The time for festival season is upon us. This month there are two great spring festivals with the BUKU Music + Art Festival and Hogs For The Cause falling on back-to-back weekends.
Entering its 9th year, BUKU (March 20-21) has fully made the transition from a boutique festival to an integral part of the annual festival circuit. Organizers have upped the stakes on their lineup, and have transformed the site to take advantage of the intersection between their industrial urban location and core electronic dance and hip-hop sound. This year, the festival features headlining sets from Tyler, The Creator, Flume, Illenium, Glass Animals, Run The Jewels, and sets from locals Bouffant Bouffant, Treet, Mhadi G, Malik Ninety Five and Raise the Death Toll.
“Something that’s been especially exciting for BUKU year over year is that the site changes every year,” festival co-founder Dante DiPasquale said. “I don’t think there’s ever two years in a row where it was the exact same layout, the exact same stages. This year is going to be no different.”
The expanded footprint of the site will allow for more of the unique art installations. This rapid change and turnover is a key aspect of the festival’s philosophy, according to DiPasquale. “Load in and load out has to be really quick…we’ve used that to our benefit, and get creative to keep our fans on the edge of their seat, and give them a new experience every year, luckily, I think we’ve nailed it every time that we’ve made such a drastic change so far—hopefully our fans trust us to nail it again—and deliver them a bigger and better, and more long lasting experience,” he said.
The next weekend (March 27-28) Hogs For The Cause returns to the UNO Arena grounds for two days of insanely good music and food. This year, the Friday night “Bacon Night” sees performances from Robert Randolph and The Family Band, as well as Yola, Illiterate Light and Boy Named Banjo. The main event on Saturday features Old Crow Medicine Show as headliners with supporting performances from Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Paul Cauthen, Charley Crockett and Sweet Crude.
Hogs, like BUKU, is special because it adheres to a quirky core identity and trusts in its fans to follow along. Both of these festivals are beautifully curated and make for absolutely memorable weekends no matter what sort of vibe you’re looking for.
Don’t forget that the Youth Leadership Council’s Wednesdays at the Square free concert series in Lafayette Square starts up again this month, as well. The first show will be March 11 and will run every Wednesday through May 13. Keep an eye on our website for more information on specific performances.
Playlist of mentioned bands available at: http://bit.ly/InTune3-20
MUST-SEE MUSIC
March 3
Caamp brings folk to The Civic Theater.
March 3
Dan Deacon makes One Eyed Jacks move.
March 4
Yves Tumor experiments with One Eyed Jacks.
March 7
Susto rocks Gasa Gasa.
March 18
Eric Johnson rocks The Civic Theater.
March 24
Post Animal psychs out One Eyed Jacks.
March 25
Best Coast rocks the Joy Theater.
March 26
Yonder Mountain String Band brings bluegrass to Tipitina’s.
March 28
Royal Trux punks up the Howlin Wolf.
March 30
Glitch Mob experiments at the Joy Theater.
Dates are subject to change; email Mike@MyNewOrleans.com or contact him through Twitter @Minima.
