The Flaming Lips, Lucero, and more in second round of Nelsonville Music Festival announcements – 7 acts join Merle Haggard, St. Vincent, and many more

Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard

Photos by Scott Preston

Stuart’s Opera House presents the 11th annual Nelsonville Music Festival on May 28-May 31, 2015 at Robbins Crossing on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. The second round of Nelsonville Music Festival announcements include the return of one of rock and roll’s biggest bands to NMF, The Flaming Lips, along with Memphis country punk rockers and cult favorites Lucero, acclaimed garage punk trio Oblivians, and Grammy-nominated folk singer songwriter Greg Brown. Finishing up the second round of announcements are Natural Child, Sarah Neufeld, and Good English. The new round of additions join a lineup that already includes Merle Haggard, St. Vincent, Trampled By Turtles, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Moon Hooch, and My Bubba. Many more acts for 2015 are still to be announced so be sure to stay updated! The 11th annual Nelsonville Music Festival will feature 4 days of music featuring over 40 bands on multiple stages all weekend long along with camping, kids activities, local artisan vendors, food, a beer garden, and much more. Weekend passes for all four days are on sale now for $130 (with no fees) and the price will raise from there until the gate price the weekend of the festival. Camping passes and VIP Weekend Passes to the festival are also on sale now. Tickets and more information can be foundnelsonvillefest.org or by calling (740) 753-1924.

The Flaming Lips are an American rock band named one of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die” by Q Magazine. Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock. They are acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and frontman Wayne Coyne’s signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. The Flaming Lips return to Nelsonville after one of the most memorable performances in NMF history in 2011.

Over their 16 years together, Memphis country punk rockers Lucero have built up a fanbase that’s as diverse as it is rabid. The one thing that unifies Lucero fans of all kinds is the band’s all-or-nothing live show. Their newest release, Live from Atlanta, is a massive, career-spanning four-LP greatest hits collection of 32 tunes played the way they were meant to be heard. Lucero’s entire catalog, from 2000’s The Attic Tapes to 2013’s Texas & Tennessee EP, is represented on Live from Atlanta, which clocks in at over two impressive hours.

Formed in Memphis in 1993, acclaimed garage punk trio Oblivians are Greg Oblivian (aka Greg Cartwright), Eric Oblivian (aka Eric Friedl) and Jack Oblivian (aka Jack Yarber). The trio released a series of beloved albums before taking over fifteen years off before the release of their newest album, Desperation. In both their live shows and recordings, the three members alternate between instruments, each playing guitar, drums and singing lead vocals. Greg Brown is an accomplished songwriter, co-founder of the influential indie roots label Red House and former musical director for Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion radio program. Formed in 2009 and hailing from Nashville, Natural Child are a trio whose good and greasy style is informed by Southern rock, vintage country-rock, laid-back Laurel Canyon sounds, ’70s-style boogie, and a dash of hard rock. Sarah Neufeld is a violinist and composer based in Montréal, Canada. Best known as a member of Arcade Fire, she is also a founding member of the acclaimed contemporary instrumental ensemble Bell Orchestre and has performed and recorded with many other groups. The last artist in this second round of announcements is Good English, a three-sister rock band based out of Dayton, Ohio that has built its unique sound on a bedrock of indie, roots, and punk-influenced rock and roll. Many more acts are still to be announced!

Billboard has called Nelsonville Music Festival “one of the best kept secrets of the U.S. music festival circuit”. NMF alum Andrew Bird said, “It’s the perfect size festival. Any bigger and you’d lose something.” The Nelsonville Music Festival continues to be one of the best in the region and one of the most unique music festivals in the country. Set in the beautiful, rolling hills of Southeast Ohio, this small and intimate festival continues to gain fans who want a music festival with a more personal experience. Catch live music on multiple stages including the small no-fi cabin and picturesque porch stage in addition to the main stage. The Nelsonville Music Festivals takes pride in offering a warm, accepting environment where local artisans can sell and be recognized for their work; where local, regional, and national musicians instill their awe-inspiring talents; and festival goers can relax and enjoy the fruits of our regional flavor. The Nelsonville Music Festival works with Rural Action and their Appalachian Zero Waste Initiative to be a Zero Waste event, diverting almost 96.5% of the waste created in 2014! Past performers have included Wilco, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, John Prine, The Avett Brothers, Dinosaur Jr., Cat Power, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Yo La Tengo, George Jones, Gogol Bordello, M.Ward, and many more.The Nelsonville Music Festival is a production of Stuart’s Opera House, a historic, non-profit theater located in Nelsonville that features over 75 events a year including live music, theater, films, educational programming and more. You can find out more about Stuart’s by visiting stuartsoperahouse.org.

Stuart’s Opera House presents the 11th annual Nelsonville Music Festival, May 28-31, 2015 at Robbins Crossing on the campus of Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. This year’s lineup includes The Flaming Lips, Merle Haggard, St. Vincent, Trampled By Turtles, Lucero, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Oblivians, Greg Brown, Moon Hooch, Natural Child, My Bubba, Sarah Neufeld, and Good English with many more still to be announced! Weekend passes are on sale now for only $130 (with no fees!), weekend passes will go up in price several times before the festival weekend. VIP Weekend Passes and Camping Passes are also available. Kids 12 and under are free, teen tickets (13-17) are $65, Nelsonville resident tickets are $65 (call for more information), and Stuart’s Member tickets are only $120. Tickets and more information are available atnelsonvillefest.org or by calling (740) 753-1924. You can also find the Nelsonville Music Festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

nelsonvillefest.org | stuartsoperahouse.org