Article by: Sean Chagnon
In the mid-Atlantic, August brings the year’s hottest temperatures and thickest humidity. It also brings quite a few music festivals to the region, including the Hot August Music Festival. And it’s not just hot from the weather; it has a smoking hot line up! This year’s event is being held at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Maryland.
From its humble beginnings in 1993, the festival has grown greatly and has hosted such acts as Grace Potter, Old Crow Medicine Show, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Thievery Corporation. This year’s lineup is equally impressive as any larger festival with the amount of talent that has been packed into one day. The lineup includes the following:
The Revivalists – On their tenth anniversary as a band, their single “Wish I Knew You” shot The Revivalists into the spotlight with the song peaking at #1 on the Billboard Alternative chart and spending over 40 weeks on the chart overall. Look for front man David Shaw to cover all areas of the stage during their high energy performance. He has been known to pay the crowd a visit during their sets too!
Trampled By Turtles – Hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, Trampled By Turtles do not fit nicely into any particular genre. While rooted in bluegrass music, the band mixes many other facets into their music which range from slow, beautiful harmonies to the aggressive speed of metal in the whirlwind that is their performance. They are touring in support of their new album Life is Good on the Open Road which was released May 2018.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe – Coming in hot from his role as tenor saxophonist for the Rolling Stones on their European tour is Karl Denson. Sharing the stage with him is DJ Williams of the DJ Williams Projekt and members of the Greyboy Allstars. This set will be filled with grooves meant for booty shakin’ and nothing but the funkiest of funk.
The Marcus King Band – Recently wrapping up a stint of opening for the Tedeschi Trucks Band which terminated in Red Rocks, Colorado, is the Marcus King Band. Led by 22 year old guitar phenom Marcus King, the band has been making their mark on the music throughout the U.S. and Europe the past year. Marcus brings a stockpile of talent to the stage with him also. This band will definitely dazzle with their special blend of funky, psychedelic blues.
Other acts to check out:
Cris Jacobs Band – Gritty blues rock with some impressive slide guitar work
Psycho Killers – Talking Heads tribute band
Whiskey Shivers – Gypsy Bluegrass you can mosh to
Nikki Hill – southern rock with a powerful, raspy -voiced female lead
The Dirty Grass Players – A razor sharp blend of traditional bluegrass and newgrass
Omari Banks – Irie vibes of roots reggae
Selwyn Birchwood – Award winning funky, jazzy blues
Hall Williams Band – An diverse sound of roots, rock, funk, jazz, and jam
With three stages going and most bands having 90 min sets, spectators can rotate to catch all the acts and still see a good portion of each. There will be a variety of food offerings and approximately two dozen vendors. There is even free shuttles running to and from the transportation lightrail. Check the website for more details as the organizers have done their best to ensure all you have to do is show up and have a good time!
Website: https://hotaugustmusicfestival.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HotAugustMusicFestival/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotaugustmusicfestival/