Bands to Check Out at Hangout Music Festival
In 2010, when the Hangout Music Festival kicked off in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the news came as a delight to both music fans and local business owners. The shore-side festival boosted the town’s economy just before the summer rush, and many music fans were thrilled with the eclectic lineup – a treat for a state with a storied musical history. The 2010 kickoff festival was jam-friendly in its headliners, with Trey Anastasio, the Zac Brown Band, and John Legend leading the way. The lineup increased the following two years, as acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band, My Morning Jacket, and Skrillex graced the Gulf Shores crowd. The 2013 festival will take place on May 17th, 18th, and 19th, and features one of the most impressive lineups yet. Huge names like Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, and Trey Anastasio headline, along with other goliaths like Kings of Leon, The Shins, Macklemore, and Kendrick Lamar. It’s a lineup comparable to even the biggest music festivals in the world. Seeing the headliners are not difficult decisions, but planning your day around some of the smaller acts is more of a challenge. Let these recommendations guide you and your personalized show schedule:
Grouplove
Fans can create a custom schedule on Hangout Music Fest’s official page, and Grouplove’s set should be one of the first they click on. Performing Sunday, May 19th at 1:15 PM, the LA-based group touts a party-ready sound that should liven up the audience after a bustling two days of the Hangout Music Festival. Grouplove recall the nasally snarl of Modest Mouse on tracks like “Colours”, and show their penchant for summer-friendly acoustic sing-alongs on “Naked Kids”. Grouplove are easy to love, and a nice pick to see live even if you’re not familiar with their material.
Best Coast
The duo of Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno share a love for surf and garage-rock of the past, turning their nostalgia into a hook-filled lo-fi pop meshing of goodness that is led by Cosentino’s warmly inviting vocals. Cosentino’s voice reminds of Neko Case’s youthful twang, with just a bit of nonchalant surf mixed with western adolescence. They also perform on Sunday, at noon just before Grouplove. Get your Sunday started right with some quality indie-pop.
Twin Sister
Twin Sister will be one of the first acts to play Hangout Music Festival, taking the stage on Friday at 11:30 AM. Their caressing mixture of dream-pop, shoegaze, and synth-pop should ease listeners into a hectic weekend very nicely. Fans of Cocteau Twins, Beach House, or any recent chillwave-inspired concoction should find delight in this Long Island-based pop collective, who are signed to Mexican Summer, a fantastic label that caters to this sort of thing. Gentle vocals under hushed reverb and hazily irresistible melodies seem to be mandatory criteria for artists on Mexican Summer. “Lady Daydream” shows Twin Sister’s synth-acoustic collaborations in wonderfully melodic light.
Moon Taxi
After checking out Grouplove on Sunday afternoon, head over to Moon Taxi’s Letting Go stage an hour later for some excitably emotive folk-pop. These dapper Nashville-based lads show no fear of rollicking acoustics, tambourines, harmonicas, and rich vocal harmonies on efforts like the superb “Gunflower”. Fans of Americana and folk in general would regret not catching Moon Taxi, who are rising very rapidly thanks to their genuinely empowering sound.
Jim James
My Morning Jacket headlined Hangout Music Festival in 2011, but their frontman is taking a more laid-back approach in 2013. While Jim James may not attract a similar crowd as he would under the My Morning Jacket name, his recent solo album Regions of Light and Sound of God was as good as any MMJ release. Tracks like the string-laden tug of “Actress” and the heartrending acoustic lull of “A New Life” show James still at the top of his game. A renowned live performer, James is sure to satisfy audiences with lofty expectations. This is a man who fronts one of the greatest live acts of the past decade for good reason. See him Friday at 3:45 PM.
Lance Herbstrong
Rock music or electro-pop not quite your preference to start the day? Electronic DJ Lance Herbstrong takes the stage on Friday at 11:30 AM, showcasing remixes and mash-ups that will get listeners’ feet moving early in the festival. His bio makes things seem alluring, as his performances reportedly are: “Lance Herbstrong takes you on a trip, sustaining musical momentum with sonic layers propelling the rhythms. The result is music that is ethereal and organic, of the air and of the earth, and always moving.”
The Mowgli’s
The Mowgli’s are another rock group at Hangout Music Festival that are gaining steam quickly, thanks largely to their jubilant radio hit “San Francisco”. The do-do-dooing in that track over poppy arrangements sound simplistic in approach, but through several tracks The Mowgli’s show more range than they initially let on. Formed by five childhood friends from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, The Mowgli’s produce charming “rock ‘n’ roll with Southern California soul.”