It all started when a much younger Jackie dove into her parents’ record collection, grabbed that trippy Magical Mystery Tour album, and played “Strawberry Fields” over and over again until it was engrained into her soul. She grew up on the dreams and stories of Simon and Garfunkel, “Bleeker Street” being one of her favorites, the seduction of The Doors, Van Morrison, because “Brown Eyed Girl” is definitely her song, and the likes of Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Jimi Hendrix…you get the picture. It may not show on the outside, but Jackie has a hippie heart, and that reflects in her musical tastes today. While some of her favorites may or may not be jam bands, her taste in music feeds into many genres. From alternative, Brit, and indie rock - OK, maybe all rock - to pop, to rap, to electronic, she loves it all. As a northerner, she thought she would never understand country until she found herself on a Georgia farm in cowboy boots watching Luke Bryan shake it for her- yeah, she got that. She is a chronic wanderluster, she doesn't believe in guilty pleasures, enjoys a great Moscow Mule, and is an absolute music festival fanatic- you’ll find her wherever the music takes her.
Our roots are deeply grounded in the great state of Georgia. So when there is a festival of this size and quality in the heart of one of our favorite cities, we just have to show our love. Atlanta is known for many things – as of late it may be the collapsing of highways and MARTA catching on fire – but there is no denying this city knows how to host a music festival or two.
2. Centennial Park
aLive Coverage
Shaky Beats returned to Centennial Olympic Park in the heart of Atlanta, GA, for its second year. With a line-up boasting the likes of The Chainsmokers, Kaskade, GRiZ, Bonobo, Flosstradamus, Zeds Dead, Galantis, RL Grime, Gramatik, the return of Girl Talk, and many more, this year’s fest certainly did not disappoint.
If you are familiar with Centennial Park when there’s not a festival occupying the park, the idea of a loud, electronic focused festival with three stages may raise some skepticism. We were anticipating unbearable hoards of attendees packed into the park and awful noise bleed from the stages. We were met with neither. Sure it was crowded, of course, but nothing insufferable, and no noise bleeding. That’s a win for us.
3. Gramatik
aLive Coverage
Gramatik is just one of those artists we are always happy to see on a lineup. With a Gramatik set, you know you’re always going to have a funky energetic time. We couldn’t stop shakin’ our beats throughout the late afternoon performance. Gramatik was absolutely one of our favorite sets from Day 2 at Shaky Beats.
4. Slushii
aLive Coverage
That hair. That jersey. Those bright colors. That Slushii cartoon. We loved it. This was our first time seeing Slushii (Julian Scanlan) live. Not only is he known for his work with artists such as Marshmello and Skrillex, Scanlan also puts on one hell of a show.
5. The Chainsmokers
aLive Coverage
There is no denying it, we’re fans. The Chainsmokers‘ set was everything we wanted it to be and definetely how we wanted to end our Shaky Beats weekend. All of our favorite anthemic songs were played and Centennial was absolutely alive with sing-a-longs Sunday night. Each time we’ve seen The Chainsmokers, their performance just gets bigger and better.
Cryptic, hypnotic, Layered hooks and melodies, Dreamy, strong vocals
Our “Haiku Review” of Little Dragon’s long-awaited album, Season High, pretty much sums it up.
From classic video game sounds to mystical dreamscapes, from upbeat tribal dance grooves to spaced out zones, there is unexpected and unimagined magic within each track.
“We want to exist in our own bubble where we can stay curious about sounds. The magic feeling that sounds can sprinkle over any boring day is what got us all hooked. That feeling of escapism …” shared singer and songwriter Yukimi Nagano while discussing the process behind the recording of Season High.
This is the first new music from the Grammy-nominated electro-pop band since they released their acclaimed 2014 album, Nabuma Rubberband. While the album has been out for a few weeks now, it comes just before their scheduled performance at this year’s Shaky Beats Music Festival in Atlanta, GA, this weekend.
The second annual Shaky Beats Music Festival will be taking place in Centennial Olympic Park and boasts a line-up that includes The Chainsmokers, Kaskade, GRiZ, Bonobo, Flosstradamus, Zeds Dead, Galantis, RL Grime, Gramatik, and of course, Little Dragon.
Over the course of three days, three stages will light up the heart of downtown Atlanta with an array of today’s best and most popular EDM acts. The party will continue both Friday and Saturday nights with Shaky Beats Late Night Shows.
Don’t miss Little Dragon’s Shaky Beats set at 5:40PM EST this Sunday (5/7) on the Peachtree Stage and their late night show on Saturday w/ Abjo at The Masquerade – Heaven, 11:00pm Doors/ 11:30pm Show. Tickets are still available!
It’s Friday (Yayy!). Which means one week from now we will be returning to Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, for the second annual Shaky Beats Music Festival. With a line-up boasting the likes of The Chainsmokers, Kaskade, GRiZ, Bonobo, Flosstradamus, Zeds Dead, Galantis, RL Grime, Gramatik, the return of Girl Talk, and many more, this year’s fest will not disappoint.
Over the course of three days, three stages will light up the heart of downtown Atlanta with an array of today’s best and most popular EDM acts. The party will continue both Friday and Saturday nights with Shaky Beats Late Night Shows. If you were among the many who weren’t able to snag a ticket to the coveted late night Kaskade show at Terminal West on Saturday, don’t fret – there are still tickets available for a few other late shows.
The countdown to this year’s Shaky Beats is almost over. We’re finally in the home stretch and to get you in the mood, pump up your weekend, and help get you through this next week, check out a few of VM’s favorite tracks from some of this year’s Shaky Beats’ artists.
It almost goes without saying: Hulaween was the best festival we have seen this year. In its fourth year at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, the magic of Hulaween has grown, and the splendor and spectacle of this festival has exceeded any and all expectations.
While we are still riding that Hula high, and probably will be for quite some time, we’re taking a look at some highlights that make this esteemed festival top-notch.
Greensky Bluegrass Thursday Pre-Party Set
The party got started a day early, as it has in years past, with Hulaween’s not-to-miss Thursday Pre-Party. This year’s pre-party lineup was incomparable to previous Thursdays at Hulaween, as it boasted one of the best lineups to date. Umphrey’s McGee, Greensky Bluegrass, EOTO & Friends, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Marco Benevento, Fruition, and The Werks were among the artists who kicked off the weekend.
The Spirit Lake Stage was adorned with towering amethyst cathedrals and ornate wooden cutouts on each side. As the starburst lights began to shine and the visual effects started to transform the stage into a pirate ship, Greenksky took to the Spirit Lake Stage for the last slot of the night. The mournfully beautiful “Windshield” was the first song of the set, and the band’s performance seemed to send a wave of enchantment and emotion through the crowd. Also known for their outlandish covers, Greensky later delighted with Juvenile’s 1998 hit, “Back That Ass Up.”
Something was in the air that night while Greensky played on. You could feel the energy pulsating. The atmosphere was electric, and Greensky provided a soundtrack that matched the smiling crowd’s anticipation and excitement for the weekend ahead.
Photo: Jordan Leigh Jackson
The String Cheese Incident’s Halloween ’80s Cover Set
One of the most highly anticipated String Cheese Incident sets of the year happens every Hulaween. On Saturday, SCI played three sets, with the second set themed “Stringier Things” (a play on the recent Netflix hit Stranger Things) and was comprised of all ’80s covers. The String Cheese Incident was joined on stage by the Antibalas horns as well as vocalists Rhonda Thomas and Tony White.
When it comes to Cheese and their spectacle sets, it’s always a party and a unique experience you do not want to miss. From the Rubik’s Cube inflatables to the looming Stay Puft Marshmallow Man flying overhead, the ‘80s rocker acrobats swinging high above the crowd to the sensual grinder/spark dancers on stage, the confetti and heart shaped balloons during “Love Shack” to the fireworks display during “Burning Down The House,” this year’s special Hulaween set was no exception.
Stringier Things ‘80s Set:
Would I Lie To You?, Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Upside Down, She Blinded Me With Science, Let’s Groove Tonight, White Wedding, Sweet Child O’ Mine, Love Shack, MEDLEY: Another One Bites The Dust > White Lines > The Safety Dance > Come On Eileen > Relax > Thriller > Never Gonna Give You Up > Don’t You Want Me, Burning Down The House
Remember when the entrance to Spirit Lake looked like this?….We do.
Each year, mastermind Andy Carroll curates Spirit Lake working alongside artists and multi-media designers from around the globe to create a living, breathing space that is full of surprises and jaw-dropping interactive art. For 2016, Spirit Lake was bigger and better than ever before.
Around every corner of Spirit Lake there was something new to look at and installations that were enticing to play with. During the day, a plethora of workshops and yoga classes were available, but at night, Spirit Lake transformed into a mesmerizing playground.
When the sun went down, the trees, art, and lake were all illuminated by lighting designer John Hollingshead’s mind-blowing-and-bending projections. The light show that danced across the lake hypnotize audiences into the early morning hours with technology comparable to that found at, shall we say, Disney World.
“The thing that is unbelievably special about the Hulaween fan base, compared to other festivals, is that it is one of the most understanding, welcoming, and forgiving fan bases that we have ever been blessed with working with,” stated Michael Berg in an earlier interview with us. And we have to agree.
We have seen strong communities at other festivals, especially Electric Forest, but there is just something so incredibly unique and special about the Hula Fam/Hula Crew. This community is family. Attendee camaraderie is strongly rooted within and projected by the largely present String Cheese Incident fanbase at Hulaween. But beyond the droves of Cheese fans, it seems that all who enter The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park are touched by the magic and love of this festival.
“It is just unprecedented the amount of positivity and acceptance that is generated by this fan base. It is unheard of, compared to anything I have ever been a part of as an event producer promoter,” Berg concluded.
The Venue
Adorned with Spanish moss-draped oak trees and nestled on the shady banks of the black Suwannee River, The Spirit of Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) is naturally the ideal setting for a Halloween weekend extravaganza. For the past four years, the 800-acre venue transforms into a festive playground.
Spirit of Suwannee feels like home. Fortunately for the Hula Fam, Hulaween won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Confirmed by Berg in our pre-Hula chat, he reassured us that after the past successful years, Hulaween has found a permanent stable home at SOSMP and is here to stay (hopefully) for a really long time.
Just like the holiday it embodies, Hulaween has become a beloved annual tradition. A celebration of Halloween, all things String Cheese Incident, music, art, and community, Hulaween has quickly become the festival not to miss.
The expansion and mass appeal of Hulaween was apparent last year with over 20,000 attendees, a tripling in size from the previous year. With such exponential growth in three years, new regulations and modifications to the festival are being put in place for Hulaween 2016. This year ticket sales are capped at 20,000 weekend passes, vehicles entering the campgrounds will be limited and must purchase a car camping pass, and a brand new stage has been added.
When it comes to car camping at Spirit of Suwannee this year, Hulaween has hired 40 extra parking attendants in order to help with the flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Attendees will be relieved to know that, just as in years past, you will still be able to camp wherever you choose. “All we are doing is limiting the number of cars that are coming in,” stated Michael Berg, Producer/Promoter for Silver Wrapper. “We are taking measures to help the overall experience. Attendees who have been coming to Suwannee for all of these years and have their special camping spots will be able to come in and still get those spots just as easily as they would have at any other event at Suwannee.”
By limiting the amount of cars coming in, the hope is to create more opportunities for space closer to the venue and creating more room for tents and communal areas for large groups camping together. Those who do not want to purchase a car camping pass will park in a lot just outside the grounds and will be taken into the campsite via Hulaween’s new and free shuttle service.
“We are doing this to enhance the entire experience. It’s not to make things difficult, it’s not to make things more complicated. It’s honestly quite the opposite and a lot of thought went into it,” Berg said.
The brand new stage, The Patch, is another element of Hulaween that has taken a lot of thought and planning. The Patch will be the second biggest stage of the festival and will be located behind the Meadow Stage (main stage area) near the horse stable camping area. The idea behind The Patch is to help reduce congestion at the Amphitheater Stage.
“The whole idea is to keep people moving around the site and not have everyone in one place all at the same time,” said Berg. “There will be no more mass exodus from the Meadow as this stage provides a way to split up the crowd. After a show at the main stage, you’re either going towards the Amphitheater or you’re going towards The Patch.”
Artists playing The Patch includes Gramatik, Snarky Puppy, STS9, and Oh Wonder.
Additionally, The Patch was added because of the ever expanding music lineup. In order to book more acts, an extra stage was needed.
Way before there was a need for more stages, a limits on tickets, or even a stacked lineup,Hulaween had originally been The String Cheese Incident’s Halloween celebration. Bouncing around the country for many years, Hulaween never quite found a permanent stable home, until now.
“The original plan was to do three years at Suwannee because it started with Halloween on a Thursday and by last year Halloween landed on a Saturday.” stated Berg. “We all felt that if the festival wasn’t to the point where we wanted it to be by the third year then maybe it just wasn’t mean to be. Luckily, the festival has gotten to that place for us. Hulaween is not just another blip on the radar and we feel confident that we have created something in conjunction with the community that supports it and hopefully it’s here to stay for a really long time.”
With the new Feast of Funk & Soul Food happening right before Thanksgiving at Sprit of Suwannee Music Park, you might be loosening your belts a little earlier this November. Not only is this two day event serving up some of the best funk and soul music, but headlining this fest will be, of course, the food.
The food lineup is headlined by five internationally acclaimed chefs including James Beard Award winner Art Smith, (cookbook author and former private chef for Oprah Winfrey), Harrison Sapp (owner of Southern Soul BBQ, St. Simons Island and Live Oak, FL), Chris “Shaggy” Davis (New Orleans Crawfish Boil King), John Minas (The Edison, Tallahassee) and Samuel Forbes Edwards (Edwards Brothers BBQ). Foodies will be able to purchase tickets that include meals prepared by each of these culinary legends.
Additionally, Feast of Funk & Soul Food will welcome two of Florida’s best breweries to the show – Dunedin Brewery and 81Bay Brewing Co.
Combining funky music, delicious soul food, and these Florida breweries, Feast of Funk and Soul Food will raise money for local charities Love Inc., Hope Notes and Suwannee Spirit Kids Music Camp. It’s the prefect opportunity to come together with friends and family at an intimate Spirit of the Suwannee event, giving thanks and love the weekend before Thanksgiving.
A Feast of Funk & Soul Food Music Lineup:
Earth Wind & Power (the music of Earth Wind & Fire performed by The Nth Power featuring Jennifer Hartswick, Skerik, Farnell Newton, James Casey, Daniel Sadownick, Brian Thomas)
The Nth Power
Jennifer Hartswick Band
The Roosevelt Collier Band
The Groove Orient
Leisure Chief
Scott Campbell Band
According to The Floozies, summer isn’t over yet. With their current tour, Summer Fling, But Like, In The Fall Tour, The Floozies hope to keep those summer vibes going well into the couple of months. Ahead of their stop in Athens, GA, at the Georgia Theatre, we sat down with Mark Hill (drummer) to get the inside scoop on this brother duo.
Vinyl Mag:Just to get into it, you guys are currently on tour, the Summer Fling, But Like In The Fall Tour.We are loving the name of the tour, how did you guys come up with it?
Mark Hill: My brother thought of it because he thinks of a lot of brilliant things. And I think because we had just released “Summer Fling” and we were really proud of it and we just wanted to keep the summer vibes going because summer is the shit.
VM:We’ll agree with you on that. Now, you have a couple more cities you’ll be stopping at on this tour including Athens, GA, this Friday. Have you been to Athens before?
MH: Yeah, we’ve actually played the Georgia Theatre twice before and I loved it and I like Athens a lot.
VM:It’s going to be really good having you guys back in Athens. Will you guys have any downtime and be able to do anything around town before the show?
MH: Last time I was in Athens, I went to a record shop and bought like 15 CDs that were really cheap, so I’ll probably do that again. Then I’ll probably eat some good food, take a shower, and play a show.
VM:Speaking of your show, you guys put on quite the live performance. I know you work with Hunter (LaserWolf FX) with all the lasers and visuals. How do you guys approach the design and feel of your live show?
MH: The ideas kind of come randomly. We do a lot of drawing when we’re on the road and we just think about what we would want to see that fits our music. And then we see who has the lights or who can get them and run them. And BOOM! Then we just blast everybody with lasers, because everybody loves lasers.
VM:Everybody does love lasers, I will agree with you on that!
MH: We don’t do video. We have a very live show and if you do video you have to pretty much have everything planned out. With the lights that we use, we try to leave us room and that’s how we provide unique shows.
VM:Do you guys have any pre-show rituals?
MH: We always tell each other that we love each other.
VM: That’s incredibly sweet…I’ve noticed on socials that you have a lot of videos that give your fans a more intimate look into your lives on tour. How did you guys come up with wanting to shoot these videos and what do you hope fans get out of watching them?
MH: We’ve always made videos. Our good friend Daniel Opperman is really good with video and we brought him out on the road. This is probably the first tour he has been able to work video for us so it’s just really fun. We wake up and we go get coffee and we start thinking about fun things to do. We’re always trying to have fun and then he’s always there with the camera and he captures it. I think it’s cool for people to see what we do outside of playing shows. I know I would watch it if it was of my favorite band.
VM: I think it’s a great personal look into your world and you seem like really fun guys. The videos just make us want to hang out with you!
MH: We get really excited about things and we want to show them. Like one of the videos we made was really exciting because we previewed a new song that we’re going to release soon. The song is called “Butt Rock,” so all day I was just going around throwing up the rock hand sign. It’s just fun to go out and do stuff and not just sit around on bus.
Thrashed pretty hard with SunSquabi last night in Knoxville! Chattanooga tonight!
Song: Butt Rock (unreleased)… (it’s siiiiick)
Posted by The Floozies on Saturday, September 17, 2016
VM:Well, keep them coming because we love to watch them.
MH: Yeah, most people like them. We do it just to make sure people keep enjoying themselves. We know that not everyone can come to all the shows. And our mom likes to watch them.
VM: That is so awesome….Being that you guys are brothers, have you guys learned anything about each other that you didn’t know or realize prior to creating music and touring together?
MH: Not really, we have always been extraordinarily honest with each other. I think more so than anyone else in the world these days. We also always got a long so it’s not that hard.
VM:That’s really great to hear because sometimes it doesn’t work out that way and you figure out weird things you never knew about each other even if you’re siblings.
MH: Yeah, well I kind of learned that Matt was a little bit of a diva. He really likes his sleep…
VM: Just wanted to touch upon your most recent EP, Granola Jones…what is the creative process behind your recorded material?
MH: We’re just constantly making music. Matt always likes to tell people that we don’t consider putting out a song unless it is going to make people dance. It’s just kind of constant, writing music while on tour, well most days, some days we sleep. It’s just kind of constant and inspiration can come from anywhere. It can come from Chet Porter, our opener, tossing a bottle and it landing really sweetly over and over again.
VM:And how was it to work with Karl Denson?
MH: It was great. Karl is a beast. He’s really talented, and he can shred for days, and he’s really buff. He’s really great and really nice. We sent him our music and he started cranking out the music right away. We didn’t have to wait a month for him to get back to us, which is always appreciated. And that’s how we are, we get really excited about a song and then we just really want to get it out.
In an official statement from Electric Forest HQ: Electric Forest will be held over two consecutive weekends in 2017.
The festival now will take place June 22–June 25 and June 29–July 2, 2017. It was stated that this move to add a second weekend is meant to offer two distinct, back to back weekends at a lower capacity strives to nurture the evolution and growth of the EF community while honoring the much cherished EF experience.
From praises to criticism, and everything in between, the reviews have been mixed about this announcement.
In a quote from Pasquale Rotella, Co- Founder of Electric Forest and Founder and CEO of Insomniac: “In 2017, we will see Electric Forest evolve into two unique weekend experiences. I am glad EDC Las Vegas attendees will have an opportunity to rest and recharge before making the journey out to another festival. Home is where your family is, and the Forest has become another destination this community can call home.”
While we can agree that Insomniac and their events are home to a certain community all unto itself, we should also remember that not just the Forest, but the venue itself has been considered a home and a mecca for attendees with varying musical tastes over the years – even before Electric Forest was in existence.
There are hopes that a Rothbury-esq lineup will be brought back for one of the weekends, and there are concerns (or excitement depending on your music taste) that Electric Forest and it’s lineup will continue to keep looking more and more like any other EDC around the country, only now for two weekends instead of one.
Only time will tell what is in-store for Electric Forest 2017.
