It’s that time of year again. Lazy-i will be on hiatus tomorrow and this weekend as we take in the sights and sounds of New York City. So what’ll I be missing?
Tonight (Thursday) The Sydney is hosting a handful of folk artists with Nashville-by-way-of-North Carolina’s Brooks Forsyth in the headliner position. The inimitable Sean Pratt ialso is on the bill along with Tom Bartolomei. 8 p.m., $10.
Friday night, LA indie/surf-rock act The Buttertones plays Reverb Lounge. The band reinvented itself with new personnel after being mentioned in a #metoo controversy involving Burger Records, according to a Los Angeles Times story. Tucson duo New Misphoria also is on the bill along with show-opener Las Cruxes. $25, 8 p.m.
Saturday night, prog-metal giants Mastodon plays at the Astro Amphitheater with Lamb of God, Kerry King and Malevolence. This one likely will be enjoyed throughout the entire La Vista community. $50-$150, 5:30 p.m.
Also Saturday night, emerging Nebraska indie band Cowgirl Eastern headlines at Slowdown with Ohm Shell and Three of Cups. 8 p.m., $15.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
This morning Neva Dinova’s publicist, Terrorbird Media, sent out links to the band’s latest video, which also happens to be the last-ever Love Drunk-produced video. Love Drunk mastermind, Django Greenblatt-Seay, is ending the series with No. 150.1, a video for Neva Dinova’s “Edge of Something.”
Love Drunk got its start way back in June 2010 when Django shot a one-take video of Portland singer-songwriter Nick Jaina. A year later, I wrote about Love Drunk for my column in The Reader,which you can still read online here in Lazy-i.
Love Drunk produced videos fast and furiously over its first five or six years for bands including many of Saddle Creek Records’ stable of artists (Cursive, Criteria, Orenda Fink, The Mynabirds, among others) and other national acts like The Menzingers, The Photo Atlas and Cymbals Eat Guitars. But Love Drunk’s bread-and-butter was videos for Nebraska artists, and just about every great band from that era was represented. You can check out the entire Love Drunk video catalog at the Love Drunk YouTube channel.
So why is Django hanging it up? “I don’t need the project as much as I did when I was in my 20s and early 30s,” he said. “I put all that work in, and reaped the benefits, but I no longer have the drive to own it.”
Instead, Django’s in conversations with some younger people interested in building something similar to Love Drunk but that could end up being more like a KEXP’s or the Tiny Desk Concert video series. More to come!
When I went to the Love Drunk channel I discovered that in addition to the “Edge of Something” video there’s also a new video for Neva Dinova’s “Someone’s Love,” which also went online today. Both are below.
Neva Dinova via Terrorbird also announced a couple new rock show dates, including a headlining gig Sept. 13 at Slowdown. They’ll also be playing Sept. 17 at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn.
No touring indie/college bands are coming through town this weekend (What else is new?).
Tonight, Jeremy Mercy and the Rapture Orphans are headlining at The Sydney. Mercy has been releasing a series of new country-rock singles, including the one below. Are these part of an upcoming album? Ask him tonight. Joining Mercy and his band are Frankie Chiaro and Watson & Co. $10, 8 p.m.
Tomorrow, Black Heart Booking hosts its annual Punk Rock BBQ at Reverb Lounge. The “summer tradition” combines “the love of loud, crazy punk rock music and delicious flame-seared delicacies.” Among the bands are Hand Painted Police Car, DSM-5 and Bad Actors. Full line-up and details here. $30, 4 p.m.
And that about does it. There’s basically nothing happening indie/college music-wise for the balance of the month, which is a shame considering we’ll be entering Husker Hell soon. Oh well… Have a great weekend….
For Throwback Thursday, a blog entry from 20 years ago… Whatever happened to Beep Beep? Whatever happened to The Goofy Foot?
Beep Beep and a peek behind the Creek; Kyle Harvey says goodbye, The Lepers tonight– Aug. 19, 2004
I guess you can call this extended version of the Beep Beep profile/interview (read it here) a Lazy-i exclusive — The Reader chopped off about a third of the story to make room for ads (I think they also cut my Sebadoh story as well — hey, that’s business). You get an interesting look inside the decision-making process that Creek goes through when they bring on a new band. Beep Beep is the latest expansion team in this successful league of indie rock stars. The fact that the band thinks of itself as the “black sheep” of the label is amusing and fitting and probably appropriate. Creek may not have a “sound” as Jason Kulbel says, but they do have certain boundaries that the bands are comfortable playing within, and Beep Beep breaks through them all. Yeah, Creek doesn’t have a “sound,” and they don’t really have anything like Beep Beep, either. There’s something strange and psychotic about their music, something that borders on violence and voyeurism, an eccentric decadence indeed. The guys in Beep Beep are as curious as anyone as to how their oddity will mesh with the rest of the label’s bands, which seem almost mainstream in comparison. As Chris Hughes says, “The record takes five listens to get the hook. If you give it a chance, you’ll get it.” I just don’t know if indie America (or America in general, for that matter) has the patience or the attention span to listen to anything five times.
Tonight’s shows: Kyle Harvey “and friends” at the Goofy Foot — it’s being billed as one of his last Omaha performances before he moves to Nashville. Meanwhile The Lepers and Players Club are at O’Leaver’s. Very unlikely that I’ll attend either show as I’m looking at three days in a row starting Friday night. Instead, I might check out the Metallica documentary at The Dundee Theater — I hate Metallica, but I hear this is a good flick. If I go, I’ll pass on a review tomorrow.
Check-in: The Good Life, Album of the Year; The Faint, Wet from Birth.
It’s time for a fresh look at the touring indie band gig calendar for Omaha. Notable additions include High Vis Oct. 4 (that’ll be a busy Friday night!), Jeffrey Lewis at Grapefruit Oct. 9, M. Ward Sept. 23 at The Waiting Room and Modest Mouse Nov. 12 at Steelhouse Omaha. That makes three Steelhouse shows on the calendar, with Bright Eyes playing Steelhouse Sept. 22 and Molchat Doma playing there next year (Feb. 24)…
Sept. 5 – A Giant Dog @ Reverb
Sept. 12 – Soft Kill @ The Slowdown
Sept. 18 – David Dondero @ Ming Toy Gallery
Sept. 21 – Built to Spill @ The Waiting Room
Sept. 22 — Bright Eyes @ Steelhouse
Sept. 23 — M. Ward @ The Waiting Room
Sept. 24 – Why? @ The Slowdown
Sept. 25 – Descendents @ The Admiral
Sept. 26 – Foxing @ The Slowdown
Oct. 1 – Odie Leigh @ The Slowdown
Oct. 1 – Jungle @ The Astro
Oct. 4 – Brigitte Calls Me Baby @ Reverb
Oct. 4 – High Vis @ The Waiting Room
Oct. 4 – Turnover @ The Slowdown
Oct. 5 – Fontaines D.C. @ The Slowdown
Oct. 7 – Saturdays at Your Place @ Reverb
Oct. 8 – Boris @ The Waiting Room
Oct. 9 – Jeffery Lewis @ Grapefruit Records
Oct. 10 – MJ Lenderman & The Wind @ The Waiting Room
Oct. 10 – Melt @ The Slowdown
Oct. 12 – The Red Pears @ Reverb
Oct. 16 – Mdou Moctar @ The Waiting Room
Oct. 17 – Superchunk @ The Waiting Room
Oct. 18-19 – Cursive @ The Waiting Room
Oct. 20 – Jeff Tweedy @ The Admiral
Oct. 22 – Psychedelic Furs/Jesus and Mary Chain @ The Astro
Oct. 23 – Kate Nash @ The Slowdown
Oct. 26 – Porches @ Reverb
Oct. 31 – Lunar Vacation @ The Slowdown
Nov. 12 – Modest Mouse @ Steelhouse
Am I missing something? Let me know…
With Petfest behind us, Omaha’s festival season is now officially over. I’ve sent multiple emails to Maha Music Festival organzers about 2025 plans and… radio silence. Can’t be a good thing, can it?
In year’s past I compared Petfest – the annual bacchanal held in the parking lot behind the Petshop Gallery in Benson – to South By Southwest day parties, where Austin locals get together outside the “festival establishment” to drink Lone Stars and eat breakfast tacos while listening to great indie bands perform in parks and strip-bar back lots. Those Austin day parties typically eclipse the staid, programmed, corporate-sponsored, formal showcases SXSW is/was known for.
That comparison remains apt.
In the calendar of Omaha summer music festivals, Petfest is the one I look forward to most, not necessarily because of the music line-up — which is always first-rate — but because it’s easy. Petfest is a laid-back, end-of-summer gathering of local music aficionados, art freaks, neighbors and friends enjoying a perfect late-summer afternoon with the best local music the state has to offer.
This year’s Petfest was no exception. Maybe (or likely) the fine weather was the reason this year’s festival felt more lively than last-year’s 100-plus-degree endurance test. The festival footprint actually felt smaller, though if anything there was more space to spread out on the white-rock parking lot. Like last year, bands performed on two “stages” – an outdoor stage and a small stage set up in the Petshop garage – with bands alternating between the locations for their (scheduled) 20-minute sets. The sets’ brevity meant never getting tired of any one band, and in most cases, leaving the crowd wanting more.
Vempire in the garage at Petfest, Aug. 17, 2024.
That was the case with Vempire. It was the debut performance by the synth duo of Lindsey Yoneda and Thirst Things First frontman Mike Elfers, whose debut album, Your Steps, dropped last Friday on Bandcamp. The music’s stripped down dance vibe at times has the same manic energy I remembered from Thirst Things First, especially after the first three underpowered songs. The soundguy eventually made necessary adjustments, and by the end of the set, Vempire was pumping.
Sound was a challenge throughout the day, as the sound dude made the best of what he had to work work with, which was limited, but, hey, this is a neighborhood festival, not Outlandia.
Saving Fiona on Petfest outdoor stage.
Vempire was followed by another Lincoln band – the five-piece Saving Fiona. Their debut album What a Shame caught a lot of people’s attention when it was released this past June. And while the songcraft was still there, the band was woefully underpowered throughout its set, especially the three vocalists. But again, as the set went on, adjustments were made and the band was shining by the end.
Devil horn tribute care of a Petfest fan during The Dirts set.
That theme continued with The Dirts, an act that really needs (and deserves) a big sound system to float their dense, trippy, shoe-gaze rock. They definitely made the best of the situation, pulling a pro move when the lead guitarist broke a string and came back on stage with one of Size Queen’s guitars. This is the most promising new band I’ve seen in years.
Heet Deth tear it up in the Petfest garage.
Then came Heet Deth, a Chicago-based drum-and-guitar duo that blew up the garage stage with their edgy psych rock reminiscent of the heavy early days of Yeah Yeah Yeahs — a Petfest highlight.
Darren Keen rocking the gear as PROBLEMS.
I stepped out of the festival compound for a couple hours to get some grub and returned for PROBLEMS, the one-man electronic/dance/synth project by Darren Keen. Keen always knows how to bring the party, but Saturday night’s set really showcased how he’s grown in creating deep, thick beats and almost orchestral synth arrangements that get a crowd moving.
Flamboyant Gods playing mostly in the dark under the outdoor stage tent.
Darren was followed by the Flamboyant Gods, a punk act fronted by Icky Blossoms’ Dereck Pressnall that includes a number of local superstars who I don’t know (though I recognized CJ Olson from Saddle Creek Records on one of the guitars!). The frenetic, kick-ass set of hard, fast punk songs was like Pressnall’s Flowers Forever on speed. They’ve been around for years (check out their Youtube videos) but they rarely play out these days. I’d love to see a full set of this chaos.
Dance Me Pregnant’s Chris Machmuller and Jeff Ankenbauer.
Speaking of chaos, Flamboyant Gods were followed by the return of Dance Me Pregnant, a punk band whose origins date back to the heyday of O’Leaver’s rock shows, featuring many of the faces that made The Club famous more than a decade ago — Johnny Vredenburg on bass, Chris Machmuller on guitar, Corey Broman on drums and frontman Jeff Ankenbauer, who I barely recognized when he walked up and said hello prior to the gig.
DMP is more metal than punk but has a much groovier sound, thanks to rock riffs that go beyond typical metal structures. They swing but keep their punk edge thanks to Ankenbauer’s full-throated yell vocals and up-close-and-personal approach that brought him out of the garage and in the faces of the thrashing crowd. A great set.
And that was the end of my Petfest experience for 2024. It could very well have been the best Petfest ever, but I say that every year. Suggestions for next year? Maybe get a little better sound system, add some non-alcohol drinking options (other than water), add one more food truck, but don’t change much more. Petfest’s charm comes from its quaint size and neighborhood, good-time feel.
. 0 0 0 .
Tonight at Slowdown, get ready for the sludge-metal of King Buzzo a.k.a. Roger “Buzz” Osborne of the Melvins. Opening is JD Pinkus of Butthole Surfers. Things could get loud. $35, 8 p.m.
Petfest, Omaha’s best live music festival for showcasing local indie talent, happens this Saturday in Benson. There’s a shit-ton of talent playing on two stages. You can arrive just about anytime between 2 p.m. and midnight and you won’t go wrong, but one band you may want to consider “appointment listening” is The Dirts at 5:15 on the outside stage.
The band opened last night for Toronto band PACKS at Slowdown’s front room and, like the past few times I’ve seen them, they played a heavy set of shoe-gaze-style indie rock influenced by the likes of Galaxy 500, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, etc.
In fact, if the folks who run the Astro were daring sorts, they’d have The Dirts open for the upcoming Psychedelic Furs/Jesus and Mary Chain show Oct. 22. I mean, what would they have to lose, and certainly fans coming to see those two bands would dig what the Dirts are doing.
The Dirts at Slowdown, Aug. 15, 2024.
A brief synopsis from what little I know about them – The Dirts are a local five-piece consisting of four women (synth, drums, guitar, bass, vocals) along with a dude lead guitarist/vocalist who (I think) used to be in Garst. They divide the vocal duties between three members, and if there’s a flaw in the composite it’s that you can barely hear the two women when they sing (Someone once told me that was a common trait in early shoe-gaze, but I just find it frustrating because both have good voices).
They’re a young band and somewhat raw – I’m not aware they’ve recorded anything, at least I can’t find any of their music online — but they’ve got whatever it is that makes good shoe-gaze fun to listen to – great hooks, good guitar riffs, very dense arrangements. Definitely worth checking out if you’re going to Petfest tomorrow.
The band’s rawness was in stark contrast to last night’s headliner – PACKS – who were a well-honed four-piece indie rock machine. I had no problem hearing frontwoman Madeline Link sing throughout the set, though I had a difficult time understanding what she was singing. Her slurred, unenunciated vocal style made the lyrics indecipherable, which is a shame because she has something to say in her songs.
The only time you could understand what she was singing was briefly during one tune where Link reverted to spoken word over the riffage (very cool) and during the set’s finale, “HFCS,” which she introduced with “This is for everyone who loves corn and everyone who feels so-so about corn and those who don’t like corn.” HFCS sands for high fructose corn syrup, the song’s main chorus, which got sing-along treatment by the 20 or so folks in the crowd.
. 0 0 0 .
So what other highlights can I recommend for Petfest? Like I said, it’s hard to go wrong at any point, so you’re best bet is to BE THERE FOR THE WHOLE DANG THING!
Here’s the deal, though – each band only plays 20-minute sets, so if you don’t like what you’re hearing, grab a beer and check your phone and before you know it, the next act will be on stage.
The performers alternate between an indoor (garage) and outdoor stage, starting with Western Haikus in the garage. Here’s the full schedule:
2 p.m. – Western Haikus 2:20 p.m. – McCarthy Trenching 2:40 p.m. – Ebba Rose 3 p.m. – Rike 3:20 p.m – Mike Sclesinger 3:40 p.m. Ol’ Mo and the Varmints 4 p.m. – Vempire 4:25 p.m. – Saving Fiona 4:50 p.m. – Queer Nite 5:15 p.m. – The Dirts 5:40 p.m. – Heet Deth 6:05 p.m. – Size Queen 6:25 p.m. – Ex-Lover 6:50 p.m. – Mesonjixx Trio 7:20 p.m. – Queer Nite 7:45 p.m. – PROBLEMS 8:10 p.m. – Flamboyant Gods 8:40 p.m. – Dance Me Pregnant 9:10 p.m. – Universe Contest 10 p.m. – Jeff in Leather 9:45 p.m. – Queer Nite 10:45 p.m. DJ Bumproump
Tickets are $40 day of show (or save $10 and buy a ticket for $30 today!). Food available from Terrible Gerald’s Pizza, and there will be plenty of booze. More info here. See you there.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
A head’s up on a few new local things I’ve been listening to…
Midwest Dilemma is back. Sure, singer/songwriter Justin Lamoureux has played here and there over the past few years but he hasn’t released any new music since 2008’s Timelines & Tragedies. The new one, Searching for the Cure for Loneliness, is slated for release Sept. 13.
Says Lamoureux: “These songs are rooted in the early days of Midwest Dilemma and most of them were recorded in guitarist Nic Johnson’s basement in 2011. Time passed as it always does and these recordings were put on the shelf until they began resurfacing in 2019. The songs never really left, but their stories became more and more relevant as we experienced the loss of family and friends, the absence of friends that moved away, and then the fear and isolation of the pandemic. These songs have been a part of us for over 13 years and witnessing their rebirth all these years later has been transformative.”
He said my favorite song from the new album, a banger called “Stolen Car,” was originally supposed to be recorded in 2011 when the rest of the album was recorded. “Ian (Aeillo, sound engineer extraordinaire) recorded it at Make Believe (Studio) in 1 day, getting in all the players including my 3 littles. It was magical,” Lamoureux said. I’d share the track with you, but he’s holding back on that one, so you’ll just have to wait.
As with his last record, there’s a shit-ton of musicians on the new album: In addition to Lamoureux on guitar and vocals, you have Nic Johnson, guitar, vox; Joye VanTrimmell, cello, Vox; Ben Arunski, tuba, trombone; John Klemmensen & Unknown, trumpets; Tyler Cook, upright bass; Kaitlyn Hova, violin; Jackie Six, flute; Ian Simmons & Elizabeth Webb, clarinets; Bob Schimpf, bassoon; Dan McCarthy, accordion; Rebecca Lowry, ukulele; Django Greenblatt-Seay, banjolin; Jason Ferguson, mandolin, lap steel; Aaron Jordan, Rhodes, piano; Scott Zimmerman, vibraphone; Matt Arbeiter, drums; Inaiah & Chela Lujan, vox; Ella, Idelle & Luci Lamoureux, vox. Whew!
Lamoureux said he’s trying to get a 12+ sized band on stage for the album’s release show, which is Sept. 13 at Benson Theatre (He’s currently rehearsing with nine musicians). Joining them will be old pals Brad Hoshaw and Kyle Harvey. It’ll be just like Benson 2008 all over again!
Omaha singer/songwriter Anna McClellan today dropped a single called “Jam the Phones” via Father/Daughter Records. This follows two earlier singles, “Hold You Close,” and “Like a Painting.” Can a full-on album be far behind? Check out the lyric video, directed by Katrina Peterson:
. 0 0 0 .
I generally don’t like cover songs, preferring to simply enjoy the originals, but I do dig Mitch Gettman’s cover of the Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell chestnut “Wichita Lineman,” which just dropped earlier this week.
I guess we’re entering an era once again where artists need to record and release covers, understanding they can pique the interest of new listeners, especially when performed live, because these days, the only way musicians are making any money is playing live on stage…
. 0 0 0 .
Speaking of which, tonight, PACKS headlines at Slowdown’s front room. You can read a Ten Questions interview with PACKS frontperson Madeline Link right here. Omaha slacker-indie phenoms The Dirts get things started tonight at 8 p.m. $18.
Originally from Toronto, PACKS singer/songwriter/frontperson Madeline Link isn’t actually from anywhere these days, saying in a recent Paste Magazine interview she doesn’t call any one place home, which allows her to seamlessly integrate a variety of perspectives into her songs.
Her most recent album, Melt the Honey (2024, Fire Talk Records), was written and recorded in Mexico City and Xalapa with her band, Dexter Nash, guitar; Noah O’Neil, bass; and Shane Hooper, drums. Despite the global perspective, the album has a static, indie feel like the best college music out of Chicago in the early ‘90s – sorta slacker, sorta DIY, lyrically all over the place. Standout tracks like “Her Garden” and “Honey” remind me of Exile in Guyville in their structure and sound while Link’s vocal style is loose and soaring and at times tough to understand, making listening with the karaoke box on in Spotify an added pleasure.
With PACKS playing at Slowdown Jr. this Thursday, Link agreed to take the Ten Questions plunge. Here’s what she had to say:
1. What is your favorite album?
Madeline Link of PACKS: Nevermind by Nirvana.
2. What is your least favorite song?
4 Non Blondes “What’s Going On.”
3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?
Playing music with the homies.
4. What do you hate about being in a band?
Nothing!
5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?
Horchata
6. In what city or town do you love to perform (and why)?
We love to perform anywhere where they’ll have us! It’s all about the crowd.
7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?
The worst is yet to come. Nothing is ever truly the worst!
8. Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?
No way! I’m a set dresser for commercials.
9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do?
Could try out being a psychic! Would never want to be a prison guard.
10. What stories have you heard about Omaha, Nebraska?
Toro y Moi wrote a beautiful song about Omaha! We stopped there to eat some ramen and found a sweet mall that we wanted to check out next time we were there.
PACKS plays with The Dirts at The Slowdown front room Thursday, Aug. 15. 8 p.m., $18.
Putting on a music festival is a giant gamble. Every decision is an educated guess that will either pay off in spades or aid in your demise.
It starts with the location, and in the Outlandia Music Festival’s case, that choice was the right one. Falconwood Park is a bucolic, pastoral paradise uniquely suited to host a multi-day music fest. You can read about Falconwood and its history right here.
But after that, it’s all a roll of the dice.
Will the lineup attract a large audience? Are the bands too obscure or have they played in the area too often?
Are the tickets correctly priced? How’s the economy? Do fans have available cash to make the buy? Is there a competing event that could lure away their dollars?
How about marketing? Where was the festival marketed and was enough spent to get the word out?
Every dollar is a gamble, from facility and production costs to personnel and security arrangements. Nothing is cheap.
And then, after all that, there’s Mother Nature, because scorching heat or soaking rain does not entice participation in an outdoor event.
If you make all the right decisions and the stars align, the only thing left is to execute the plan, and the Outlandia folks definitely know how to execute.
One of the biggest wild cards was weather, and Outlandia drew aces. The sky was partly cloudy and temps were in the 70s Saturday afternoon when I visited Falconwood Park. The main festival site felt like a small village. Concert-goes walked to the stage area with folding chairs while festival personnel zipped around the small paved paths in golf carts escorting guests from the parking area to the VIP section or the sponsor cabins.
A view toward Outlandia’s VIP section with confetti in the foreground.
In the back of the compound were the usual food trucks and beer stands as well as merch tents and other vendors scattered around the perimeter. Beyond the long row of port-a-johns, a triangle of dudes played frisbee in the open field. Everywhere tangled in the brown and green grass were scraps of colored paper – the remnants of the previous night’s Flaming Lips’ confetti cannons.
The festival suffered a bit of a set-back the previous day when J. Mascis announced he couldn’t play Saturday because of the death of close friend Dave Swetapple, bassist for Witch, Eerie and Sweet Apple, a band that includes Mascis. The schedule change pushed Buffalo Tom back to 5:30.
Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz performs at Outlandia Festival Aug. 10 while one of Omaha’s coolest sound guys looks on.
The trio of guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn and drummer Tom Maginnis may have looked grayer than they did in the mid-‘90s when their best albums were released, but they didn’t sound any different. They ripped into a greatest hits set that included just about every song any Buffalo Tom fan would want to hear, played to tight perfection. The only thing missing were a couple songs the band had hoped to play with Mascis, who helped produce their first two albums.
I can’t comment on the lighting but the sound was pristine. Outlandia’s huge stage gave the band plenty of room to roam, though they rarely strayed from their fixed positions. About 75 or so stood by the stage while a couple hundred sat behind the “No Chair Zone” area 50 yards or so from the stage. Dozens more sat off of stage-right in the Outlandia VIP section.
The crowd beyond Outlandia’s No Chair Zone.
Execution-wise, Outlandia appeared to be a home run. But what about the numbers?
Tyler Owen, one of festival’s organizers, said he heard they had around 5,000 in the park for the weekend, but doesn’t have the data yet or the plan for 2025. Owen said during our recent interview for Flatwater Free Press that this year’s Outlandia was “make or break.” I talked to another organizer who said that’s the case every year.
As Owen said, Outlandia has everything it needs to be as successful as Iowa’s Hinterland Music Festival. I searched in vain to find attendance numbers for 2024’s Hinterland, held last weekend, but instead only found article after article that reported complaints about how the enormous crowds put a strain on the festival’s resources, this despite humid temps in the mid-90s throughout the weekend. I’ve heard past festivals drew well over 15,000.
What I do know is that Hinterland quickly sold out their allotment of 3-day General Admission passes on the strength of their line-up, which included major indie artists Chappell Roan, Ethel Cain, The Last Dinner Party, Orville Peck, Blondshell, Vampire Weekend, Hozier, Mt. Joy and more – a line-up that must have cost a gazillion dollars to book.
If Outlandia had booked just the top three of the above list of artists, they might have doubled their attendance this year. But at what cost?
And at the end of the day, even with that star power, it’s all a gamble.
From behind the lawn chair zone looking toward the Outlandia stage.
Recent Comments