Nelsonville Music Festival 2024 Recap
hy do I keep coming back to Nelsonville Music Festival?
Festivals are not in short supply. It seems like every year there are more and more options looking for a slice of the music fest pie – new festivals targeting every audience and demographic of fans; festivals shaped by genres, festivals shaped by nostalgia, festivals shaped by region. What once seemed like a cottage industry has turned into big business generating big revenues. So why is Nelsonville the one that brings me back over and over again?
NMF stands out as a festival for people who love music, brought to you by people that love music. I have never seen a bad act at Nelsonville, I have never had a bad time. Each year the festival has a line up that is interesting, thoughtful, diverse, and just plain good. I may not know every band before I arrive, but I have generally loved every band after I have left. It does not alway have the flash of other festivals, but it has way more substance than most. The musical acts are curated for talent, not driven by the latest trends or sales. The fans are there for the music, not for the party. There is something about NMF that seems pure of heart.
Nelsonville Music Festival 2024 took place July 26th through July 28th, set in the beautiful landscape of Southeastern Ohio, and now in its third year at Snowfork Event Center, the event felt seamless in execution. The grounds are easy to navigate, the sound from one stage never intruded on another, ADA areas were added to the main stages, and the expanded seating area in the food & beverage vendor offered both more seating and more shaded areas than in past years
And that shade was needed, because it was hot this year! But the Nelsonville organizers made sure there were plenty of free water stations available and even brought out coolers of ice to the stations on Sunday when the temperatures reached the higher side of the 90s. And no matter how hot it gets, the Snowfork always seems to have some bit of breeze bringing a bit of relief.
Back were the local and regional artisans, food vendors, local beverage producers, yoga, story times, children’s area, character parades, recycling, and local community. Community is an important piece of the Nelsonville experience – the heart of Nelsonville Music Festival is Stuart’s Opera House, a historic theater and performing arts center in Nelsonville, Ohio that provides tuition-free Arts Education programs to the community – which NMF helps raise money to support.
Why do I keep coming back to Nelsonville Music Festival?
Great people, great times, and great music.
Especially the music.
Set of the fest
I have been trying to catch Courtney Barnett for years, but either her tour did not come near my hometown, or I was out of town when it did. I was worried that after all this time that she might not live up to what I had built up in my mind – but I should not have worried. The indie rocker from Sydney, Australia played an explosive set, with a setlist that highlighted music from throughout her catalog. On stage, Barnett presented as both warm and personable, larger than life, and seemed to enjoy being there as much as the crowd enjoyed having her. I was left wanting more and vowed that I would make a point of seeing her again soon, hopefully on a regular tour so that I can experience her full show. Highlights for me were Rae Street, Small Poppies, City Looks Pretty, and the song I first discovered her from, Avant Gardener.
The Other Headliners
Killer Mike let us know that he liked Ohio. He recounted other shows in Cleveland, Columbus, and Yellow Springs, and that he was excited to add Nelsonville to that list. His set felt like a spiritual experience – possibly because of all the white outfits and the full choir of background singers, but mostly because of the spirit he put into his music, and the feeling that he was trying to reach us on a higher lever. God and the devil seem to weigh heavy on Killer Mike’s mind and make appearances in many of his songs. The highlight of the show for me was Motherless, a song about Mike losing his mother, and all the emotions that come from that loss.
I was not familiar with Thee Sacred Souls prior to them being added to this year’s lineup, but I quickly added several of their songs to my playlist. A retro-soul band that exudes California cool, they sound familiar to anyone who grew up listening to R&B, Motown, or 70s soul, but with enough of their own unique sound to make it interesting instead of purely nostalgic. I highly recommend Thee Sacred Souls for fans of Khruangbin. My favorite song of the night was Will I See You Again?.
Legendary Performers
Maybe you are not familiar with the bands Hüsker Dü or Sugar, but if you are a fan of alternative or indie rock music, the artists you listen to likely are. Since the 1970s, Bob Mould has been a mainstay in the punk rock/college rock/alternative rock/indie rock scenes. Performing as a solo artist, just a legend and his guitar, Mould showed he still has punk rock chops but can show indie rock restraint. Mould let us know that he was thanking the rock gods that he made it to Nelsonville in one piece since a car had flipped on the highway in front of him on his way into town.
A member of the Nelsonville family, American folk singer Michael Hurley once again made two appearances at the fest, one on Saturday at the Porch Stage and one on Sunday at the Creekside Stage. Dressed in jeans, sandals, a work shirt, cooling towel, railroad hat and aviators, Hurley gave an energetic performance on stage even in 87°, but also gave me one of my favorite moments of the festival when I spotted the 82 year old musician head banging and pogo dancing to Amyl and the Sniffers from the artist viewing area during their performance.
Speaking Of...
Amyl and the Sniffers put on another of my favorite performances of the weekend. Whether you want to call them punk rock, pub rock, or garage rock, Amyl and the Sniffers gave us a fiery, raucous, and visceral performance. Front woman Amy Taylor invokes comparisons to Iggy Pop, Poly Styrene, Karen O, and other iconic stage presences. She started off the show telling us to “Get Rooowwwdy”! A small, not particularly aggressive mosh pit broke out near the stage – something not typical at NMF – but by far the rowdiest thing at the show was the band itself. The Snow Fork Stage is large and sometimes seems to swallow up a band, but it barely contained Taylor as she charged around the platform, a frenetic piece of performance art.
And If You Liked That Act...
Another punk standout of the weekend, but with a decidedly different aesthetic, Snõõper came to the stage draped in throwback tracksuits and vintage sneakers, combined hardcore crunchy hooks with looped beats, sound effects, and bits of other audio, and demonstrated choreographed strumming reminiscent of vintage Devo videos. Another new-to-me band I will be taking away with me for future listening.
Portland, Oregon’s Spoon Benders asked, “Do you like loud music? Good”, before launching into a melt your face set. One of the heavier rock bands of the weekend – the group moves back and forth between slow and steady and hard and fast. I do like loud music – especially when the stage show provides this level of chaos.
Photographer Favorites
The photogs with me could not stop talking about LA band Frankie and the Witch Fingers, wowed by the high energy rock group who lean deeply into the garage band sounds of the 60s and the 70s with a heavy dose of psychedelia.
Unexpected Surprise
Jim White and Marisa White played a single song set that I could not walk away from; 52 minutes of experimental folk, avant garde rock, and abstract melodies pieced together in discord. The song started out as slowly developed broken melodies, a symphony warming up before a concert, bits of psychedelic sounds. As the tune progressed it slowly came together and picked up pace, eventually reaching a hypnotic frenzy around the 40 minute mark. White stared out at the crowd judging their reactions, sometimes grinning, sometimes scowling, his arms dancing in full extensions of arcing strikes to his drums. Meanwhile, Anderson stayed hunched over her guitar, never looking up, her long gray hair draped over her face. It was a fascinating spectacle that anyone lucky enough to be present for will not soon forget.
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 kicked off both Saturday and Sunday with a showcase of these young musicians, allowing them an amazing outlet to show off their impressive talents. A true standout of the AMP lineup was the band “Sub Zero”, the band’s frontman in full makeup and costume, and a larger than life stage presence that Kiss, Freddie Mercury, or David Bowie would appreciate.
Doing a Double Take
Having just enjoyed watching the North Carolinian honky-tonk tinged alt-country Fust on the Creekside Stage earlier that day, I did a double take when Sluice took the stage, as I thought for a second I was seeing the same band a second time. But while Sluice contains several members of Fust in it’s lineup, this collective of Durham, NC musicians led by Justin Morris was rock focused and heavy with a bit of what I would call country-grunge. Both were enjoyable, both were very different, both I hope to catch again sometime soon.
Speaking of North Carolina
Asheville’s Indigo De Souza put on a brilliant and vulnerable performance of indie rock, singer-songwriter melodies. She tells stories through her lyrics that feel intimate and emotional but, also gave us a peek behind the curtain of how emotions can be manipulated, when she explained that Younger & Dumber, a song that reeks of heartache, is not about some lost lover but instead about having to rehome her dog.
Even More North Carolina
Retro garage rock band The Nude Party came to the NMF party dressed for success in Canadian Tuxedos, but most of the band dropped those denim jackets by the second song. Heavily influenced by 60s groups like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, The Velvet Underground, and on a few songs, Link Wray and the Wraymen, the seven piece ensemble gave the sun soaked crowd an energetic and full sound to enjoy. I loved hearing about how two of their songs – Cherry Red Boots & Polly Anne were about the same girl, written about a year apart, and how much his perspective had changed over that time. “The mind is fickle and things change.”
Other Highlights
I don’t listen to a lot of Latin music, but after seeing LA LOM, I am going to start listening to more. The Los Angeles League of Musicians was introduced as the sound of backyard barbecues in the City of Angels. The instrumental trio brought the cool, combining multiple traditions – Cuban, Columbian, Mexican and Peruvian – into their own unique sound.
One of my favorite songs growing up was King Curtis’s Memphis Soul Stew – I remember picking up the CD out of a bargain bin of albums while on vacation with my family. The name of that song came to mind while watching The Sensational Barnes Brothers – a duo from Memphis who stir up a mixture of secular and religious music. Their gospel roots were felt as they did call and response with the crowd, but the music would feel just as home on a Saturday night as a Sunday morning. I am looking forward to delving into their album Nobody’s Fault But My Own on a lazy afternoon sometime soon.
For almost 20 years, The Felice Brothers have been playing indie-folk, alt-country, roots rock and show no signs of slowing down. They seemed at home in the foothills of the Ohio Apalachians – maybe it reminded them of growing up in the Catskills. The highlight of the set for me was the song Valium, a poignant tune that reflects on modern life in relation to the idealized American myth of the Old West.
I have been a fan of John Vincent III for several years now, mostly by accident. His songs are not the kind that I tend to seek out, but they are are the kind I notice, and I regularly “rediscover” Vincent by way of Shazam; a song playing in a restaurant, a melody playing behind a scene on the television, or coming up on a smart playlist after another artist’s album has stopped streaming. It is that surprise over and over that intrigues me, and the reason I was excited to catch him at NMF, another happy accident. Maybe it is time I dig in with purpose.
Australia was not the only country outside the US represented at Nelsonville. Brighton, UK based group The Heavy Heavy draws inspiration from the pop rock sounds of the 1960s; bits of the Stones, the Byrds, the Mamas & the Papas, and The Band show up in their sound.
Son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti carries on his father’s legacy by leading his band The Egypt 80, a multinational group of musicians including members from Algeria, the West Indies, France, and Nigeria.
Philadelphia indie rock back Friendship provided heavy lo-fi, guitar heavy earworms that brings to mind the best of the underground 90s music that did not easily fit into the mainstream “alternative” sound.
Something is going on with the Philly scene, Florry was alt-country/indie rock fusion at it’s best – if J Mascis would have decided to start a country troupe, it would have sounded something like this.
Another Philadelphia group, Sheer Mag performed Saturday night on the Porch stage and was the perfect night cap after watching Amyl and the Sniffers. Also inspired by 70s hard rock and proto-punk music, they continued the rowdy well into the evening. Front woman Tina Halladay let us know that, “It’s after dark…” and then asked, “Who’s coming to my tent later tonight?”
It is not every festival that features a poet laureate (youth or otherwise) on the lineup, but NMF always has thought outside of the box. Not that Kara Jackson was there to read from her book Bloodstone Cowboy, but her music lends to her strengths, and her lyrics feel like poems laid over music, dealing in metaphor and allegory, like the in her song Pawnshop where the speaker relates to a used thing that is still of value even though “I was used, but still good as new”.
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Musician, concert photographer, writer, podcast host and founder of The Hot Mic Music Magazine.
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