Run by Dan and Jess Hassett of Levitate surf and skate shop, the festival is three days of peace, love, and “homegrown stoke” July 5-7 at the Marshfield Fairgrounds.
If you’ve been, you know: it’s a whole vibe: a heady blend of surf and skate culture, jam-band chill, and classic music-fest fun. This year you can watch muralists in action, browse art vendors, and even camp. Some 30 food trucks will offer a spread from barbecue to smoothies, lobster rolls, ice cream, and much more, plus booze, according to their Instagram.
Three stages of music will rock for three days. Here are my picks for five must-see acts.
DANIEL DONATO
It’s cosmic country time. The guitar prodigy musically blends the essence of tie-dye and cowboy boots. There’s something Allman Brothers about some tracks, other times straight Nashville jukebox, other times Grateful Dead. Many a Deadhead is a hardcore Daniel fan — as is Bob Weir. The guitar phenom is beginning to see mainstream success: he made his national TV debut on “CBS This Morning” a few months ago. Those of us who have been fans since his early YouTube videos, welp, we’re already standing in line in Marshfield waiting to get our faces melted. July 7, 2:15 p.m.
OREBOLO
Goooooooooose! (We’re not booing, we’re just like Springsteen fans hooting “Bruuuuuuuce.”) Goose fans should flock to Marshfield for this side-project of Goose — the New England band that’s taking over the jam scene right now. For the uninitiated, Goose is Connecticut’s answer to Vermont’s Phish: homegrown cow-funk. Orebolo is an acoustic trio featuring three members of Goose: Rick Mitarotonda (vocals, guitar), Peter Anspach (vocals, guitar), and Jeff Arevalo (upright bass). In Goose, Mitarotonda is a beast on electric guitar, and Anspach is usually on keys. Here, the trio tends to relax into chill-out grooves or foot-tapping tunes. July 5 at 6:30 p.m.
TASH SULTANA
Monster talent from down under. The Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer is essentially a one-person band. From guitar to trumpet to live-looping and beatboxing, they will knock your socks off. July 6, 7 p.m.
LAKE STREET DIVE
Formed in Boston 20 years ago, Lake Street Dive — who accurately bills itself as a “cross-pollination of soul, folk, jazz, classic pop, and more” — has a local legion of cult fans. Like the fest itself, the band has evolved into a Big Deal. The five-piece’s eighth full-length album, “Good Together” dropped about two weeks ago, and the group launched it on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” They also talked to us about it. July 6, 8:15 p.m.
SUBLIME
Gotta add the elephant in the room. This year’s headliner: Sublime. You’ve heard “What I Got” covered by every ‘90s cover band in the greater Boston area since, well, the ‘90s. Now it’s time for the real deal, baby. The band also collabed with Levitate Brand on some official merch … Aaand now I’ve got “Santeria” in my head. July 7, 8 p.m.
I told you I’d pick five, and I’ll keep my promise. But if you let me pick two more?
G. Love & Special Sauce plays at 1:30 p.m. July 6.
And Neal Francis — the dude Rolling Stone says is “making piano rock cool again,” plays July 5 at 3:50 p.m.
Details and FAQ at https://www.levitatemusicfestival.com/
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. She tweets @laurendaley1.
Lauren Daley can be reached at ldaley33@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @laurendaley1.
