Float Fest 2015 Preview

Music festivals have been combining music with everything under the sun, so how about something that’s great under the sun? Tubing! Cool River Ranch in Austin welcomes Float Fest,...
Float

Float Fest 2015 Preview

Music festivals have been combining music with everything under the sun, so how about something that’s great under the sun? Tubing! Cool River Ranch in Austin welcomes Float Fest, which sees folks floating on the San Marcos River in the morning & afternoon, and then heading over to catch music this weekend, Friday-Sunday, August 28th-30th:

 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28th

Main Stage

Local Natives, 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM

Silver Lake’s Local Natives (QRO photos at a festival) have been riding the alt-country/folk wave, but seem to be doing it better than most, charting in 2010 with debut Gorilla Manor and 2012’s Hummingbird (QRO review), moving up to headliner tours (QRO live review), and well-received on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), including old England (QRO photos at an English festival).
Local Natives
Dr. Dog, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Float Fest has some of the jam-festival with Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog (QRO photos), who have become a festival regular (QRO photos at a festival) since 2008’s commercial breakthrough Fate (QRO review) launched them into headlining status (QRO photos headlining a festival). Unfortunately, Fate wasn’t anything special (QRO photos), but Dr. Dog make a lot of people happy live (QRO photos outdoors), especially outdoors (QRO live review outdoors at a festival), so expect the “Sweetness”, along with material from 2010’s still-middling Shame, Shame (QRO review) and last year’s also okay Be the Void (QRO review).
Dr. Dog
Quiet Company, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM

Austin’s own Quiet Company (QRO photos at an Austin festival), the first act signed in the Artist Development Program by now-shut-due-to-legal-issues music streaming site Grooveshark, come to Float Fest off of this year’s fifth album, Transgressor.
Quiet Company
Also:

Walker Lukens & The Sidearms, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM

The Rocketboys, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM

Capyac, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

Walker Lukens & The Sidearms

Second Stage

The Bright Light Social Hour, 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM

Topping the Second Stage on Day One is Austin’s own Bright Light Social Hour (QRO spotlight on), who swept the Austin Music Awards in 2011 at SXSW (QRO recap) and have just kept on going since (QRO live review in Austin).
Bright Light Social Hour
Robert Ellis, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM

Houston native, Nashville-based Robert Ellis (QRO photos at a festival) channels country & western as much as those cities would indicate, and has played with the likes of Alabama Shakes, Old Crow Medicine Show, Old 97’s, and Deer Tick (QRO photos with Deer Tick).
Robert Ellis
Also:

The Eastern Sea, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM

Son of Stan, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

O Conqueror, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM

The Eastern Sea

 

 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29th

Main Stage

Ghostland Observatory, 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM

Austin’s Ghostland Observatory (QRO photos at a festival) combine electronics, rock, and funk the way only a native of the ‘Live Music Capitol of the World’ would, while ‘keeping it weird’ (QRO photos in Austin). They also bring an unmistakable light show (QRO photos in Austin).
Ghostland Observatory
Bun B, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

One half of southern rap duo Underground Kings (or ‘UGK’), Bun B’s Trill OG received the ‘classic’ rating from The Source in 2010 (the first album to receive the honor in a half a decade), and he’s done everything from teaching at Rice University to releasing a rap coloring book.
Bun B
Also:

Paul Wall, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM

A.DD+, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM

Sam Lao, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM

Sip Sip, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

A.DD+

Second Stage

Devin the Dude, 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM

Houston’s Devin the Dude brings rhymes from the legendary Highway 420 to Float Fest.
Devin the Dude
Max Frost, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM

Mixing classic and modern, blues and hip-hop, is Austin’s Max Frost.
Max Frost
Also:

Wrestlers, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM

The Digital Wild, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

Lev, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
The Digital Wild

 

 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30th

Main Stage

Phantogram, 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM

Saratoga Springs’ dancetronica act Phantogram (QRO photos at a festival) got notice less for their debut full-length Eyelid Movies (QRO review) than their enchanting live show (QRO photos at a festival) – which works outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), when in the evening (QRO photos at a festival). They come to Float Fest (QRO photos at a festival) behind last year’s Voices (QRO review).
Phantogram
MUTEMATH, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Putting some ambience and psychedelica into their alt-rock is New Orleans’ own MUTEMATH (QRO live review), who have been building in success, acclaim, and sound, most recently with 2011’s Odd Soul (QRO review), and come to Float Fest in the run-up to the release of their first since Soul, Vitals. The band (QRO photos) blew up in 2007 with their video “Typical”, where the band performs the song backwards.
MUTEMATH
Robert DeLong, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM

Nicely mixing between his indie-rock background and his moombahton love, Robert DeLong (QRO photos at a festival) will have all the kids dancing at Float Fest (QRO photos at a festival).
Robert DeLong
Also:

Mobley, 5:00 PM – 5:45 PM

Hydra Melody, 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM

Otis the Destroyer, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

Otis the Destroyer

Second Stage

Youngblood Hawke, 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM

Wow, have things blown up fast for Youngblood Hawke (QRO live review)! On the back of basically one hit single, “We Come Running”, the band (QRO live review) was picked up by major label Universal for 2013’s Wake Up, but they (QRO photos) also bring a great live show (QRO photos) to Float Fest (QRO photos at a festival).
Youngblood Hawke
Wild Cub, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM

Burned out on life in the hustle & bustle of Brooklyn, Keegan DeWitt turned down a promotion and moved to Nashville, where he teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Bullock as Wild Cub (QRO photos at a festival), and put out debut full-length Youth.
Wild Cub
Sarah Jaffe, 5:45 PM – 6:30 PM

Denton, Texas’ Sarah Jaffe (QRO live review) comes to Float Fest off of last year’s Don’t Disconnect. She’s played with everyone from Lou Barlow to Eminem.



Also:

The Vanity, 4:15 PM – 5:00 PM

Purple, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Sarah Jaffe

 

For festival website, go here: http://floatfest.net/

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