Musicology

Summer Camp's second round of artist announcements really took a lot of fans by surprise. One of the criticisms of Summer Camp is that the past few years have featured a similar lineup with just a few tweaks here and there. Well, clearly Summer Camp is listening, and they did a great job of throwing in some real left curves with this announcement. See for yourself:

The early stirrings of festival season have already started, and around the country people are making plans, buying tickets, arranging travel, etc. This industry has seen a huge boom lately, mainly due to their ability to make us forget about the soul-crushing reality of day-to-day existence and let time slow down just for a little while.

There's been a lot of buzz lately about the inaugural Okeechobee Music & Art Festival down in Florida. Looking to get a head start on festival season, Okeechobee will kick things off on March 3rd (they only just announced the additional early entry due to overwhelming fan response).

The last few days have been pretty alright. Not too much going on, a little downtime to clean and just relax (oh, and recover from the John Till/Chicago Farmer/Old Shoe New Year's Eve show, which was a doozy).

So I'm working on a couple interviews that I still have to piece together, and in the interim I thought I would share a few more albums that I've really been digging lately. I'm still trying to broaden my horizons, listen to some stuff I've never heard before, and in some cases some music that I've had for years and have only just begun to truly appreciate.

As winter slowly creeps up on us, threatening us with darkness and cold, it can be easy to slip into the night, cozy and warm on the couch, the warm glow of home brightening your spirits. But sometimes it's just not enough.

Good thing there are musicians in the world.

I love this cold, rainy weather. I feel renewed and refreshed, if a bit chilly at times. However, I realize it is not for everyone. So here are some albums that I think are great for curling up and listening to while you read a good book, possibly with hot chocolate. Hopefully you'll agree!

1. The Pineapple Thief -- Tightly Unwound

Well, it's that time of year again. The early-bird Summer Camp tickets are on sale, and everyone is already geared up for the festival (so what if it's still five months away?). Even better, the first round of artists has been released! Check it out:

A few years ago, in the long-forgotten era of 2012, at my very first Shoe Fest, my friend and I were standing dumbstruck under the pavilion watching a band called Strange Arrangement just tear it up onstage. I had seen them a couple times, but my friend (who was at his very first festival ever) was just staring, slack-jawed and looking like his brain had melted out of his ears.