In a small town on the eastern border of Georgia known for its textile industry a music and arts festival was born. Rockweave Music and Arts Festival took place on October 4th and 5th in LaGrange, showcasing some top-quality regional acts like Birdtalker, Durand Jones and the Indications and SUSTO as well as national touring acts like Dawes, Grouplove and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. The festival was a two-day event but only featured 3 bands on Friday (4th) at the new Sweetland outdoor amphitheater. Saturday’s festivities were located less than a mile away at the local park/brewery. Barring the unprecedented and unseasonal heat during Saturday afternoon, the inaugural event went on without any major hiccup. The event has already been deemed a success with plans for next year’s festival already in the works.
To get things moving on Friday was a band out of Houston, TX called The Suffers. They brought plenty of energy for the arriving crowd with their dancing brass section and always on the go lead singer. Next up were two bands from L.A., Johnnyswim was first followed by Dawes. It was such a pleasure to see that level of musicianship at such a nice venue. The beautiful harmonizing vocals of Johnnyswim and the classic Dawes tunes paired with an outdoor amphitheater on a beautiful night, was a match made in heaven.
Saturday’s events were held at Boyd Park split into three different stages with two of those continually alternating performances and the third showcasing smaller and local acts. Adjacent to the park and located within the festival grounds was Wild Leap Brewery that brewed a commemorative double IPA that was available to all festival goers.
To carry the moment into Saturday’s lineup was Birdtalker with their big hit “Heavy”. Founded by the married couple of Dani and Zach Green in Nashville, TN in 2012, they featured many of their hits of their latest album One. They were enough to heat things up themselves and did not need the scorching sun that popped out during that set.
Next up on the main stage was Dead Oceans recording artist Durand Jones and the Indications who brought soul with a little rhythm and blues. Originally formed in Indiana they are true road warriors who put on a fantastic live set.
Greensky Bluegrass was the next band on the main stage. They started with “Windshield”, their big hit off If Sorrow Swim which got everyone’s mind right. As the name implies the five-piece string band primarily has a bluegrass sound but with a modern style.
One of the first acts over on the Wild Leap stage was OpenEars favorite SUSTO. The Charleston-based band led by singer songwriter Justin Osborne put on another stellar and fiery set that SUSTO has become known for. With their third album Ever Since I Lost My Mind released in February via Rounder Records, the strong fanbase the band has built around the Southeast and beyond showed their love all the way down in LaGrange, Georgia.
As things started to cool off weather wise, things were just getting cranked up with festival favorite Moon Taxi. With a tried and true setlist that has been added to with hits like “Two High” and “All Day All Night”, they have proven their worth when it comes to fan favorites.
When I saw the lineup one of the groups that stood out was Bone Thugs and Harmony. Could they still have it after 25 years of recording, touring and performing? They did not disappoint, playing all their hits like “Mo’murda”, “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” and “Thug Love”.
The penultimate act in the main stage was another band from L.A., Grouplove, which was by far my personal favorite set of the day based on the amount of energy they brought to the stage. Coming off a break from touring they must have had plenty of energy to burn off because they were all over the stage. This had a contagious effect on the crowd as well working up to almost a mosh pit atmosphere along the front rail.
With flashes lightning up the sky from distant thunderstorms, the headliner finally took the stage. Rainbow Kitten Surprise has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity over the past three years. From Boone, NC their upbeat, original sound is fun to dance and sing to. Crowds go crazy for RKS, with plenty of “wow” moments throughout their live sets. Rockweave was no different as they were the perfect band to close down the first iteration of the new Rockweave Festival.
Those fortunate enough to make it to the first Rockweave Music and Arts Festival were treated to a great first event with a stellar lineup. The festival had some small growing pains as a first-year event, but plans and sights have already been set for Rockweave 2020. They definitely have a good base to build from with Sweetland Amphitheatre, the park and the brewery. Rockweave Festival is certainly a great thing for LaGrange, Georgia that will hopefully be a unifying experience for years to come for the city and surrounding areas.
Check out more photos from Rockweave Music & Arts Festival by Art Husband
