Is anyone else there in the New York area tired of missing out on all of the cool festivals? Chicago, California, and even Tennessee get to host really awesome multi-day events year after year that make me drool over the line-ups. And while New York City can be awesome for it’s nonstop live music scene that no self-respecting act would skip, it is severely lacking in this department. Until now…
From the same people that run the incredible Coachella out on the west coast comes the All Points West Festival this August. I’m not going to bother re-printing the information as you can check out all the relevant facts on that site. While not as impressive as its Western sibling, the lineups are pretty solid. And if this is to become an annual event, they will certainly improve. Personally I hope to make it out for Sunday (Rodrigo y Gabriela AND Amadou & Mariam? Holy crap!), although Friday has a lot of appeal, too (The Go! Team alone would be worth it).
On top of that, next year the producers of ACL, Lollapalooza, plus most of the great English festivals will be adding to the options with the Vineland Festival. And the good news doesn’t end there…
Scores tried to buy the Wellmont Theater in nearby (to me) Montclair, NJ to turn it into a strip club - but they were beat out by… guess who? The Bowery Presents! That’s right, the same group that books shows at Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Terminal 5, and Webster Hall will be spending a lot of money to rip out seats and convert the old movie theater into a live music venue. Suddenly there’s a chance that my concert-going days may not be coming to an end with the arrival of my baby girl this summer. Thanks to brooklynvegan for the heads up.