.png)
By Ross Field, Contributing Writer
ROTHBURY — With approximately 70 percent of the acts at the 2024 Electric Forest being of the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) variety, you are going to be hearing a lot of it as you walk from stage to stage. And that’s alright, because every one of those stages is going to be packed with fans of the DJ or group that is playing at the time. Stop and check each act out. Maybe ask a fan why they enjoy that artist and maybe you’ll gain an appreciation for a style of music that is new to you.
But, if you want to take a break from EDM, here are my suggestions for each day of the festival.
Thursday:
Thursday has some great shows for the opening night of the festival that will have you traipsing between the Honeycomb and the Carousel Club.
First head to the Honeycomb for Moontricks at 5 p.m. Moontricks is an electro-folk duo hailing from British Columbia that create amazing textures with guitars, banjos and keyboards, and this will be a great show with which to begin the evening.
Before Moontricks is done, high tail it through the Sherwood Forest to the Carousel Club where the New Orleans funk colossus, Dumpstaphunk, will take the stage at 6 p.m. If there is one not-to-miss show Thursday night, it is Dumpstaphunk who are sure to blow up the stage with their horn-laden funky grooves.
If you can bring yourself to leave the Dumpstaphunk show early, head over to Sherwood Court for the Eggy show at 6:45 p.m. Eggy is a group of four high school friends from Woodbridge, Connecticut, who through constant touring have become a formidable jam band. Think Phish and Goose, and you’ll have an idea of what Eggy is all about.
Next, leave the Eggy show and head back to the Carousel Club to catch the great jam band Lettuce at 7:45 p.m. Lettuce is based out of New York and their combination of hip-hop, jazz, blues, R&B, and rock brought the band a Grammy award nomination in 2020.
When Lettuce hits their final chord head back to the Sherwood Court to catch The Disco Biscuits at 9:30 p.m. The Disco Biscuits originated in Philadelphia in the late 1990s, and they played at both the 2008 and 2009 Rothbury festivals and the 2019 Electric Forest. Their intense blend of rock, techno, jazz, and soul – what they like to call “trance fusion” – will be a fine way to bring the evening to a rousing end.
Friday:
Start your Friday sonic travels off at the Grand Artique with a laid-back set from Kiyoka, a young folk singer at 3:55 p.m., and then head over to the Sherwood Court for the amazing Venezuelan band, Rawayana. As the title of their 2016 album – ‘Trippy Caribbean’ – suggests, their sound is an intoxicating blend of sounds from the Latin world.
The biggest non-EDM show on Friday is at the Ranch Arena where Colorado’s String Cheese Incident begins their annual residency at 9 p.m. String Cheese can start a traditional bluegrass song, begin improvising, and 20 minutes later end the jam with full on prog-rock. It’s really something to hear. The String Cheese Incident is sandwiched between shows by the rapper Ludacris and the EDM artist Pretty Lights, so the Ranch arena will certainly be packed.
Saturday:
After you’ve caught the Shelby High School Marching Band in the Sherwood Forest at 3 p.m., begin your Saturday set at 7:30 p.m. at the Carousel Club with California’s Peach Tree Rascals, a five-piece group combining R&B and rock with melodic harmonies. Their 2019 hit, “Mariposa”, has been listened to over 362,000,000 times on Spotify, and they are sure to put on a good show in the comfortable confines of the Carousel Club.
But leave the Peach Tree Rascals for the Ranch Arena where at 7:30 p.m. the The String Cheese Incident begins their second show of the festival. A Saturday night show for String Cheese means one thing: “The Big Shebang”. Expect a second set to begin with acrobats, brilliant cover songs, huge inflatables flying back and forth, and coordinated drone displays, and then ending with a giant fireworks display. FYI: It’s best to catch this show at least halfway back from the stage so that you can see all the aerial displays.
After the String Cheese Show head over to the Carousel Club for an 11 p.m. show from Neil Frances, a Chicago piano player with a tight rocking band. Frances is followed at 12:30 a.m. by Hiatus Kaiyote, an Australian quartet playing a mix of R&B, jazz, and funk. Their 2021 album, ‘Mood Valiant’, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2022.
Sunday:
Sunday is going to be a fun day at the Electric Forest. Start your day off at the Grand Artique where Muskegon’s own Flexadecibel, lays down their hard-driving funk and rock beginning at 3:30 p.m. This is a perfect venue for this incredibly tight band, and they should put on a great show.
After Flexadecibel, head over to the Ranch Arena for the 5 p.m. show by Dirtwire. This San Francisco band combines acoustic instruments with electronica and describe it as “Swamptronica” and “Spaghetti-Step.” This band devolved out of Beats Antique, a favorite from past Electric Forests, and this is a “not to miss” show.
Following Dirtwire at 6:45 p.m. at the Ranch Areana is South Bend’s favorite jam band sons, Umphrey’s McGee. Umphrey’s McGee are no strangers to Rothbury having played the 2009 Rothbury festival (two late night sets that fans still rave about) and the 2014 Electric Forest. If you like highly skilled improvisation and progressive rock, you’ll be in the right place at the Ranch Arena with Umphrey’s McGee.
To let yourself down easily after Umphrey’s McGee, head back to the Grand Artique to catch a set from Kiyoka again at 10:40 p.m. followed by a second set from Dirtwire at 11:30 p.m.
The perfect way to end the Electric Forest? Probably at The Observatory where Dixon’s Violin closes out the Electric Forest at 1 a.m.
Remember, it’s going to be hot. Drink lots of water. You’re going to be walking for miles. Wear comfortable footwear. You are going to be one amongst tens of thousands of music fans. Be kind, unwind, and wear a smile.
__________________
Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
- We can send you an invoice each month, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
- We also accept Venmo payments.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress). We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
.jpg)
