The Must-See Acts of Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival 2016
The anticipation for Florida’s newest festival, Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival, continues to build with each day that passes. When the festival was initially announced, many wondered whom we could expect to see play. We weren’t, however, expecting such a strong lineup for the festival’s inaugural year. The lineup, which they’ve continued to add to, is filled with the biggest acts of the moment, including Kendrick Lamar, Mumford & Sons, Robert Plant, Skrillex and more. At first glance, one might feel overwhelmed with the long list of great artists performing. So, we’ve carefully chosen several talented artists that you may or may not be familiar with that you’d be foolish to miss at Okeechobee. One thing is for sure: a great time will be had regardless of where you choose to spend yours. Without further ado, here are our must-see acts of Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival 2016.
Spam Allstars
Straight from Miami FL, the Spam All Stars have made a name for themselves with their blend of improvisational electronic elements and turntables with Latin, funk, hip-hop and dub. Created by DJ Spam in the early 2000s, this talented band has been making waves since their inception. There is something for everyone at Spam Allstar shows. Find out how South Florida gets down as they bring their Latin flavor to Okeechobee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDNZITvaxtA
Moon Hooch
Moon Hooch captured the imaginations of thousands with its infamous stints busking on subway platforms and elsewhere in New York City: two sax players and a drummer whipping up furious, impromptu raves. This happened with such regularity at the Bedford Avenue station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that the band was banned from playing there by the NYPD. The trio’s subsequent tours with They Might Be Giants, Lotus, and Galactic as well as on their own have only broadened the band’s appeal. Wherever Moon Hooch plays, a dance party soon follows.
While their self-titled first album, which cracked the top 10 of Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart, approximated the band’s acoustic approach to dance music, This Is Cave Music takes their cave music hybrid further into electronic and pop music realms with synthesizers, post-production work, and even singing added to the mix. “We aren’t trying to do it for the sake of reaching a wider audience,” McGowen points out. “We are doing it because it’s where our passion has evolved to.”
Brownout Presents: Brown Sabbath
An eight-piece outfit formed ten years ago by members of Grammy Award-winning Latin revival orchestra Grupo Fantasma, Brownout has evolved into a musical force all its own. After garnering their third Austin Music Award last year, the band has continued to produce music that is unflinchingly progressive while evoking the classic influences of artists such as WAR, Cymande and Funkadelic. They’ve performed at events including Bonnaroo, High Sierra Music Festival, Pickathon, FFFFest, Bear Creek Music Festival, Utopia Festival and Pachanga Fest while regularly touring the U.S. Brownout has also served as a highly in-demand backing band for artists including Prince, Daniel Johnston, GZA and Bernie Worrell.
Shabazz Palaces
Shabazz Palaces is a Seattle-based experimental hip-hop group led by Ishmael Butler, a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz–hip-hop group Digable Planets) and multi-instrumentalist Tendai “Baba” Maraire, son of Mbira master Dumisani Maraire. Combining elements from genres such as minimal and psychedelic, Shabazz Palaces is an attack on traditional Hip-Hop. Their latest album Lese Majesty was a true work of art with a large social commentary, particularly about the selfie generation. Earlier this year they were invited to perform at Third Man Records in Nashville, TN and performed at Bonnaroo 2015. Shabazz Palaces will bring their message of unity to Okeechobee Music Festival to take you on a musical journey.
Booker T. Jones
It can be argued that it was Booker T. Jones who set the cast for modern soul music and is largely responsible for its rise and enduring popularity. On classic Stax hits such as “Green Onions,” “Hang ‘Em High,” “Time Is Tight,” and “Melting Pot,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Musicians Hall of Fame inductee and GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient pushed the music’s boundaries, refined it to its essence and then injected it into the nation’s bloodstream. Jones’ name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. At 17, he recorded the instrument’s anthem, “Green Onions,” with his band Booker T and The MGs. Sound the Alarm, the new album from Booker T, finds the Hammond B3 organ master looking ahead yet again, laying down his distinctive bedrock grooves amid a succession of sparkling collaborations with some of contemporary R&B’s most gifted young voices.
Post Malone
Austin Post, better known by his stage name Post Malone, is a singer and songwriter from Dallas, Texas. He made his way onto our radar with his hit single “White Iverson,” which he released on SoundCloud in February of 2015. Post Malone has little music released at the moment, but his new album is scheduled to be released in March just in time for Okeechobee. With several recent features on tracks with 50 Cent and Gucci Mane, his performance at Coachella 2015 and several other festivals have all been note-worthy enough to put him on our list of acts that you cannot miss. There will be all sorts of saucin’ going on at Post’s set.
Big Grams
In December 2010, Big Boi, one half of famed hip-hop duo OutKast, accidentally discovered Phantogram, an electronic rock duo consisting of Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel when he heard their single “Mouthful of Diamonds” in a pop-up ad. Big Boi shared the song on his website as the “Jam of the Week.” Barthel saw the post and contacted Big Boi, which led to future collaborations. Big Boi’s 2012 studio album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors included three tracks featuring Phantogram: “Objectum Sexuality,” “CPU” and “Lines,” and in a interview days before its December 11 release, Big Boi revealed that he and Phantogram were planning to record a “one-off EP type of thing” titled Big Grams.
Carter described the project’s sound as “sort of” “psyched-out hip-hop.” Barthel and Big Boi provided sung vocals and rapped vocals respectively, while Carter only occasionally provided vocals and was the project’s primary producer.
Miguel PoW WoW! With Special Guests
Miguel is one of those mainstream R&B singers that you can’t help but love. Best known for songs such as “Adorn“, “All I Want Is You“, and “Sure Thing,” Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival will give him the opportunity to wow us TWICE. Not only will he have his own slot to perform, but he will also be leading a PoW Wow! with special guests. Anyone who has attended Bonnaroo knows how special the SuperJam that the festival hosts is. Fans are deluged with artists spanning all genres and time periods coming together to collaborate for a once-in-a-lifetime show. Miguel was rumored to be a part of Bonnaroo 2015’s Superjam led by Pretty Lights, but that never came to fruition. Now he’ll be taking the reins for the first Okeechobee Festival’s own version of a SuperJam.
Twiddle
If you’ve never heard of Twiddle but love jam bands, well… what are you doing?! The Vermont-based jam band’s success has been rapidly increasing this past year or two, as they have become one of the premiere names on the scene. They have made the rounds of small and large festivals alike and always put on memorable shows that are filled with their very dedicated fan base of friends. Their sound is self-described as ‘3-Dimensional’ and face-melting with a perfectly blended combination of funk, reggae, bluegrass and jazz.
The first Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival will be taking place in Okeechobee, FL at Sunshine Grove on March 5-6. Three-day passes to the festival are still available and can be purchased through Eventbrite.
