What up music lovers?! Been to any good festivals lately? I hope so!
If you haven’t gotten your festi-fill this summer, there is still time to get your tickets and head to Arrington, Virginia this weekend for the second year of the Lockn’ Interlocking Music Festival! Last year, over 25,000 fans showed up and it was easy to see why. Whether your talking about music or activities, Lockn’ has it all, and then some!
This year’s Lockn’ could possibly have the best music lineup ever. Yep, I said it! In my opinion, the only lineup that comes close to this one is from Lockn’ 2013.
Honestly, I feel I should just copy and paste the entire lineup because all the bands on Lockn’ 2014 lineup are well worth mentioning. For time’s sake, here is a short list of the Lockn’ 2014 lineup (be sure to pick your jaw up off the floor after reading it): String Cheese (2 nights); one night will serve as a tribute to Kool & The Gang as they will be joined by JT Taylor and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Widespread Panic will play 2 nights as well (with Steve Winwood sitting in for one of them!)
Also included in the all-star list of performers is Phil Lesh and friends, Keller Williams, The Wood Brothers, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, The Del McCoury Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Allman Brothers Band, Wilco, and the list goes on and on. With all these great acts hanging out together, one can only imagine the unique collaborations and special guests that will take the stage.
If you can manage to pull yourself away from the four stages of music, there are plenty of other activities to keep you busy. Patrons of Lockn’ 2014 can take yoga classes, play disc golf, or participate in The Backyard Revolution (a program aimed to teach agricultural and living practices of our indigenous and colonial ancestors such as woodworking, sewing, cooking and basketry; just to name a few).
Don’t forget your bike! Not only can patrons ride around the festival grounds, but they can also explore over 30 miles of trails that surround Oakridge Farm. Shuttles can also be found to take festival-goers to a nearby river to take a dip and cool off (or take a hippie bath).
To me, music festivals are about community, and I love to see artists interact with fans and share their talents. At Lockn’ 2014, music clinics such as Mandolin 101 lead by the one and only Jeff Austin, the art of improvisational bass lead by Oteil Burbridge of The Allman Brothers Band will be scattered throughout the festival. Rhythmic and melodic drumming lessons from Jeff Sipe of The Aquarium Rescue Unit will also be featured.
Lockn’ 2014 is doing some cool things to keep fans informed and up-to-date on what’s happening at the festival as it occurs. Fans can download the Lockn’ mobile app to find out about set times and other announcements.
With the efforts of Relix Magazine and Jambands.com, there will be a daily newspaper called the Lockn’ Times. The paper will include daily schedules, reviews and artist interviews. Fans can even submit photos to #Lockntimes in hopes of getting them published via Lockn’. Sought-after photos include people packing and traveling. If you haven’t already, snap some pics and hashtag them up!
Okay festi-friends, that’s all I got for now. I will do my best to keep you updated on all the fun we’ll be having out here this weekend at Lockn’ 2014; I just hope there is Internet access on cloud 9!