Under The Radar Music Festivals This Summer

It’s no secret that we’re living in a golden age of music festivals. But so much attention is lavished on the Coachellas and Pitchforks and Bonnaroos that it’s easy to forget that there’s dozens of other annual fests going on in pretty much every region of the continental U.S. throughout the warmer months. You

might buy a plane ticket for your ideal destination lineup or you might find a bill worth spending a day in the sun for within driving distance. But either way, it’s worth broadening your horizons to find out what festivals you might feel foolish about missing come next summer.

Written by Al Shipley (@AlShipley)

Seattle, Washington (July 26-28)

For decades, Bumbershoot has been Seattle’s signature arts festival, taking over the city every Labor Day. But since 1997, the Capitol Hill Block Party has been presenting impressive lineups a few weeks beforehand, with this year’s headliners including the Flaming Lips and Girl Talk. It’s an especially rap-friendly lineup this time around, too, with everyone from Danny Brown to Big Freedia to El-P and Killer Mike rocking the mic.

Website: capitolhillblockparty.com

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (June 7-9)

Ladyfest was born in the Riot Grrrl hotbed of Olympia, Washington in 2000, and has spread to independently organized events in dozens of other cities in the years since. But Philadelphia hasn’t had a Ladyfest since 2003, and the 2013 iteration at the Rotunda looks powerful enough to keep them from suffering another 10-year drought. Ladyfest's Philly lineup of women-led punk and indie bands includes Screaming Females, US Girls and Potty Mouth, along with life-enriching workshops and seminars. All proceeds will go to Project SAFE and Women In Transition.

Website: ladyfestphilly.com

Baltimore, Maryland (September 14)

With EDM bouncing out of the “dance tent” ghetto onto the main stages, and more rappers on the festival circuit than ever before, there’s something to be said for attempts to get a capital-r Rock festival going in 2013. Baltimore is one major city that’s always struggled to pull in big touring festivals, or keep an annual fest like the Virgin Festival, which dried up after a few years.

The Shindig is the latest attempt to remedy that problem this year in Carroll Park in Pigtown (a newly gentrified Southwest Baltimore neighborhood that some wish had a name with less character). Grizzled and raspy rockers of all stripes, from The Gaslight Anthem to The Dropkick Murphys to The Hold Steady, will share the stage with Maryland-bred heroes like Joan Jett and Clutch.

Website: theshindigbaltimore.com

Pelham, Tennessee (June 7-10)

If you live for the sick strange vibrations of massive subwoofers that could be mistaken for indigestion when they ripple through your body, Weird Bass is the dance festival for you. For four days in June, dozens of acts will gather on a private farm in the deep south, and fill the air with all the latest strains of dubstep, trap, moombahton, electro, and more subgenres not yet invented as of this writing that will pop up in the next two weeks.

Website: weirdmusicfest.com

Asheville, North Carolina (October 25-27)

This festival, from some of the same minds behind North Cackalacka’s long-running Moogfest, is highlighted by a stop on the long-awaited reunion tour of Neutral Milk Hotel, which suggests some kind of disconnect between whoever named the festival an “electronic music summit” and who booked the band that plays singing saws and trombones. Nevertheless, a good lineup is a good lineup, and Mountain Oasis pulled together electronic-tinged rockers from Nine Inch Nails and Animal Collective to Gary Numan, along with more acts that stretch the meaning of the festival’s name like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Daniel Johnston.

Website: mountainoasisfestival.com

New York, New York (June 29)

The embattled Village Voice has seen better days as a publication, but they still know how to put on a show, with the third year of its current flagship festival at the South Street Seaport. This year’s headliners include Kurt Vile, The Men and Marnie Stern. But if all that’s not #based enough for you, Lil B will be headlining the official after party at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Website: villagevoice.com/4knots

St. Louis, Missouri (September 7-8)

Admit it: you’re disappointed to learn that LouFest is not, in fact, Lou Reed’s belated attempt to spin his personal brand into a weekend of tunes, sunshine and corporate sponsorship. We’re all a little disappointed. But St. Louis’s LouFest packs an impressively star-studded lineup this year, including indie dad rock kings Wilco and The National, along with edgier fare further down the bill like Twin Shadow, Toro Y Moi, and Icona Pop.

Website: loufest.com

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (August 22-24)

Most music festivals are about pooling together many acts who’d each individually draw a decent crowd to see just them. But many of the best and most life-affirming festivals are the ones that bring together disparate tribes of fringe styles for an annual binge of bonding over a shared love of a particular stripe of sensory overload. A classic example over the last eight years has been the Midwestern haven of ear-scraping squall, the Milwaukee Noise Festival. For three nights, the Miramar Theatre will be full of godawful racket and the avant garde fans who love it, ending strong with a headlining set by subversive collage pioneers Negativland.

Website: experimentalmilwaukee.com

Detroit, Michigan (September 14)

After a decade of success in several countries, the Australian-born Laneway Festival finally makes its U.S. debut this year, in the Motor City of all places. And whether it’s to its detriment or benefit, Laneway looks to be one of the hardest festivals to peg to a target audience in 2013. If you’re the kind of adventurous listener who wants to see Sigur Ros, Solange, The Dismemberment Plan, My Brightest Diamond and Charli XCX all in one day, you’re in luck.

Website: lanewayfestival.com.au

New York, New York (May 30-June 2)

For the discriminating pop nerd, there are now unaffiliated Popfests in cities all over the world, but New York still has one of the bests. And they’ve got one of the most international bills, too, with cult heroes from Sweden, New Zealand, Finland and the U.K. along with domestic indie poppers taking over the Knitting Factory, Cake Shop and several other NYC venues. The opening night also features a screening of The Shield Around The K, a new documentary about one of the labels that epitomizes the Popfest aesthetic, K Records.

Website: nycpopfest.org