It looks like the music festivals scheduled across the land in August are going to be packed with hot fun in the summertime; here are five that you should catch if you can.
Secret Stages – Birmingham, Alabama – August 2-3
Not too many years ago Birmingham, Alabama had a great music festival called City Stages but after a long run the event succumbed to a down economy and hosted their last festival in 2009. But Birmingham is too much of a music-loving city to go without a summer festival for very long and for the last few years the Secret Stages Festival has been successfully taking up the slack. Dubbed a “music discovery festival,” Secret Stages primarily showcases regional acts, giving locally-based festival-goers and visitors alike a chance to discover the music that’s cookin’ in this part of the South. Some of the Birmingham-based acts scheduled to appear include the Grenadines, the Dirty Lungs, Chris Fogg featuring Lovelight, the Mic Militia, Banditos, Midnight Risers and the Birmingham Seven. An additional dozen acts from other cities in Alabama will appear, as will out-of-staters Silver Tongues (Louisville), Yamin Semali (Atlanta), Mr. Invisible (Charlotte), Foreign Fields (Nashville) Amasa Hines (Little Rock) and many more. Secret Stages takes place in downtown Birmingham in various venues on and adjacent to 2nd Avenue North.
Visit the Secret Stages website for more information.
To otherwise plan a trip to Birmingham, visit the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau website.
Arizona Honors its Heroes Concert – Flagstaff, Arizona – August 3
The whole country has heard about the terrible wildfire tragedy in Yarnell, Arizona that took the lives of 19 “hot shot” firefighters and left many of the residents of Yarnell homeless. Folks from all over have come to the aid of those affected by the fire, and now the classic rock music community has joined those who are making charitable efforts for the cause. The Heroes Concert will be headlined by the Edgar Winter Band featuring Rick Derringer, Woodstock veterans Ten Years After, Canned Heat and a guitar-slinger who’s a bit of a hotshot himself, Pat Travers. Alvin Lee, the original guitarist and singer for Ten Years After, died earlier this year but the group still features original members Leo Lyons, Ric Lee and Chick Churchill along with newest member Joe Gooch. Vendors offering local beers and BBQ will also be on hand. The show takes place at the Pepsi Amphitheater in Flagstaff’s Fort Tuthill Park and a portion of the proceeds goes to the families of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots.
Tickets information can be found at the Pepsi Amphitheater website.
Art + Soul – Oakland, California – August 3-4
Just like the name says, this festival in downtown Oakland focuses on art and music that’s on the soulful side. Appearing on the R&B stage will be Leela James, Confunkshun, Amikeayla and Big O while holding down the alt-rock stage will be Lisa Loeb, Vintage Trouble, Tristan Prettyman and the Rescues. Also representing will be blues artists Johnny Rawls, Fillmore Slim, Bobby Webb and Smooth Blues; there’ll also be a Sunday afternoon gospel hour show, jazz performers like Quinn Deveaux and Klaudia Promessi, world music performers including Los Rakas and Mara Hruby and a stage featuring dance instruction and a dance party.
Visit the Art + Soul website.
Plan you trip to Oakland at the Visit Oakland website.
Beloved Sacred Arts and Music Festival – Tidewater, Oregon – August 9-12
How’s this for a festival setting: the Siuslaw National Forest in a far-flung corner of Oregon near Tidewater? The unlikely setting will be teeming with musicians and fans of both EDM (electronic dance music) and world music as the Beloved Festival hosts performances by a long list of acts including Xavier Rudd, Stellamara, Fanni Fi Allah Qawwali, Oliver Mtukudzi & the Black Spirits, Garifuna Collective with Danny Michel, the Sycamore Slough String Band, Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, Sasha Rose, Riffat Sultana & Party, Joshua Nelson & the Kosher Gospel Singers, Opiuo, Gaudi with Indubious and many more. Spiritual seminars and holistic healing workshops will also take place.
Directions to the festival and all the other info you’ll need is at the Beloved Festival website.
Will Rock Fest – Twin Lakes, Wisconsin – August 24
Say goodbye to August with this rock music blow-out at the Shadow Hill Ranch in Twin Lakes (Kenosha area.) Headlining the event will be Denmark’s Volbeat and Finland’s HIM; among the other groups scheduled to appear are Trapt, Soil, Airbourne, Adam Gontier (formerly of Three Days Grace), Hurt, All that Remains, Nonpoint, Red Line Chemistry and Psychostick. The festival is an all-ages, general admission event but there will also be a Will Rock pre-party on August 23 that is just for those over 21; performing at the party will be Mindset Evolution, Fight or Flight and Emphatic.
All the details are at the Will Rock Fest website.
