BONNAROO 2013 - A PREVIEW from Saraya Brewer...
For five days starting this Wednesday, June 12, a certain 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN will transform into a pop-up town of around 80,000 people, 150 music and comedy performances of every genre, hundreds of food and craft vendors, and a myriad other sight, sounds and smells that remain to be seen. I’ll be making the trek from Lexington, along with my cohort Mary Allen, to report back to WUKY listeners and readers about said sights, sounds and smells, primarily highlighting music that we hope will be of interest to you.
Headliners of the monolithic event include Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and Bjork, but we’ll be primarily covering lesser known up-and-comers, in the hopes of exposing some of you to something new. Below is a short list of acts we’re looking forward to. Stay tuned for our post-fest coverage!
DJANGO DJANGO
http://youtu.be/DDjpOrlfh0Y
This eclectic British rock group, formed in 2009, features surf-influenced guitar rhythms, lots of hand-claps and harmonic vocals reminiscent of two of my favorite British groups, The Bees (formerly Band of Bees) and The Beta Band (Django Django drummer and producer David Maclean’s brother John was a DJ and keyboardist for that band). Arty, folky, funky and fun.
SOLANGE
http://youtu.be/Hy9W_mrY_Vk
Though she tends to be prefaced by her relation to her sister Beyoncé, Solange is unique talent in her own right and is fast gaining popularity in the indie world. Gorgeous, sultry vocals and an interplay between fast, danceable rhythms and slower R&B melodies define her sound. After releasing her third album,
BOMBINO
http://youtu.be/Ss9Znucx4GM
Nigerian guitarist Bombino was born into a nomadic encampment and settled into his life as a working musician as a teenager. He recently released his Nonesuch Records debut, a staggering homage to psychedelic guitar riffs and desert blues flavored with laid back African rhythms via Fela Kuti.
Visit www.bonnaroo.com for the full festival line-up, and e-mail any comments or recommendations to saraya@smileypete.com!
Saraya Brewer works for Smiley Pete Publishing as the manager of the arts, culture and entertainment website tadoo.com. She is a founder and organizer of Boomslang: A Celebration of Sound & Art, which is presented by this station’s sister station, WRFL 88.1 FM. Boomslang celebrates 5 years this September.