This year, Hopscotch Music Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary, which basically means that a giant birthday party will be happening September 4-6 in Raleigh, NC. Bring a present — or a bicycle or a friendship bracelet or a pet turtle. Oh, and bring a cake too! No word on how many piñatas will be at this party, but we can confirm that almost 160 bands will be playing in all kinds of venues all over the city. Those bands include Spoon, Mastodon, St. Vincent, Death, Lonnie Walker, and Valient Thorr, who will all be playing the festival’s main stage at Raleigh City Plaza, plus other acts like Sun Araw, Lee Noble, Tony Conrad, Krill, How To Dress Well, Mutual Benefit, White Lung, Potty Mouth, and The Haxan Cloak.
Check out the full list at the Hopscotch website, and keep your eyes peeled for even more acts. Founding director Greg Lownhagen says, “We’ve presented everyone at once in the past, and because the festival is still five months away, we thought it made sense to pull back and reveal artists in two stages. We hope this approach is more welcoming and makes the lineup easier to digest.” 40 more bands will be announced at some point in the next few weeks.
Also, you might remember that Merzbow served as Hopscotch’s Improviser-in-Residence last year, playing sets alongside Wolf Eyes, John Moloney, and Thurston Moore. This year, it’s Thurston Moore’s turn, so he’ll play his own set on Thursday, September 4, then he’ll be joining other bands for impromptu performances. Maybe we’ll find out what a Thurston Moore/Prince Rama collaboration would sound like, or maybe Thurston Moore will just review the birthday cakes that everyone will hopefully bring.
Three-day and VIP passes are available here, and in June, you’ll be able to get both one-day passes and tickets for the shows at Raleigh City Plaza.
• Hopscotch Music Festival: http://hopscotchmusicfest.com
