Travel alerts straight to your inbox:

Tag: Music Festivals View All Tags

This Weekend In the World: Giant Turkey Legs, Bachata and World War II

June 26, 2009 at 4:07 PM | 0 Comments

· Chicago
All we should have to say to convince you to attend the first weekend of Chicago's Taste of Chicago is "Midwest's Largest Food Festival." Yes, this shindig based around celebrating giant turkey legs, pulled pork sandwiches and vienna dogs incorporates all the greatest indigestion-inducing foods with some of the muggiest days of the year. And it couldn't get any better. Arm yourself with wet naps and head to Grant Park from June 26 through July 5; the busiest days happen right around the Fourth, so this weekend should be some good eating.

more ›

Baltimore's Virgin Mobile Festival Drops Ticket Prices To Free

June 25, 2009 at 8:47 AM | 1 Comment

There’s been a lot of talk about 2009 being the year the music festival died, (see Summercase, Langerado and the San Francisco Blues Festival), and the long-rumored next casualty has been the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore. Despite being a hit in its first three years out, concert organizers have waited forever to announce any details on dates or lineup, leading many around the music blogosphere to assume the fest wouldn’t be able to pull it together this year.

Well our old billionaire buddy Richard Branson must have taken those nasty rumors personally, because Virgin has announced that not only will the show go on, but they don’t need to make any stinkin' money on it anyway. That’s right, this year’s concert is 100-percent free.

more ›

Rhode Island's Got Your Summer Music Right Here

June 24, 2009 at 11:57 AM | 0 Comments

Perpetually rained-on East Coast residents can be forgiven for not knowing that summer started this weekend, but showers or not, summer music season is officially in full gear.

Coming up this week, Rhode Island, a state that might not be first come to mind when you think of "rock and roll," gets its music on with Newport’s 12th Annual Nantucket Nectars Sunset Music Series. The Fest brings big-name acts to an awesome waterfront setting, starting this Thursday with Huey Lewis and the News, but don't worry, it gets more hip and less square later in the summer, with Los Lobos and Guster.

Also coming up in the Ocean State this summer, there's the annual Providence Sound Session, a quirky "genre-defying music festival" that brings up-and-coming DJs, hip-hop, jazz, and odder acts to downtown Providence from July 5 to 11.

And of course, RI's most famous music scene is the notorious George Wein’s Folk Festival 50, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary fest with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, both of whom performed here half a decade ago, now joining fresher acts like the Decemberists and Fleet Foxes at Fort Adams State Park. Is it ok to bring glow sticks to a folk festival? Just asking.

Related Stories:
· Nantucket Nectars Sunset Music Series [Official Site]
· Providence Sound Session [Official Site]
· George Wein's Folk Festival 50 [Official Site]

[Photo: Providence Sound Session]

Brooklyn Gets a Music Festival of Its Own

June 11, 2009 at 12:22 PM | 0 Comments

As the reigning indie music capital of the world, you'd think Brooklyn would have a long-running music festival to rival Austin's SXSW and Manhattan's CMJ, but the ragtag borough has never quite put it together.

But Brooklyn is amping up its game this weekend with the first annual Northside Music and Arts Festival, which will be taking over much of Williamsburg and Greenpoint tonight through Sunday. The blogistas will be out in full force to catch dozens of the borough's up-and-coming bands, along with a couple of A-list indie acts like The Hold Steady, Bishop Allen, and Sunset Rubdown.

The festival has also teamed up with the Williamsburg Gallery Association to offer an evening of music in the galleries tonight, along with a bunch of artsy events throughout the weekend.

All-access badges for the four-day event are a pretty reasonable $45, and shows take place at many of Williamsburg's most popular bars, including Barcade, t.b.d., and the Gutter, with just a few events across the river in—gasp—Manhattan.

Related Stories:
· Northside Festival [Official Site]
· Brooklyn travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Music travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kenyee]

You Can't Take the Roots Out of Philly

June 8, 2009 at 9:02 AM | 0 Comments

When it comes to hometown pride, you gotta hand it to The Roots. Despite all their album sales, Grammys, and even now a steady late night TV gig, the Philadelphia locals won't even consider a move to Manhattan. Most of the band still commutes via train to their Jimmy Fallon gig everyday, and despite that busy schedule, they still save their most exuberant show of the year for a homecoming: the annual Roots Family Picnic, which Jaunted was on hand for this weekend.

The Roots basically performed all day, kicking off the show with a mini-set at 2 p.m., then backing up Public Enemy later in the evening and closing out the show with a second, hour-long set of their own. The day was also a showcase of Philly's up-and-coming hip-hop scene, with homegrown acts like Santigold, King Britt and Written House.

Next up on the Philly music agenda: Check out a ton more local bands at the free Popped! 2nd Street Music Festival in Northern Liberties on June 20. Then Philly brings back its rock-ier side for the Xponential Music Festival, which takes place July 24 – 26 on the Camden Waterfront, with big-name acts like The Hold Steady, They Might be Giants, and Peter Bjorn & John.

Related Stories:
· The Roots Return Home to Philly This Weekend [Jaunted]
· Popped! Music Festival [Official Site]
· Xponential Music Festival [Official Site]

[Photo: Jaunted]

The Roots Return Home to Philly This Weekend

June 5, 2009 at 8:47 AM | 1 Comment

Philly's favorite hip-hop sons, The Roots, will be taking a break from their gig as the house band on Jimmy Fallon's show this weekend and hopping on the Amtrak back home for their second annual Roots Picnic.

The band will be joined at the Festival Pier at Penn's Landing by a few thousand of their closest friends, along with a diverse array of artists, including TV on the Radio, Santigold, the Black Keys and Public Enemy.

At a not-so-insane $47 a ticket, the Roots Picnic is a welcome break from some of summer's more overpriced music festivals, and according to the forecast, all this rain should be out of the way in time for a sunny, 80-degree Saturday in Philadelphia. Jaunted will be there representing—come join us!

Related Stories:
· The Roots Picnic [Official Site]
· Questlove Swears He Won't Become a New Yorker [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Does Lunch with Questlove of the Roots [Jaunted]

[Photo: zachclean]

Blame it on The Rain: Amy Winehouse Flops in St. Lucia

May 11, 2009 at 5:06 PM | 0 Comments

Amy Winehouse has been hiding out on the island of St. Lucia for quite some time was all set to perform at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival this weekend. Except, no, no no she didn't.

Her rep says the concert was cut short because of heavy rain. However, she did make it on stage as this video from YouTube shows. Except it took her quite some time to get it started (around the 1:50 mark.) BV Newswire reports:

Adorned in her trademark beehive, heavy mascara and a slinky electric blue minidress, the 'You Know I'm No Good' singer seemed to struggle to remember some of her best known recorded material, mumbled through a few verses and guzzled an unknown concoction while on stage. Although audiences seemed to weather the storm, one thing became apparent: Winehouse didn't.

Amy reportedly walked off midway through the set, never even performing "Rehab." That's when the "Blame it on the Rain" excuse came in, even though the stage was encased and covered by a roof. Note to all future Amy Winehouse concert ticket-holders: Please try to get a refund now.

Related Stories:
· What do Amy Winehouse and JetBlue have in common? [Jaunted]
· Amy Winehouse Singing in the Rain [BV Newswire]

[Photo: NRK P3]

Ireland Can Do Music, Sun and Surfboards Too

May 7, 2009 at 12:41 PM | 0 Comments

If you're in the market for a music getaway this summer that goes beyond standing in muddy fields for hours, you might want to consider the second annual SeaSessions Surf and Music Festival going down in Ireland. Just don't expect many penny whistles or fiddle playing, because this isn't your grandmother's Irish music festival.

Set for June 26, 27, and 28 in the beachside town of Bundoran, SeaSessions highlights the more modern side of Celtic music, showcasing a diverse array of young Irish rock bands and DJs. They even score a big get from the isle next door, reeling in Welsh indie rock gods Super Furry Animals to headline the festival. Oh yea, and there's a surfing competition (bring a wetsuit), a skating event, and an air show to compliment the music.

You'd think the promise of Irish whiskey and surfing would be our favorite part about this fest, but it's actually the affordability for all the action. Unlike its big-bash counterparts in England and the States, a pass to the fest is not so expensive that you've got to ration your drink tickets. One-day passes are going for 35 Euros, with three-day passes set at 53 Euros. You can also camp on site for just 5 euros a person, officially negating the need for daily transportation to and from a pricey hotel. Just be sure to have stocked up on that whiskey.

Related Stories:
· SeaSessions [Official Site]
· Ireland travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Music festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: SeaSessions]

Coachella '09 Proves to Be Recession-Proof

April 20, 2009 at 1:39 PM | 0 Comments

Were you one of the estimated 151,000 people who attended the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend? If so, were you surprised at the absence of elbow room? While final attendance numbers haven't been released yet for this weekend, organizers say this year's crowd matched if not exceeded last year's, which was scheduled prior to the global economy falling apart. Twitter user @leximaven had a simple explanation: "music fans, like me, view fests as vital to happiness."

One person who wasn't so happy: Singer Morrissey, who walked off the stage Friday because he was disgusted by the smell of barbecue wafting over the crowd, saying "I can smell burning flesh and I hope to God it's human." The former member of the Smiths, who is now a vegetarian, went on to cancel his Oakland show but was spotted in a bar at a show later that night, causing his fans to cry even more than usual.

more ›

Questlove Swears He Won't Become a New Yorker

April 20, 2009 at 11:26 AM | 1 Comment

Now that Philly music icons the Roots have a full-time gig in Manhattan (as the house band for Jimmy Fallon's new late night show), we had to wonder, are the sixth borough's favorite hip-hoppers feeling a pull towards the first borough?

Not quite, says drummer Questlove. Despite the five-nights-a-week gig at NBC Studios, along with a running DJ night at Le Poisson Rouge, Quest still considers himself a Philly resident through-and-through.

"Right now I'm basically living in the dressing room of 30 Rockefeller Center, but I still get my mail in Philly," says Questlove. "I love my house there, so I'm holding out on getting a New York mortgage."

Questlove's greatest travel wish? Fans of the obsessive Twitter addict know he's stoked about Obama's recent train construction announcements, and he's hoping for some super-high-speed trains connecting his two towns. (Questlove, who can be found tweeting dozens of times a day with semi-celebs like Samantha Ronson, Solange Knowles and Khloe Kardashian, says he keeps his computer by the stage during the Fallon show just in case he feels an urgent need to Tweet during breaks.)

The whole band will return to Philly June 6 for the second annual Roots Picnic, when they'll bring along Santogold, the Black Keys and TV on the Radio, as well as Public Enemy, who will perform the entirety off their seminal 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, with the Roots playing backup.

"I'll be scalping tickets on Twitter," jokes Questlove.

Related Stories:
· Jaunted Does Lunch with Questlove of the Roots [Jaunted]
· Rocking out at the Roots Picnic in Philly [Jaunted]
· Twitter coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Jaunted]

Jaunted Does Lunch with Questlove of the Roots

April 17, 2009 at 8:41 AM | 1 Comment

We just got back from lunch at Michael's with Questlove of the Roots (no, really), courtesy of Greater Philadelphia Tourism.

Quest told us all about his twitter addiction, travel dreams, and the Roots' big concert event coming up this summer in Philly.

We’ll have all the details about our chat with him next week, but if you're hungry for some Questlove action now, you can catch the Roots at Lehigh University's Sundaze Festival this Saturday in Pennsylvania, and Questlove has a standing DJ set in New York every Thursday night at Le Poisson Rouge. And of course, the Roots are the house band for Jimmy Fallon's late night show.

Related Stories:
· Rocking out at the Roots Picnic in Philly [Jaunted]
· Sundaze [Official Site]
· Le Poisson Rouge [Official Site]

[Photo: Jaunted]

Coachella Ready to Rock the Desert…and the Desktop

April 17, 2009 at 1:16 AM | 0 Comments

Don't know about where you are, but this balmy East Coast weather is getting us excited for summer music festivals. Which is fitting, because Coachella, the first mega-event of the festival season, takes off today on the other side of the country in Indio, California.

Coachella has finally posted the set times, and fans have been busy programming their iPhone apps and making some tough decisions on who to see and who to skip. Morrissey or Girl Talk? Franz Ferdinand or Bright Eyes? The Cure or Public Enemy? (OK well, maybe not much fan overlap on that one.)

For those who can't make it out to the desert, AT&T is streaming live video of the festival all weekend long, so you can catch full sets online from the likes of M.I.A., the Hold Steady, and Paul McCartney. Sweet!

Related Stories:
· Coachella [Official Site]
· Check Out the Live Webcast of Coachella April 17th–19th [AT&T]
· Coachella iPhone App Promises Less Running from Stage to Stage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Coachella]