Forecastle 2015

[slappymoe]

just wanted to add another "sam smith??? why???" post.  i've heard his "big hit" enough to know i'd rather listen to nothing. flavor of the day, i guess. 

i knew it was a long shot, but i've been hoping for prince.  he's got 2 new albums out and toured europe last year, he's due for some US shows. 

hoping for prince, get sam freakin' smith. total bummer.

[iLikeBeer]

I will be passing this year even with MMJ headlining.  The overall lineup seems kind of weak to me.  Or should I say, there are a lot of quality acts, just not enough to make it worth the money I would drop on tix and hotel and travel for the weekend.

I would rather hold out and spend my money seeing as many tour dates as possible and hopefully 3 nights in Colorado as well... 

[iLikeBeer]

just wanted to add another "sam smith??? why???" post.  i've heard his "big hit" enough to know i'd rather listen to nothing. flavor of the day, i guess. 

i knew it was a long shot, but i've been hoping for prince.  he's got 2 new albums out and toured europe last year, he's due for some US shows. 

hoping for prince, get sam freakin' smith. total bummer.

Dude, that would be a bummer to go from hoping for Prince to getting some flavor of the month in Sam Smith.    

[Derek713]

I will be passing this year even with MMJ headlining.  The overall lineup seems kind of weak to me.  Or should I say, there are a lot of quality acts, just not enough to make it worth the money I would drop on tix and hotel and travel for the weekend.

I would rather hold out and spend my money seeing as many tour dates as possible and hopefully 3 nights in Colorado as well... 

I'll second that. 

[EverythingChanges]

Sam smith sucks. Period.

Jacket, tweedy, modest, cage, tallest, St. Paul, houndmouth, Portugal, and maybe Conor's punk band are all great. Enough to get me there. There's also 10-15 more bands to be added. Give me dr dog or built to spill and I'll be stoked. This lineup is stronger in the mid to high tier than last year IMO.

Again, Sam sucks.

[parkervb]

Sam smith sucks. Period.

Jacket, tweedy, modest, cage, tallest, St. Paul, houndmouth, Portugal, and maybe Conor's punk band are all great. Enough to get me there. There's also 10-15 more bands to be added. Give me dr dog or built to spill and I'll be stoked. This lineup is stronger in the mid to high tier than last year IMO.

Again, Sam sucks.

if you like those bands, definitely check out Twin Peaks.

[JerseyDan]

FORUM REALITY CHECK: Sam Smith is bigger than MMJ, even in their hometown. Like it or not...he is. Festivals need to sell tickets, and ohh boy does he sell tickets. Sam Smith will sell more tickets than MMJ, and that is why he is listed 1st. He will also bring in a different crowd than the Forecastle norm which will ideal lead a different demographic to the fest, and get those people back to future fests. Its just the facts.

Everyone chill...MMJ is gonna headline one of the 3 nights. Can't ask for much more, can you?

[subinai]

really surprised at the sam smith hate.

and musicians re-appropriate/rip off other musicians all the time. not that big of a deal.

[MOWJO8185]

I actually don't hate him. I just have a hard time picturing him as a festival headliner.  Is he known as a strong live performer?

[gluvmiller]

Made reservations today. We're in!!! Jacket & Panic, FUCK YEAH!!!! That's my kind of festival and i hate festivals. Based on the vibe in the forum, it seems to me Forecastle is already the exception when it comes to fests. If Jim James gets on stage with Panic I'll freak the fuck out. Hee hee. Oh, and Sturgill Simpson!!!! I'm wicked curious about a handful of other bands I haven't seen but several friends whom I respect their musical tastes like. And based on y'all we should expect more artists to be announced? Well, hope I don't have issues getting our tickets from the beach in Mexico.

[Mr. White]

FORUM REALITY CHECK: Sam Smith is bigger than MMJ, even in their hometown. Like it or not...he is. Festivals need to sell tickets, and ohh boy does he sell tickets. Sam Smith will sell more tickets than MMJ, and that is why he is listed 1st. He will also bring in a different crowd than the Forecastle norm which will ideal lead a different demographic to the fest, and get those people back to future fests. Its just the facts.

Everyone chill...MMJ is gonna headline one of the 3 nights. Can't ask for much more, can you?

You're probably right about this Sam Smith character being "bigger than MMJ", but will he still be around in say...16 years...that's the age of MMJ at present. I seriously doubt it. I believe the "outrage" comes from the fact that he only has one album and one (maybe two) "hit" single(s), so...how in the world could he score a headlining spot at this supposed "independent and progressive" style festival? I mean really?!? Sure he will bring in "new blood/money" and possible returns to the festival in subsequent years, but they're not hurting for an audience at Waterfront Park. Each year outdoes/outsells the previous one. Last year and the year before that were far bigger in terms of an attendance than the year My Morning Jacket curated and headlined (2012). I was there that year and again in 2013 to see Jim perform. I guess I'm just a bit greedy and selfish. I had originally planned on going to all three days/nights, but the acts are mostly unknown to me (I've done some "research" on bands I thought I might be interested in for previous years so as to make it worth my while/money and only checked out the ones I liked or sort of liked). With that being said, the headliners were my saving grace. When I went to all three days of the 2013 Forecastle Festival, I had a pretty good time discovering acts like Old Crow Medicine Show, The String Cheese Incident, The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers (already liked Jim James and Robert Plant), but I'm not feeling it for this one. It would be cool to see Widespread Panic, but I think I'll just get the single day ticket to see MMJ...unless there are some killer bands added...and that's unlikely to happen (for my musical tastes). I hope all of you people planning to make it a full weekend have a fantastic time. That's what really matters. It's the music! That's what matters the most! If you like the bands/acts, go see them. I'll be OK with just the one day's worth. Besides, MMJ will be playing more shows that I'll make my way to anyhow.

[EverythingChanges]

Sam Smith shouldn't be #1.  I'm all for grabbing an act that will bring the masses, but this dude has 1 album out and I read somewhere he doesn't write some of his music.  How can he headline with 1 album.  He just doesn't fit this festivals vibe.  I'm not really into Widespread either, but Jacket makes up for the other two headliners for me.

This lineup really is great.  Especially when you consider that Forecastle has to add at least 10 more bands (comparing to last year's lineup).  I went through some of the bands I haven't heard of.  A lot of them have got me interested.  Twin Peaks is great. 

Any chance that Dr. Dog, FJM, Built to Spill, Strand of Oaks, or Foxygen will be added? 

This lineup needs THE DOG.

[EverythingChanges]

Also, I know Houndmouth is big in Louisville (and I love them), but why are they so high on the bill?  I'm thinking Forecastle has another second tier band or two to throw in above Houndmouth.  I would assume all three headliners last year were more expensive than the ones this year, so they have to have more money in the budget to tag some great second and third line stuff.  Anyone think it is possible for Jacket to get an extra late night show at the Palace or something?

Even without the additional adds, it could look like this:

Friday:
Portugal > Modest > Sam Smith

Saturday:
Houndmouth > Cage The Elephant > My Morning Jacket

Sunday:
Tallest Man > Tweedy > Widespread Panic


That's pretty solid.  I'll just relax during WSP (not my thing) and hit the town or head to a late night show for Sam Smith.

Houndmouth is #6 on the bill this year.  Band of Horses was #6 last year.  I like Houndmouth more, but BoH is much bigger, so there has to be larger bands to come.  What do you all think?

[EverythingChanges]

Did anyone hear the WFPK broadcast today?  People on FB are talking about that they mentioned something about Pearl Jam headlining? Did they mean in a future year, or this one? Because that would be huge.

Also, check out Alvvays.  They sound pretty good!

[LBSUNFLWR]

I started thinking about some possible sit-ins. Tweedy and MMJ one way or another!
Luther Dickinson and Panic!!! That's what I'm hoping for! Hope they are scheduled on the same day!

Looking forward to discovering some new stuff between now and then as well. And hoping for a few more good announcements!

I was also thinking about Father John Misty as a possibility. He is on some other festivals. That would be sweet!

[LBSUNFLWR]

and Widespread Panic is an awesome live band! If you have never seen them then you should at least give them a chance. They will surely draw a big crowd to the festival!

[JerseyDan]

"In the United States, In the Lonely Hour debuted at number two with first-week sales of 166,000 copies in the July 5th edition of the Billboard 200 behind Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence which sold 182,000 copies that week.[28] The album held at number two the next week selling 67,000, bringing the set's total sales in the United States up to 233,000.[29] By the year's end, the album achieved platinum status and had shifted 1,210,000 copies in the United States, making it the third best-selling album of 2014 behind 1989 by Taylor Swift and the Frozen soundtrack.[30][31][32] The following day, 18th December, the album had surpassed the one million mark in the UK, selling around 1,007,000 copies by midnight, becoming just the second artist album in the UK to sell over a million copies a month after Ed Sheeran reached that plateau with his x album, also becoming the only artist to sell one million copies of an album in the U.S. and UK in 2014.[33] In addition, Smith sold 2.8 million singles from the album while the album was streamed 87 million times and viewed on UK video streaming sites 48 million times.[33]"

[e_wind]

Sam Smith might stink, but I'm really surprised by the fact no one "gets" why he's billed at the top.

Also, there is enough great stuff on this line up, that I'm not going to let one act ruin it for me.

[gluvmiller]

and Widespread Panic is an awesome live band! If you have never seen them then you should at least give them a chance. They will surely draw a big crowd to the festival!

That they are! Was sad to not go to playa this year, but there was no way to do it and still get to OBH. I'd have to fly right from the Dominican to Cancun. So not in my abilities. It sure made watching all my friends go to the DR without me easier knowing I get OBH. They think I'm crazy to choose Jacket over Panic, but in time they'll learn. But in the big picture getting both bands at the same festival is so freakin' yummy to me.

[gluvmiller]

Sam Smith might stink, but I'm really surprised by the fact no one "gets" why he's billed at the top.

Also, there is enough great stuff on this line up, that I'm not going to let one act ruin it for me.

That's the root of the problems with festivals. You can't please everyone. And at the same time, the promoters need to look at the bottom line. for the rare times I go to festivals, I appreciate the times I'm not drivin' to see everything being played. I need that downtime.

That leads me to a question. What is the entry and re-entry policy of Forecastle?