The Who’s Who of Okeechobee Music Festival’s Sophomore Year
It’s that beautiful and faithful time of the season where we look ahead and start to plan what kind of year we have ahead of us. For fellow music lovers, this is that time of year where we patiently sit by our e-mails, Instagram feeds, and festival home pages for lineups of music festivals across the country. Early last week, we witnessed this year’s installation of festival line-ups from Coachella and Governors Ball and, soon, many more to come. One festival that is on the top of many peoples lists is Okeechobee Music Festival. For many reasons, this is the year to check out Okeechobee Music Festival at Sunshine Grove, a 600-acre park in Okeechobee, Florida.
The festival is currently in its second year, coming from one of the most successful festival debuts ever seen, period, with headliners Skrillex, Mumford & Sons, and Kendrick Lamar. Coined as “Bonnaroo Southeast,” it’s very deserving of that title and more. Like other major festivals in America, it has an eclectic line-up spanning different genres that allows people to explore their tastes while sharing it with friends. For 2017 headliners, they managed to get acts that are both commercial successes and pioneers across all genres, such as Kings of Leon, Usher & The Roots, and Bassnectar. Given that they are all huge successes, the headliners sell themselves and will without a doubt draw in large crowds. Taking a look at Okeechobee’s undercard-level artists, we are in for memorable performances from some of the top artists spanning different genres and generations. If some of those names don’t look all that familiar, these are just some of the performances that you don’t want to miss at this years Okeechobee Music Festival.
Must-See Acts at Okeechobee Music Festival 2017
Solange
Last year we saw Beyoncé and Solange become the first sisters to both reach the No. 1 album position on the Billboard 200 chart. Solange has a had a long and successful solo career as an art director and owner of her own music label Saint Records and has worked with notable producers such as Timbaland and Pharrell Williams. Besides her long and successful career, last year’s long-awaited A Seat at the Table was both a commercial and critical success while also getting a couple Grammy nominations along the way. Okeechobee is the only American festival where Solange will be performing (as of now), and with the success she’s been having, this is not an act worth sleeping on.
Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals.
Anderson .Paak became a household name when he blew up exactly a year ago after he signed on with Dr. Dre and became a XXL Freshman. That was just in the first couple months. He later went to work with a huge list of artists from A Tribe Called Quest, Mac Miller, Kaytranda to SchoolBoy Q, Chance The Rapper, and more. On top of the array of notable features with music’s biggest names, he also released two highly received albums, Malibu and Yes Lawd! With an already extensive catalog and just starting out his career, this is one of the hottest acts to see in 2017.
GRiZ
GRiZ is one of those names that is really pushing the boundaries of EDM in a direction that will treat him really well in the long run. He is making music that clashes genres together in a way that makes you feel they should’ve existed together all along. Equipped with a saxophone, his music hosts a classic soul-funk spirit drive that comes together with a bass that will have you head-banging whether you want to or not. He is pushing EDM forward in ways best explained by this tweet.
The Growlers
These guys have created a rock act that has been labelled as “Beach Goth.” Between its garage rock core and its SoCal influences, they belong on the stages of music festivals around the world. The link above perfectly illustrates that “Beach Goth” with their live rendition of “Mama Said” by The Shirelles. The way they blend elements of different rock subgenres gives a presence that can be appreciated by everyone. If that isn’t enough, they have The Strokes lead, Julian Casablancas, on their side as a producer.
The Knocks
This New York City-based duo just released their first album, but they are no rookies to the stage. They have been on tour with acts such as Ellie Goulding and The 1975 while having festival appearances of their own the last few years. This would be their first time performing at a Florida music festival, and it should not be missed out. They have worked with big names such as St. Lucia, Fred Falke, and X Ambassador while also making huge hits of their own, such as 2014’s hit “Classic.” They are redefining the dance genre and revitalizing nostalgic tones which will be essential to anyone looking for the most charming and alluring dance party of the festival.
Joey Purp
Joey Purp is an upcoming hip hop artist who really knows how to let the groove ride and have a filthy wholesome flow. His music makes you want to bounce given its refreshing take on early 2000s beats that were sure to have influenced his style. His song “Girls” featuring Chance The Rapper last year was one of the best hip hop songs of last year; if you haven’t heard it yet bless your ears with the music video below. This act is currently on the rise and will be one you’ll be bragging about when Joey Purp takes this year by storm.
BADBADNOTGOOD
No other act has so perfectly mastered the ability of putting jazz and improvisation into the realm of another genre. Jazz was never something that was used for the production of another style in music. It always lived in its own realm and was never really appreciated unless you knew about jazz. BadBadNotGood has this certain imaginative structure in everything they do that laces together the jazz elements of time relation and key progression with their ultimate force in beatmaking. Most producers make beats for lyrics to live in, while BadBadNotGood use the abilities of music to force itself into colliding the soft melodies and intense solos of jazz with their revolutionary beat work. If you always wanted to get into jazz, go see this. If you want to see some of the most talented musicians of our generation, go see this. If you want to see something so creative and respectful of what music is all about, go see this.
George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
To talk about these guys and their career would require an entire article. They are music legends and pioneers of the funk genre, and if you don’t know the name at first glance, you simply don’t realize that their hits have been influences to many artists, they have been sampled for decades, and their music is known around the world. If you still aren’t sure, the link below is sure to remind you. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Haywyre
Another master of improvisation who blends his style well with the ideas of his predecessors is Haywyre. It is safe to say that anyone can appreciate a pianist who really shreds a solo, and this is just the act for you to hear that. He made viral fame in 2014 with his modern take on Michael Jackson’s classic “Smooth Criminal,” which really helped solidify a name for himself as a musical savant and illustrative storyteller. He seems to be a natural on stage, having opener for many artists such as Mat Zo, Gramatik, and Zedd, while releasing a two-part LP Two Fold, which will impress you with his abilities and at the end of his set will have you rooting for him to bring the EDM soundscape forward.
If all this doesn’t get you excited, Okeechobee Music Festival also made music history last year with their “PoWoW! A Live Superstar Mashup,” which puts our biggest and best artists together to perform, like in 2016 when they put Arcade Fire and Miguel together with other festival performers. This ingenuity is the kind of thing that will have us on our toes waiting to see what the festival organizers have up their sleeves. Oh, yeah, and not to be forgotten, the festival still has more announcements coming!