The 7th Annual Bear Creek Music Festival, which is held annually in Live Oak, Florida at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park, is less than a month away and I’m here to preview FOUR FULL days of music on what I believe to be some of the best stages in the country. For any festival-goers who have attended Wanee; swap out the ABB & Grateful Dead die-hards for funkadelic music lovers, a fifth of the crowd, and lower temperatures, and you’ll have Bear Creek. The staff and visitors all work as one to make sure everyone is safe and having an incredible time.

The tone has been set for Bear Creek 2013 and our crew is eager to indulge in the good times alongside The Roots, Galactic, Bootsy Collins, Lettuce, KDTU, The New Mastersounds, Bonobo, Antibalas, Zach Deputy, Toubab Krewe, The Motet, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, and Kung Fu – just a few of the big acts set to rock The Main Stage next month. With almost every headliner and a few other acts playing two sets, you know these artists will leave you wanting more after the first night as they send you back to your campsite dancing. The list of acts is long enough but a staple of the Bear Creek musical experience are the “artists at large.”  Patrons can look forward to the stage being scattered, smothered, and covered with guest appearances and collaborators such as Oteil Burbridge (bass, scat singing), Karl Denson (sax, flute, vocals), George Porter Jr. (bass, vocals), Mike Dillon (drums, vibes), Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel), Skerik (sax), Mike Dillon (drums, vibes), Roosevelt Collier (pedal steel), Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet, vocals), Natalie Cressman (trombone), Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Jan Ingber (vocals), Clay Watson (trombone).

Tickets for Bear Creek Music Festival are still available for just $175.00 for Friday – Sunday, with Thursday being only an additional $50.00. Bear Creek offers one of the best VIP experiences on the festival circuit and it can all be yours for just $450.00.

Take it from me, if you’re going to make sure to check out a few bands that might be new to your music library, these are the sets to see:

Jennifer Hartswick Band:

Fronted by the insanely talented Jennifer Harstwick who is a member of the Trey Anastasio Band largely as a trumpet player, of which she is an expert, but she occasionally proves her lungs carry a voice with them that can soothe and make the hairs on your neck stand in awe. A must see talent and a band behind her, but be sure to watch out for her on any stage as a Artist At Large.

Greenhouse Lounge:

DJ, guitar and drum trio, Greenhouse Lounge has been playing Livetronica EDM for a few years now and they tear it up as well as they groove out. It’s self-acclaimed sound as Euphoric, Hypnotic, Electronic, Future Funk is as good as coherent of a spread of genres as I can come up with myself, so I’ll leave it with the assertion that these guys rage.

Pimps of Joytime:

If funk, and the clothes that come with it, is a four letter word, then these guys are explicit. It’s funky and wild with these cats from San Francisco. They play a modern twist of funk that many will get down to, but their outfits might be louder than their sound, so with the most literal sense of the meaning, look out for these guys this year!

Bear Creek Music Festival 2013 Daily Schedules