Festie weekend
November 13th, 2008 by Leilani Polk in NewsThis weekend, I am practicing restraint and missing not one but two awesome Florida festivals in favor of plunging my backed-up toilet of duties. Three if you count RibFest — but despite the fact that I could walk to it from my house, the lineup is so unappealing I can’t even manage to drum-up excitement over all that mouth-watering barbeque all in one place. But I digress.
Tonight marks the start of the Anti-Pop Music Festival in downtown Orlando, a four-day celebration of alternative indie music. This evening’s schedule is ripe with the possibility of greatness. Singer/songwriter/former Soul Coughing force-of-nature Mike Doughty and Cali singer/songwriter Matt Costa headline a show at Plaza Theatre, goodtime tongue-in-cheek rockers Black Lips perform over at The Social, and sweet-voiced acousti-folkman Jay Brannan makes tender melodies at the Gibson Showroom. Other weekend highlights that haven’t or aren’t already making stops in Tampa include Los Angeles rap artist Murs, Brooklyn electro-pop all-girrl threesome Au Revoir Simone (pictured, photo by Imma Varandela), and Mississippi bluesman Ben Prestage. Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters frontman Mark Kozelek plays a solo set as well.
If you plan on attending a few or several shows, it’s definitely worth it to pony up the $45 for a four-day pass. Otherwise, individual ticket prices vary from $5 to $20. For a complete schedule, visit the Anti-Pop site.
Bear Creek Music Festival — a funk, jam, jazz, roots music camping fest held at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak — also kicks off tonight with dance music sets by Philly downtempo electro-dub trio Telepath, Boulder, Colo. afro-beat jazztronica fivesome The Motet featuring former String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Kollingsworth, and Athens rock jamtronica veterans Perpetual Groove. Also scheduled to play sets this weekend are Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk out of New Orleans; the multi-musician outfit 
otherwise known as the Everyone Orchestra, this incarnation featuring Phish drummer Jon Fishman and former String Cheese multi-instrumentalist Michael Kang; two hot funk soul outfits from New York — the newer horntastic seven-piece Lettuce, and veteran trio Soulive; newgrass roots quartet Yonder Mountain String Band; New Orleans jazzfunkjammers The Robert Walter Trio; UK funk jazz purveyors New Mastersounds (pictured at left); and New Orleans funk brass band Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
Weekend passes are $165 and include camping, with an additional $35 for Thursday. Day tickets are $75 for Friday and Saturday, $50 Sunday, and are only available at the gate. For additional details and a complete schedule, visit the Bear Creek Music Fest site.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
This is an extremely informative and well composed piece.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I will be in Florida this weekend and look forward to seeing some of the musicians.
November 13th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Thanks for the great article. Wish I was in Fl this weekend for the Bear Creek Festy. Caught New MasterSounds Tuesday night in Ashevegas…one of the best Funk outfits around IMO. Lettuce rocked the Loki Music Fest last month also…definately check these acts out if you are attending Bear Creek!
November 13th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Don’t forget the reggae element with the Bear Creek…Dubconscious and John Brown’s Body, who have a new album ‘Amplifly’. They have moved on nicely without Kevin Kinsella.
Have fun at the festies.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
these sound good! wish i could go to the Otown fest :(
November 13th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I saw the new mastersounds late night last year at the festival. It was in the cafeteria/mess hall area, and it was pretty tremendous.
Those guys are worth a 1/4 of the price alone ;)
November 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am
heard new mastersounds is worth seeing…wish i could make it