2025 Nelsonville Music Festival Recap
o quote the Violent Femmes, “Do you like American music? We like all kinds of music. But I like American music best - baby.”
Nelsonville Music Festival has always felt very grounded in Americana; American folk, country, heartland rock, and bluegrass have always been showcased prominently at the festival. Other genres have also been given time, but folk and country influenced music seemed to be at the heart of NMF.
SET OF THE FEST
For me, the best performance of the weekend was MJ Lenderman. Having seen him play at NMF in 2023 (both solo and as part of Wednesday), I had high expectations – expectations that were fully exceeded. Lenderman seemed more comfortable and at ease on stage than he did then, and wowed the crowd with his country-soaked, lo-fi indie rock. I always feel that you can tell when someone is doing something special at NMF by keeping an eye on who is watching the performance from the artist area; members of Balthvs, the Dracu-Las, and Shirlette Ammons, and others, were all lining the barricade to see what Lenderman was doing on stage. And Katie Crutchfield was watching stage right – up until she joined him on stage to help perform ‘She’s Leaving You”.
The Hot Mic Panel’s other favorite sets of 2025:
Brian Bruemmer (Hot Mic photographer) also picked Lenderman.
Brock Caldwell (Hot Mic photographer) chose hip-hop artist and poet Shirlette Ammons.
Very special guest panelist Dylan Telerski (Nelsonville Music Festival Media Wrangler) gave top honors to Waxahatchee.
THE HEADLINERS
MJ Lenderman would return the guest appearance favor during Waxahatchee’s fantastic Friday set, but since he played electric guitar on her most recent album ‘Tigers Blood’, as well as providing vocals on stand out song ‘Right Back to It’, this was to be expected. This was Katie Crutchfield’s first tim at Nelsonville and she treated the fans to a set heavy on the new album, but with some older favorites, and her newer single “Mud” placed into her set. The band sounded warm, and highlighted her thoughtful and literate lyrics instead of overshadowing them.
If you did not know Charley Crockett’s name before he took stage on Saturday, you sure did after – the larger than life LED marquee sign mounted to the back of the stage proclaimed it loudly. Crockett showcased his personal style of country western music, one steeped in tradition – one moment sounding like a spaghetti western and then sounding like the house band from a 1970s Clint Eastwood or Burt Reynolds movie – but also with elements of Blues and R&B that make it uniquely his own. The crowd ate up his rowdy and raucous set, with him getting one of the biggest audience pops of the weekend.
Legendary performer Taj Mahal closed out the festival on Sunday, showing that age has not hampered his skill on the guitar. Mahal showcased the music he is known for – roots blues influenced by whatever other genre has caught his fancy. With the perspective of a generational talent that has seen musical fashions come and go, he showed the influences of each in his own performance, while never losing focus on the traditional blues that he is known for. At one point he shouted out The War and Treaty stating how great it was to hear that gospel sound coming back around, recognizing the circular nature of popular music.
Speaking of...
The War and Treaty may have epitomized my earlier statements about American music at the 2025 Nelsonville Music Festival. While Taj was correct about the Gospel sound in their music, this husband and wife music duo also pull influence from soul, rhythm and blues, country, rock and folk genres, an amalgam of American forms but also an evolution of American music. The War and Treaty experience was not a passive one, as they played up the audience participation with both call and response moments and sing along and clap along requests at different points of the show.
Unexpected Suprises
My first of the two was Columbian band BALTHVS, a psychedelic funk trio with latin, middle eastern, and disco influences (yes, I know how that sounds) who will inevitably draw comparisons to Khruangbin, not that that is a bad thing, but have twists of their own that set them apart. The only thing that would have made their performance better would have been a later set time, as their mellow vibe lends towards late night. A highlight of their show was their cover of ‘Shakedown Street’.
Second, Garrett T Capps and the NASA Country left me intrigued and curious (and a bit confused) about their sound. At first listen, I was reminded of War on Drugs but they quickly went off in directions unknown. It was the first time the San Antonio band had been in Ohio, but hopefully not their last, as I need another dose of their spacy indie jams that “come to me (Capps) in a flow state”.
The Panel’s Unexpected Surprises:
Brian was wowed by Chicago indie rock trio Dehd, known for their stripped down and visceral guitar, drums, and vocal style, as well as their introspective lyrics.
Dylan also named Dehd, but included Nashville (by way of Alabama, California, Vegas & Vermont) country music singer-songwriter JP Harris for his campground performance, and Low Cut Connie, a piano driven rock and roll band that draws inspiration from Jerry Lee Lewis and Elton John (a fan of the band) but with a stage performance that reminded my of the energy of old clips of Meatloaf and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Brock was unable to name a single band as he was “unexpectedly surprised by everyone”. He will never be disappointed with that outlook.
Other Standout performances
You would think they were from California from their retro garage surf band sound, but the Dracu-Las hail from Jersey City. Another band who were experiencing their first time in Ohio – a theme throughout the weekend – the Dracu-Las put on an energetic and fun performance with retro sounds ranging from 60s underground to 80s alternative.
Charming folk, Americana, and bluegrass duo Two Runner played antique instruments from the early 1900s that needed constant tuning in the humid summer heat, but allowed for whimsical stories about “dweebing out at night while in Ohio because they don’t have fireflies where they come from in California”. Once in tune, the musicians showed off a high degree of virtuosity on the instruments while also harmonizing with vocals reminiscent of First Aid Kit and Gillian Welch.
Larry & Joe were an interesting juxtaposition of latin music and bluegrass (“latingrass”), mixing traditional Venezuela folk music with the traditional sounds of Appalachia. The duo performs using the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, and standing bass and provides a sound as original and different as it is familiar, while switching back and forth from English and Spanish lyrically.
Southern Avenue reminded me of all the best nights I have spent hopping bars on Beale Street in Memphis. Memphis blues is a genre all its own, and this band may be the best of that genre I have ever seen perform. With a retro sound that combines the best of 60s and 70s blues and R&B, but with enough modern twist to make it interesting, the band won over an overheated crowd with their performance, inspiring a large amount of dancing on a day when it felt too hot to move at times.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy (Will Oldham) played a memorable set perfectly suited for the relaxed atmosphere of the Creekside Stage. Hearing his brooding and melancholy lyrics through the trees was a haunting experience .
Veteran rockers Black Lips closed out Saturday night. Formed in 1999, the band has been known for their hard and loud garage sound, but in recent years have morphed their sound – after adding a sax player to the mix, they have begun including elements of funk, R&B, hip-hop, and pop into their sound.
Local Ohioan Spencer Radcliffe announced to the crowd that they had been “sent to crush you into dust” before launching into a set of slow, jammy indie rock with his band Everything. The stage was an interesting sight, with an uncommon two drummers, Radcliffe dressed in his jumpsuit, and the bass player clad in a Motorhead t-shirt and sport sandals. I was not crushed but I was not disappointed.
Not many DJs perform at the Nelsonville Music Festival, but one that plays Afro-Caribbean, Reggae, and dub inspired anthems seems to fit. Los Angeles based Puerto Rican musician Pachyman was another performer that might have seemed more natural in an evening set instead of an afternoon performance on a bright, bright day, but maybe not. Pachy Garcia gave an enthusiastic performance, playing his board with enthusiasm and telling us to “destroy the empire”.
Welsh indie rock band The Bug Club gave an exciting and dynamic set of songs highly influenced by pub and punk rock with a heavy dose of blues thrown in, the highlight being their performance of their witty song “A Bit Like James Bond”.
Watchhouse (still billing themselves as “formerly Mandarin Orange”) has matured into an even more poignant and somber band since changing their name. The duo from North Carolina still seems to be on a path of musical exploration and growth.
Still the Best Reason to Get There Early
Stuart’s Afterschool Music Program (AMP) is “a music program that exists to support and foster young people who are interested in learning how to play a variety of instruments and form bands”. The festival kicks off both Saturday and Sunday with a showcase of these young musicians, allowing them an amazing outlet to show off their impressive talents. Sub Zero was once again a standout in the AMP line up, but this year we won’t forget watching Left Behind, who blew us away with their harmonized guitars on their cover of Hotel California.
Moments of Reflection
Since the beginning, Michael Hurley had been a part of Nelsonville Music Festival, performing each year until this one. His sad passing earlier this year was memorialized with a multi-performer tribute to his influence on the landscape of American music and the festival itself. Among those who showed their love for the man were Will Oldham, Linsey Nevins, Jerry David DeCicca, Wished Bone, Spencer Radcliffe, and Jolie Holland.
Also memorialized this year, the main stage was renamed Howard’s Stage in honor of longtime volunteer and friend of the festival Howard Fokes, who passed earlier this year. An important part of the operations team and a member of the NMF Board, his loss was a devastating loss to the Nelsonville team, both on a personal and business level. A painting of Fokes hung in the VIP section of the festival near the stage now named after him.
Wishful thinking
Each year, Brian and I discuss who we would like to see on the following year’s festival lineup, usually as we make the drive back to Cincinnati post fest. This year we brought the question to the panel as part of our post festival wrap up podcast to see who they would like to see at Nelsonville Music Festival #20 in 2026.
Now that Dehd has been showcased, I personally would love to see more Chicago indie bands brought to NMF: Friko, Loose Fur, and Horsegirl would all be great additions. If I was really reaching, I would love to see Phoebe Bridgers or, if there was an amazing circumstance that allowed for it, a Monsters of Folk reunion.
Brian and I discussed Elvis Costello as a great legacy performer option on our drive home, but Brian’s top wish for NMF, and one he has brought up several times the past few years, is Orville Peck. He also has a Calexico and Iron & Wine reunion on his dream list.
Brock’s wishlist included Camera Obscura, Manchester Orchestra, Vulfpeck, and LP Giobbi.
Dreaming big, Dylan’s top pick is Neil Young (which would be amazing). Other wishlist performers are Rilo Kiley, Fiona Apple (ideally with Elvis Costello, in my mind) and Hurray for the Riff Raff.
Tell us who your wishlist artists are for NMF in the comments!
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Musician, concert photographer, writer, podcast host and founder of The Hot Mic Music Magazine.
