Read ‘Em and Weep – with Joy – the Suwannee Rising Schedule is Here!
Did you make it all the way through the Suwannee Rising schedule before your eyes glazed over? If you did, you’re a far better man than I, Gunga Din.
The three-day setup at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak will use two stages April 4-5-6. Music will alternate between the Amphitheatre Stage (known at Wanee as the Mushroom Stage) and Uncle Charlie’s Porch Stage. The Porch Stage is often blocked by vendors at big events such as the now-defunct Wanee and at Suwannee Hulaween. There will, of course, be a vendor’s row with food, merchandise, clothing, and all the other festival goodies we love.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4
Those hard-working Valdosta boys Custard Pie get the first word Thursday at 4:30, and from there on it is non-stop great music until the wee hours. Ben Strok & the Full Electric are up next, jamming fusion from Jacksonville. More Jacksonville goodness pours out next from The Melody Trucks Band. They killed Friday at the Wanee Block Party in Fort Lauderdale. Even more from Jacksonville? We predict great things from the ten-man conjunto Afro-Cuban ensemble LPT.
As we get deeper into the night, so does the funk. The Fritz represent Asheville — and funk fans everywhere — with their brilliant music; they tore it up at Suwannee Hulaween. Voodoo Visionary have also been on fire. In fact, the Atlanta band and The Fritz just hooked up for shows in Colorado and Texas together.
The night closes, fittingly, with The New Mastersounds, no strangers to SoSMP. They have played Bear Creek, Wanee, and Suwannee Hulaween with their funky jazz and jazzy funk.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5
Powerful blues belter Kaleigh Baker gets the party started Friday at 1 with her new project Someday Honey. They hail from St. Petersburg, as do Ella Jet & Future Soul, playing smooth “dreamy neo-soul” and more. New Orleans Suspects also played Wanee in the past and just lit up Gasparilla Music Festival. Good Talk is up next with an interesting EDM approach, and The New Mastersounds return for round two.
St. Pete rockers Come Back Alice, who had a dandy Suwannee Hulaween set of their own, follow NMS, and then things get… ridiculous. Oteil and Friends have the next slot. Oteil Burbridge has a résumé musicians can only dream of: Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Allman Brothers, Dead and Company. On a personal note, Oteil is the man who sent Wanee stratospheric my first time in 2007 when his wicked bass opened “Les Brers in A Minor. He’s had great Bear Creek performances, too.
At the top of the current stack of rave reviews are Ghost-Note, spawned by Snarky Puppy and blowing out audiences everywhere they go. You’ll be able to say you saw them early on. Because we’ll be hearing from them for a long time. And then Lettuce. These guys owned Bear Creek along with Dumpstaphunk (up Sunday). Lettuce also played Hulaween, Purple Hatter’s Ball, and even the one-shot Bear Creek Bayou in New Orleans. And you can count on Lee Rissin shreddin’… the lettuce, that is, as Lettuce shreds on stage.
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
Day three opens with a performance by Shevonne Philidor, an energetic young vocalist with great range. She recently pursued the American Idol dream. Superb fusion purveyors Electric Kif have also played SoSMP often, bringing their “post-nuclear music” from South Florida. The Difference melds two superb St. Petersburg bands: JOOSE and Justino & the Difference. The result is an outfit that excels across genres: rock, jazz, funk, fusion, and prog.
Ghost-Note gets a second set; this will be great to see them stretch out over the two days with their deep, deep grooves. Next we get feel-good island soul from Ben Fagan & the Holy City Hooligans. Then Dumpstaphunk hits the Amphitheatre Stage they have torn up so many times at Bear Creek, Wanee, Purple Hatter’s Ball, and more (they also did that ill-fated Bear Creek Bayou). Are you planning to see them? “I Wish You Would”!
Next up are Ben Sparaco & the New Effect. They work out of Nashville, but Sparaco learned his craft first in South Florida. He’s a fine guitarist in the mold of Derek Trucks, and he played numerous Wanee sets. Gloriously, moe. returns to the park. These amazing jamsters have played Wanee, Bear Creek, and the AURA Music & Arts Festival. Their twin-guitar approach has lit up stages everywhere, and they are a most welcome addition to this party.
Holey Miss Moley has the penultimate set. This St. Petersburg funk juggernaut soared at Hulaween, and their vocals and their music will knock you out. And Lettuce appropriately gets the last word.
You get the feeling that Suwannee Rising is about to emerge as a huge fan favorite, judging from all we’re hearing from fans of Wanee, Bear Creek, AURA, and Purple Hatter’s and from the Sisters and Brothers of the Suwannee.
Get there for the first Suwannee Rising. It definitely won’t be the last!
