Mark your calendars. The third annual Hinterland music festival is happening August 4th-5th in St. Charles. The lineup has been announced, and it's terrific.
"We wanted to pick something a little bit different than what we did last year - kind of bring out a different crowd, but also kind of accommodate the crowd we had curated here from the beginning," says Sam Summers, organizer for the festival.
English indie rock band alt-J and American singer-songwriter Ryan Adams will be headlining this year. Both artists have albums scheduled to be released before the festival weekend: in the case of Adams, his new album will be released February 17th, the day tickets for Hinterland go on sale.
"That's really important," Summers says. "When (these artists are) out on an album tour, they're usually bringing along all their production, and they have a new set. It'll be really exciting to see. alt-J puts on a phenomenal live show with lighting and screens. We had to bring in a special stage for them this year."
The festival's lineup includes many other artists who have played in Iowa and are familiar to Studio One listeners. The Head And The Heart, Foxygen, Shakey Graves, and legendary country singer Dwight Yoakam are all on the bill.
Guitarist Gary Clark Jr. will be making his Iowa debut, and country singer-songwriter Nikki Lane will rounding out the lineup, along with rock and roller JD McPherson, The Cactus Blossoms from Minneapolis and Iowa artists Max Jury and Annalibera.
Tickets go on sale February 17th. This year, there will be additional camping and RV space, along with expanded vending options.