My brain has been all over the place lately. It’s pretty adept at churning out unnecessary thoughts and anxieties, and usually works in short spurts when it comes to staying focused on the task at hand. Work? Podcast editing? Oh it’ll give me a few minutes here and there before it’s like, nope, we’re done here. But remember that time in Little League when you slid into second and was safe, but then lifted your foot off and was immediately called out? Let’s dwell on that for the rest of the day.
My point is that from time to time, we all need mindless distractions to get our weird brains recentered and refocused. I’ve decided, since we’re officially in music festival season that it might be fun to imagine the perfect three day lineup.
I’m not going to go completely off the rails and allow for groups that are long-broken up to be included in the exercise. I want to make something that hypothetically could happen. Will it? I don’t know. Maybe? Probably not. But maybe a Songseekers fan out there has connections and can make it happen!
Ideally with any good fest, you want a nice mix of up-and-comers, ones hitting their stride artistically, ones fully at the top of their game, and some that just make you feel good to see, even if maybe they’re more of a nostalgia act at this point. So let’s do this!
Day 1:
I was going to try to do a side stage/main stage thing, but that exercise was having the opposite affect on my brain than this exercise is intended to, so let’s simplify and just list
Lifeguard
Phillip Michael Scales
Mitski
Sylvan Esso
Neil Francis
Mdou Moctar
Mike Watt and his Missingmen
Rancid
Breeders
Billie Eilish
Gotta start funky and high energy for night one of any festival! That’s why Sylvan Esso and Neil Francis, especially, are on this list. But Mike Watt, Rancid, and Breeders are also going to bring a bit of liveliness to the occasion! Mdou Moctar is one of the best opening acts I’ve ever witnessed, so that’s a guaranteed night one gem. Phillip Michael Scales has got you covered with some dive bar soul. And Chicago’s Lifeguard bring the loud, youthful energy to the party.
My closer that night is Billie Eilish because she’s incredible. Great songwriter, emotionally invested performer…she’d bring down the house!
Day 2:
Andrew Sa
The Texas Gentlemen
Elizabeth Moen
Margo Price
Gillian Welch
Waxahatchee
Shaboozey
Dolly Parton
Miley Cyrus
Beyoncé
Day 2 has a significantly more country tilt to it, with the design being meant for all sorts of guest appearances and collaborations. Staying loyal to Chicago musicians, I’m featuring Andrew Sa, with his lonesome cowboy croon, and Elizabeth Moen, whose songwriting prowess and disarming voice would leave the crowd roaring for more. There’s a lot of genre breakers on this list too, who aren’t afraid to blur the lines of expectations. Just as I like it. And yes, Beyoncé does Cowboy Carter from start to finish. You won’t forget it anytime soon!
Day 3:
Jason Narducy
Bob Mould
Mavis Staples
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Aimee Mann
Finom
Yola
Kevin Morby
The Hold Steady
Wilco
You didn’t think I’d leave off Wilco, did you? Of course they’re closing down night three! There’s room here for collaboration with Chicago’s Finom, who happen to be in Jeff Tweedy’s solo band. And of course, anytime that Mavis and Wilco get together, there’s opportunity for some epic collaboration. From a practical point of view, Jason Narducy should play on the same day as Bob Mould, as he’s the bassist in Bob’s band. And the rest? Just acts that I either love seeing live (Tedeschi Trucks and The Hold Steady) and ones I’d love to be in the crowd for. This is just a solid day of good music.
And there you have it. Anyone know how to put together a music festival? I need this to happen! I’m sure all the artists will be on board. And what do you think, a couple hundred bucks for a 3-day pass? Seems reasonable. Hey, it’s my fantasy world, let me dream!
Podcast Update
Episode 7 goes live TOMORROW, with my guest Tara Shannon—musician, author, life coach, business owner, record label owner…she does it all. But even with all of that, she was kind enough to sit down for an interview on the pod. Really enjoyed chatting with her and I’m quite confident you’ll love getting to know her too
Episode 8 is going to be great! I mean, they’re all great, but this one was a Songseekers Potluck with two of my very best friends, Michael Mullowney and Adrian DiGiovanni…AND it was all ‘90s! It went off the rails in the best sort of way, so there’s a fair amount of editing to do to get it to acceptable podcast length, so please be patient! It’ll be worth the wait!
And if you know someone who would be a great guest or if you think you’d be a great guest, let me know! Let’s talk music!
Subscribers
Thanks to all who signed up for a subscription during my quick sale on year long subscriptions! Every subscription is appreciated so very much, whether it’s free or paid. In fact every time someone reads or listens, I’m filled with gratitude. I’ve been thinking of some possible subscriber perks to roll out in May, so stay tuned for that! Thank you SOOOO very much for your support and kind words!