellar) and making a stop into Shopscotch, a "pop-up store" forged by online merch retailer Kung Fu Nation and a handful of local artists to sell their wares to the public. The selection of vinyl records in Shopscotch is definitely worth a look; I'll be going back tomorrow with cash in hand. In addition to new releases, reasonably priced t-shirts, and other assorted swag, the selection boasted a variety of rare and out-of-print records that any collector would drool over. If you have the time, I highly advise taking a second to stop in and see what's for sale.

The Myxem staff began our night at King's Barcade for Brooklyn-based quartet Dinosaur Feathers. In my personal opinion, there could have been no better way to kick off the festivities. The venue was packed to the gills, but the band was sure to bring enough energy to go around. Their infectious breed of intelligent pop-rock kept the crowd moving, and their performance was absolutely flawless. I left King's exhausted from the dancing that I couldn't help but partake in and filled with even higher hopes for what my night would have in store.

Hopscotch Announces Day Party Lineup

After announcing an incredible lineup, featuring headliners The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices performing their final show, Lost in the Trees and about a hundred and fifty other equally remarkable acts (full list here), Raleigh, NC's Hopscotch Music Festival announced their equally incredible day party lineup.

The day partying starts on Thursday with a kickoff party at Sadlack's Heroes featuring Chip Robinson, Olympic Ass Kicking Team and others. On Friday, Tir Na Nog hosts Duo Sets, where performers pair off from Mandolin Orange, Birds and Arrows and others. Kings will also be rocking it on Friday with Transportations, Shit Horse, Americans in France and Wild Wild Geese. The Pour House will be hosting a Three Lobed Recordings party, featuring Year of the Pig, The Moaners and Monsonia.

Moogfest Rolls Out Additions to 2011 Lineup

Dan Deacon, one of many new artists added to the Moogfest lineup

A mere three weeks after announcing an already strong initial lineup including the likes of the Flaming Lips and Crystal Castles, a Youtube video posted today announced further acts whose presence will grace Asheville, NC this October for this year's Moogfest. The new acts include ambient music pioneer Moby, the Antlers, and the perpetually entertaining Dan Deacon, among others. Also announced was a performance by Baltimore's Wham City Comedy Collective, a live variety show of sorts combining comedy, bizarre costumes, avant-garde performance art, and musical performance (in which Deacon is prominently featured). Other exciting add-ons include Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox performing under his solo Moniker, Atlas Sound, and powerhouse dubstep producer kode9. The official website for the festival promises that the "final Moogfest 2011 lineup will ultimately feature performances by over 60 internationally acclaimed artists," with the current lineup sitting at an even forty after today's rollout, so it's safe to say we can expect another major announcement in the near future. In the meantime, you can check out the Moogfest website at http://moogfest.com for tickets, a lineup with artist bios, and general festival info, and you can see today's announcement video after the break.

Raleigh's Hopscotch Music Festival Updates Lineup, Adds Venue

Building on an already impressive selection of bands including the Flaming Lips, Drive-By Truckers, Superchunk, The Love Language, and more, today it was announced that Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, NC would be adding 14 new bands, most notably: Titus Andronicus, Times New Viking, and the Vivian Girls. In addition to taking place in several different bars and nightclubs scattered across downtown Raleigh, as well as the outdoor stage set up in City Plaza, Hopscotch also announced an additional venue: a former warehouse known as the Union, conveniently located right around the corner from the brand new city ampitheater. For tickets, information, and a newly posted schedule for Hopscotch, check them out at http://www.hopscotchmusicfest.com/.

Myxaroo: Saturday & Sunday's Schedule

Presuming I can still walk and haven't been completely demolished by the first two days of rain and heat, I will continue to get down on Saturday and Sunday. Both very full days, but I'm excited mostly for Saturday's lineup, which kicks off with Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, Abigail Washburn and Old Crow Medicine Show. Just when I think I've had enough banjo, I move on to Deer Tick and Mumford and Sons. How can one complain, however, about a night that ends with Buffalo Springfield & Girl Talk?