alt-country

I love how they describe the location for the new Hangout Beach Music & Arts Festival—"on the beach, next to the Hangout restaurant, at the southern end of Alabama Highway 59. If you hit the Gulf of Mexico, you went just a little too far."

Word first came out in December that a new festival was planned was planned for May 14-16. Now the festival is out with its first round of announcements, and it is a pretty impressive start.  The first batch of artists named suggest an edgier outlook than might have been expected. Zac Brown Band, John Legend, and Alison Krauss and Union Station lead the initial slate of acts named.

Other notable names include The Black Crowes, Brett Dennen, Guster, Girl Talk, The Whigs, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Keller Williams, Matisyahu, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ozomatli and the Blind Boys of Alabama. The festival says there will be more than 60 acts. This batch was about one-third of that.

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Strawberry Music Festivals added three acts each for its Spring and Fall festivals, closing in on its final 2009 program. Two slots remain open for Spring, probably not big names since the announced card is already so good. I have a hunch the one remaining slot for Fall could be a major booking, since I don't see a third headliner to go along with Del McCoury and Rodney Crowell.

The new adds include festival favorites Sarah Elizabeth Campbell and Sourdough Slim for Spring, and the solo launch of former Biscuit Burner vocalist Shannon Whitworth for Fall.

TBAs aside, both lineups pack more than enough punch to satisfy Strawberry's loyal audience of Northern California roots music fans. Strawberry Spring headliners The Flatlanders and Marty Stuart will entice Americana fans, while Michael Franti & Spearhead broadens the appeal to a younger audience. The rest of the lineup is very strong with The Duhks and The Greencards bringing two of the best next-generation acoustic bands; Ruthie Foster, Mike Farris, Trombone Shorty and Paul Cebar providing a recurring R&B theme; and Natalie MacMaster and Dry Branch Firesquad serving one-of-a-kind entertainment as only they can.

Back by popular demand, Western Michigan's Rothbury festival will return for a second year. Produced by Madison House Presents and AEG Live, the event is a self-described "unique 21st century American gathering unlike any other." Sounds appealing enough. How's playing? Let's start with the headliners: The Dead, Bob Dylan and His Band, The String Cheese Incident, Willie Nelson and His Family, and The Black Crowes. Getting two of the most influential artists of all time on the same bill ain't too shabby. Let's hope that Dylan doesn't cop an attitude and create an indecipherable, 1991-Grammys-style lyrical slur. Also, if The Dead doesn't let Phil Lesh near the mic then we're in for a good time.
Needless to say, it wouldn't be a true rock festival if Warren Haynes wasn't featured in at least two bands. Replacing Jerry Garcia as new frontman for The Dead, the boisterous rock n' roll veteran will also front his own band, Gov't Mule.

Old Settler's Music Festival (April 16-19, Driftwood TX) announced its preliminary lineup and opened its box office for early bird tickets. This great festival has been running for 22 years presenting a mix of Americana styles in the Texas Hill Country during bluebonnet season.

With more artists to be announced, the card is headed by alt-country duo The BoDeans in a comeback bid, The Travelin' McCourys (without papa Del), and local hero Fred Eaglesmith. Other top names are The Greencards, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Hayes Carll, Beausoleil, The Gourds, Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women and The Gibson Brothers.

The festival maintains a strong bluegrass program. In addition to the McCourys and Gibsons, other bluegrass acts include Blue HIghway, The Lovell Sisters, Spring Creek Bluegrass Band and (on the punkish end of the spectrum) the Belleville Outfit. I was tempted to include hometown prodigy Sarah Jarosz on that list, but I see her emerging more as a singer-songwriter working in a accoustic style.