Stuart’s Opera House presents the 11th annual Nelsonville Music Festival on May 28-May 31, 2015 at Robbins Crossing on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. Our first round of NMF lineup announcements include Country Music Hall of Famer and legend Merle Haggard, art rock guitar virtuoso St. Vincent, and rising Americana act Trampled By Turtles. They will be joined on the NMF stage by the commanding voice and unique roots sound of Hurray for the Riff Raff, the two saxophone/one drummer force of Moon Hooch, and the beautiful pop of Swedish/Icelandic duo My Bubba. Many more acts for 2015 are still to be announced so be sure to stay updated! The 11th annual Nelsonville Music Festival will feature 4 days of music featuring over 40 bands on multiple stages all weekend long along with camping, kids activities, local artisan vendors, food, a beer garden, and much more. Weekend passes for all four days are on sale nowfor $110 (with no fees) and the price will raise from there until the gate price the weekend of the festival so get yours while they are cheap! Camping passes and VIP Weekend Passes to the festival are also on sale now. Tickets and more information can be found at nelsonvillefest.org or by calling (740) 753-1924.
The word “legend” usually makes an appearance at some point when discussing Merle Haggard. It’s an acknowledgment of his artistry and his standing as “the poet of the common man.” It’s a tribute to his incredible commercial success and to the lasting mark he has made, not just on country music, but on American music as a whole. In addition to 40 #1 hits, Haggard charted scores of Top Ten songs. He won just about every music award imaginable, both as a performer and as a songwriter, and in 1994 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His body of work easily places him beside Hank Williams as one of the most influential artists in country music.
From the time she used to play in Sufjan Stevens’ band, writing little bluesy folk songs on the side, Annie Clark has changed so much. Reborn as guitar heroin, metamorphosing pop music with her clashing clothes and tearing into the crowds with strange and martial guitars, St. Vincent is a different woman. In that time, she has released four breathtaking albums (the latest one, a critically acclaimed eponymous creation, was released earlier this year), has collaborated at length with David Byrne of Talking Heads fame (2012’s “Love Is a Giant”), as well as Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, and Swans, among others. She even got to be the front women for Nirvana, replacing Kurt Cobain at a Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame concert. The world of rock praises her for her angst, the world of pop for her class, and the crowds of all type for her spectacular live shows; St. Vincent is truly one of the greats of her time and her legend is surely just beginning.
Trampled by Turtles hybrid folk sound continues its evolution pushing the band further into the gray area between genres that defies pigeonholing. The band formed in 2003 in Duluth, Minnesota, they have reached new heights with each album. The release of 2012’s Stars And Satellites saw the band play to more fans than ever, sell close to 100,000 albums, and make their first national television appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman.Their newest album Wild Animals was released earlier this year.
Hurray For The Riff Raff is Alynda Lee Segarra, but in many ways it’s much more than that: it’s a young woman leaving her indelible stamp on the American folk tradition. Her new album Small Town Heroes earned her raves from NPR and the New York Times to Mojo and Paste, along with a breakout performance at the 2013 Newport Folk Festival. Moon Hooch captured the imaginations of thousands with its infamous stints busking on subway platforms and elsewhere in New York City: two sax players and a drummer whipping up furious, impromptu raves. Now the band tours the country having opened up for acts as diverse as They Might Be Giants and Galactic. My Bubba; Swedish My and Icelandic Bubba, met by chance 5 years ago in Copenhagen, joined vocals and suitcases and have been traveling together since – singing their contemporary folk songs all around Europe and the US. The songs are sparse, allowing their delicate voices and entrancing harmonies to take center stage, sharing stories of their adventurous spirit in alluringly sultry sounds. Many more acts are still to be announced!
Billboard has called Nelsonville Music Festival “one of the best kept secrets of the U.S. music festival circuit”, and Andrew Bird said, “It’s the perfect size festival. Any bigger and you’d lose something.” The Nelsonville Music Festival continues to be one of the best in the region and one of the most unique music festivals in the country. Set in the beautiful, rolling hills of Southeast Ohio, this small and intimate festival continues to gain fans who want a music festival with a more personal experience. Catch live music on multiple stages including a small “no-fi” cabin and a picturesque “porch” stage in addition to our main stage. We take pride in offering a warm, accepting environment where local artisans can sell and be recognized for their work, where local, regional and national musicians instill their awe-inspiring talents and festival goers can relax and enjoy the fruits of our regional flavor. The Nelsonville Music Festival offers multiple stages of music all weekend long along with camping on site, kids activities, local art vendors, food, and a beer garden. The Nelsonville Music Festival works with Rural Action and their Appalachian Zero Waste Initiative to be a Zero Waste event, diverting almost 96.5% of the waste created in 2014! Past performers have included Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, John Prine, The Avett Brothers, Dinosaur Jr., Cat Power, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Yo La Tengo, George Jones, Gogol Bordello, M.Ward, and many more.The Nelsonville Music Festival is a production of Stuart’s Opera House, a historic, non-profit theater located in Nelsonville that features over 75 events a year including live music, theater, films, educational programming and more. You can find out more about Stuart’s by visiting stuartsoperahouse.org
Stuart’s Opera House presents the 11th annual Nelsonville Music Festival on May 28-31, 2015 at Robbins Crossing on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. This year’s lineup includes Merle Haggard, St. Vincent, Trampled By Turtles, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Moon Hooch, and My Bubba with many more still to be announced! Weekend passes are on sale now for only $110 (with no fees!) and are the cheapest they will be, weekend passes will go up in price several times before the festival weekend. VIP Weekend Passes and Camping Passes are also available. Kids 12 and under are free, Teen tickets (13-17) are $55, Nelsonville resident tickets are $55 (call for more information) and Weekend Passes are only $100 for Members of Stuart’s Opera House until December 31, 2014. Tickets and more information are available at nelsonvillefest.org or by calling (740) 753-1924. You can also find the Nelsonville Music Festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
