If only every city had a Hopscotch. Raleigh, NC’s big-big music festival has gotten even bigger this year, with the addition of historical (and possibly haunted!!!) sounding venues like the Long View Center, Memorial Auditorium and the Contemporary Art Museum to its 15 venues strong festival map. There are 175 artists playing this thing, people, with everyone from the likes of Class Actress and Baroness to Liars and Mirel Wagner. This year is only Hopscotch’s third go-around, and already they’ve got swell headliners like Built to Spill, The Roots, and The Jesus and Mary Chain keyed in to grace downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza. The festival also gives props to the local scene, with Megafaun, The Mountain Goats, Corrosion of Conformity, Midtown Dickens, Heads on Sticks, Gross Ghost, Black Skies, Valient Thorr, and Whatever Brains all on board to rock out.
For the third Hopscotch, three-day wristbands went on sale back in December, even before the lineup was announced. VIP wristbands sold out quick, but $110 All-Show wristbands — which grant access to all of the clubs and the City Plaza headlining shows — are still available. Once July hits, single-day passes will be available, as will individual show tickets. All venues are located within an eight-block walking radius. But Hopscotch isn’t just about convenience! Oh no — they’ve got a brand-new feature called Improviser in Residence this year. The IiR is a nice lad named Chris Corsano, a drummer who has worked with Björk, Jim O’Rourke, Jandek, and many a similarly spangled name, and the hope is that he’ll just show up and jam out any damn time he feels like it. HE COULD EVEN GO TO AN OLIVE GARDEN AND IMPROVISE. You just don’t know. That’s the magic of Hopscotch. Of course, there are more surprises to come, like the return of the fest’s Edward McKay Used Books & More Cultural Series at Raleigh City Museum, where luminaries like Chuck D. and Wayne Coyne have sat down for a chat.
Hopscotch Festival 2012 lights up beautiful downtown Raleigh, NC this year from Sept. 6-8, and here’s the lineup: Airstrip, Altar of Plagues, Altos, Alvarius B, Amen Dunes, Arnold Dreyblatt & Megafaun, Balam Acab, Baroness, Big Troubles, Bill Orcutt, Bio Ritmo, Birds of Avalon, Black Skies, Boy Friend, Built to Spill, Burglar Fucker, Calico Haunts, Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan, Carlos Giffoni, Charlie Parr, Charles Latham, Cheater Slicks, Chelsea Crowell, Chris Corsano, Chris Forsyth & Koen Holtkamp, Chuck Johnson, Cities Aviv, Class Actress, CO LA, Colin Stetson, Corrosion of Conformity, Curtis Eller,Damien Jurado, Dan Deacon, Danny Brown, David Pajo/Papa M, Death Grips, Deerhoof, Delicate Steve, Doldrums, Donovan Quinn, Dope Body, Drique London, Duchess Says, Ducktails, Elephant Micah, Escort, EXITmusic, feltbattery, Field Report, Flesh Wounds, Flosstradamus, Free Electric State, Frustrations, G-Side, Glenn Jones, Grohg, Gross Ghost, Guardian Alien, Guinea Worms, Hacienda, Heads on Sticks, High Wolf, Hiss Golden Messenger, Holograms, Hubble (Lag World Premiere), Hume, Hundred Waters, ITAL, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Jacaszek, Jackie Chain, Jane Jane Pollock, Jason Kutchma & the 5 Fifths, Jenny Besetzt, Joint D≠, Jon Mueller’s Death Blues, Julia Holter, Kenny Roby, Kevin Drumm, Lambchop, Lazy Janes, Laurel Halo, Left Outlet, Liars, Lilac Shadows, Lizzy Ross Band, Little Hollow, Mac McCaughan, Marc McGuire, MAKE, Matthew E. White: One Incantation Under God, Mark Holland, Midtown Dickens, Minor Stars, Mirel Wagner, My Best Fiend, Nails, Naked Gods, Nerves Junior, Nests, Nick Catchdubs, No BS Brass Band, Nobunny, Odonis Odonis, Oneida, Oren Ambarchi, Paint Fumes, Pallbearer, Phil Cook & His Feat, Pipe, Pop. 1280, Quiet Evenings, Roman Candle, Roomrunner, Samantha Crain, Savage Knights, Say Brother, Screaming Females, Secret Cities, Secret Mountains, Shark Quest, Shirlette & the Dynamite Brothers, Shovels & Rope, Silver Swans, Sinful Savage Tigers, Sister Crayon, Some Army, STAG, Starlings, TN, Strand of Oaks, Sunn O))), Sutekh Hexen, T0W3RS, Tomas Phillips & Craig Hilton, Tom Maxwell, Tenement, Thee Oh Sees, The Atlas Moth, the band in Heaven, The Beast, The Beat Report, The Bronzed Chorus, The dB’s, The Future Kings of Nowhere, The Hot at Nights, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Mountain Goats, The Roots, The Spits, The Toddlers, Toon & The Real Laww, The Weather Station, Valient Thorr, Vattnet Viskar, Versus, Whatever Brains, White Hills, Withered, Wood Ear, Work Clothes, Wowser Bowser, Wye Oak, Wylie Hunter & the Cazadores, Yo La Tengo, Young and in the Way, Young Magic, Zack Mexico, Zammuto, Zeus, Zola Jesus.
• Hopscotch: http://hopscotchmusicfest.com
