New Orleans Gospel

Gospel music is a new genre to the festival this year, and we can’t think of a better band to lift up the crowds spirits than The Dirty Dozen Brass Band! Traditionally a funkadelic bebop collaborative group, we are excited to hear this different side of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

After recently celebrating their 35^th anniversary together as a successful and influential New Orelans funk band, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s gospel set at the fest is not to be missed. They will be playing spirited and spiritual gospel songs bringing together the audience in a way that many music festivals are not capable of doing. This is just another reason why the Fort Worth Music Festival is such a dynamic and diverse event, welcoming different types of people with an array of interests and musical taste.

Be sure to check out The Dirty Dozen Brass Band headlining the Community Food Bank Stage on Saturday night.

Music venues across Fort Worth will be hosting official After Hour shows to keep the party going! Local venues are what keep musicians and bands doing what they love to do, and we are honored to work alongside them! These after shows will be free with festival ticket and wristbands. The host venues include The Live Oak, Magnolia Motor Lounge, Lola’s and The Grotto.

The Live Oak Music Hall and Lounge has a mission not many venues can achieve: “to foster community to affect community.” The Live Oak strives to achieve this mission everyday by connecting with the community through programs such as holding afterschool music teaching programs for kids as well as encouraging students to stay in school, graduate and create a bright future for themselves. By drawing the community together through fundraising events and volunteer-based music mentoring sessions, Live Oak is not to be overlooked because it is one of the coolest venues around town. Friday after the fest, Live Oak will host Mingo Fishtrap and Saturday at 8pm catch Ivan Nevilles Dumpstaphunk playing an encore set. (Located at 1311 Lipscomb St. Fort Worth, TX 76104)

The Magnolia Motor Lounge features live music almost every night, great food, beer, and is a place many local Fort Worth civilians call home. Located in the Cultural Arts/ 7^th Street district of the city, this venue isn’t just another boring burger joint with a small staff and cheap beer, it’s a place to hear local, regional and national bands while still being able to drink some of your favorite local craft beers. (Located at 3005 Morton St. Fort Worth, TX 76107)

Lola’s is a saloon that offers customers a rural sanctuary feel that keeps them coming back for more. Lola’s also hosts some great bands and is constantly building up a bigger fan base. This hidden gem is a great place to catch a fabulous live show in a more intimate setting. Definitely worth checking out! (Located at 2736 W 6th St. Fort Worth, TX 76122)

The Grotto is a classic dive bar providing customers with cheap drinks, great music and an overall great vibe. (Located at 517 University Dr. Fort Worth, TX 76107)

Vendor Swag at the Fest

The Fort Worth Music Fest is all about representing the community and having local companies participate in the festivities. This year, the festival will have local vendors from all over the DFW Metroplex including Hari Mari, Lulu’s Unique Shop, Love,Sarah, Keep Fort Worth Funky, Natural Fiber, Dowdy Studio, Sugar Derby, Queen City Tattoo and Funtasia Vacations.

Hari Mari is on a mission to create flip-flops that are extremely comfortable and anything but boring, all while contributing to a good cause. From neutral colors to crazy oranges and greens, these flip-flops can be as fun or as understated as the person that wears them. For every pair purchased, Hari Mari donates $3 to support kids with pancreatic cancer, “helping children and families secure medicines and treatments vital to their cause.”

Lulu’s Unique Shop offers clothing, jewelry, home accessories and other unique and fun items. Their merchandise is all handpicked from a variety of places offering diverse and rare styles that no one else will have. Lulu’s will have a vintage airstream trailer at the festival selling all of their favorite items.
Love, Sarah makes all natural bath products including sugar scrubs, shampoo bars, bug spray, bath melts, bath truffles, shaving cream and lip balm, catering to all of your organic and “going green” needs! As an experienced esthetician, Love, Sarah knows exactly what goes into her products that her clients use.

Keep Fort Worth Funky is a movement that does everything in their power
to make sure Fort Worth’s local businesses, restaurants, bands, and events are promoted and supported so they will be able to prosper in this wonderful city that they call home. Spreading the word about Keep Fort Worth Funky’s cause will contribute to their main goal of reminding everyone to buy local and support the community.
Natural Fiber by Sukhee Suwal continues to have the mentality of “going green” by selling collections of 100% handmade hemp bags with all natural vegetable dyed colors. The hemp fibers originate in the upper Himalayan Mountains of Nepal, and all felt products and accessories are handmade.

With a passion for creating handmade art, Dowdy Studio will be selling one-of-a kind made items such as silk-screened tees, pillows, clocks, jewelry, home accessories and much more. Their mobile wagon will be set up at the festival so be sure to stop by and check out some amazing handmade items.
Sugar Derby is a mobile vintage shop and will be selling some of their finest handmade accessories at the fest as well! Their mission is to “find new homes for the coolest and most deserving vintage items.”

If you’re thinking about getting a new tattoo or needing some new tattoo accessories, head over to Queen City Tattoo who will be set up at the festival! Queen City Tattoo is an established tattoo parlor in Dallas and can provide you with some great new ink! They will also have some creative artwork by their tattoo artists for sale at the event.  

Funtasia Vacations is a local travel agent service that can help with all of your travel needs. At the festival, they will be hosting an enter and win contest for a complimentary vacation! Funtasia Vacations is keen on giving you all the information and knowledge you need to make the most of your vacation at a low price.

Make sure you check out these vendors in-between sets or just while taking a break from the music. With something unique and interesting, they are sure to not disappoint.

Featured Visual Artists

At this year’s Fort Worth Music Festival there will be several amazing visual artists displaying some of their original works. A few of our 2013 artists include Shawn O’Connell Photography, Three R Designs, John P. Irizarry and Frilly Pepper. All artists are eligible for the 2013 People’s Choice Award, where festival attendees can vote for their favorite artist and the winner receives a prize.

Shawn O’Connell, a Fort Worth native, is known for his incredible photographs of Texas landscapes seen through high dynamic range and infrared lenses. Influenced by his father and O’Connell’s own appreciation for life (not taking anything for granted), he has been able to capture truly beautiful moments including some of Big Bend’s lost highways, West Texas rain, Fort Worth’s Water Garden, and even Kyle Field, giving the stadium an autonomous and magnificent presence all on its own. O’Connell has the ability to take just about anything and turn it into pure eye candy, so be sure to stop by and check out his work.

Coming from Dallas, Three R Designs by Melanie Woods will be displaying some of her handmade ecofriendly accessories at the festival, showcasing her ability to turn damaged vinyl records, cassette tapes and reclaimed snack and drink packaging into cool and fun items. These items include handbags, unique composition journals, and pencil bags. Three R Designs has the ability to turn favorite classic music album covers into adorable handbags and create the most crave-worthy candy packaging into a compact wallet. Three R Designs by Melanie Woods is extremely unique and anything but ordinary.

John P. Irizarry is a self-taught artist that discovered his painting abilities midway through his life, finding his true passion of creating emotionally sticking visuals that are sure to catch the attention of anyone who comes into contact with his work. Born in New York City, Irizarry has spent most of life in Dallas with a career in the medical field until coming across his love for painting. Now he will be showcasing some of his favorite works at the festival and hopes that you enjoy his work as much as he did while creating it.

Frilly Pepper owners are also Fort Worth natives and have a specific mission: to allow you to wear vintage undergarments that are just too fabulous to keep underneath your clothes or under your sheets so they dye them and embellishes them to create unique and one-of-a kind pieces for you to put on display, anytime of the day! Frilly Pepper dyes garments such as dresses, cammies, skirts and pants with an ombre or subtle tie-dye technique creating original and beautiful items to be worn alone, layered, or with just about anything. Crocheted and knitted hats, scarves and statement jewelry will also be on display all created with vintage and hand-made materials.

ZZ Ward is a rising musician taking the music industry by storm with her unique blend of blues, rock, hip hop and R&B that has just about everyone hopping on the ZZ Ward bandwagon and we are in for the ride.

Growing up in the small town of Roseburg, Oregon, Ward’s interest in music was expressed at a very early age, singing in her father’s blues band by age 13. In her college years, she let her love of hip-hop music shine through while singing choruses at underground hip-hop clubs.

Her break into the commercial music scene came, not too long ago, when she travelled to Los Angeles and was signed to Boardwalk Entertainment Group and Hollywood Records launching her first EP Criminal in May 2012. This past October, she released Til the Casket Drops, launching her into the spotlight.

Her single “Put the Gun Down,” is playing on just about every music station. She has also landed live performances on just about every late night TV show including Conan: ZZ Ward on Conan.

ZZ is truly a breakout artist and we are lucky to have her at the fest!

Don Robinson aka “Big Don” is an award winning hip hop artist based in Austin, Texas known for his positive and inspiring spin on the art of hip hop. For 22 years, he has been involved in the Austin music scene playing the Austin City Limits Music Festival every year, and has even been inducted into to the Austin Music Hall of Fame.

Big Don’s mission is to provide children all over the world with hip hop music that is fun and entertaining and encompasses the art of story telling. Throughout his 22-year career, he has released numerous albums and gained national recognition. He has even written the soundtrack for the popular children’s movie, “Spy Kids 3-D Game Over.”

With covers of classic children’s songs including “Humpty Dumpty” and the “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” Big Don has created a persona that kids of all ages can relate to. Check out Big Don’s version of learning the ABC’s through hip hopL Alphabet Song by Big Don

Are You Experienced? VIP Style?

Just imagine yourself lounging in the VIP area, sitting under the shade/trees, enjoying some good ole fashionedTexas BBQ and listening to stellar live music. Doesn’t get much better than that. For those of you that enjoy the finer festival experience, we recommend you check out the Fort Worth Music Festival’s VIP passes! This upgraded ticket will provide you with a catered and delicious BBQ meal provided by Red Barn BBQ, seating and shade from the Texas sun, premium viewing of the Robust stage and the Rahr Stage, a festival T-shirt, air-conditioned bathrooms (which who wouldn’t love that), private cash bar and FREE energy drink at the main stage VIP provided by festival sponsor Robust Energy Drink.

VIP is definitely the way to go if you’re looking to add a cherry on top of you’re already fun-filled experience at the fest. Single day VIP tickets are $60, 2-day VIP tickets are $95, click here to purchase yours: VIP TICKETS. See you there!

Local DFW Bands at the Fest

The Fort Worth Music Festival loves having bands coming in from all over the country as well as some bands from across the pond, but we also love to support our local musicians! FWMF gives DFW bands an opportunity to showcase their music to a wider audience on a festival stage.

If you want to experience a whole new brand of rock n’ roll and get down to some blues and soul the Quaker City Night Hawks knows how to deliver. Bands like Calhoun and The Will Callers draw influences from all types of genres. Calhoun dabbles in folk, rock and pop in a way that makes their music versatile and enjoyable for just about any occasion. The Will Callers are being noted for their classic rock inspirations picking up musical techniques that many no longer use, making them as original as ever.

The Hanna Barbarians are also huge classic rock enthusiasts and are considered to be heavy, and even psychedelic, making their shows a full experience. Mariachi Quetzal will be bringing the local spice to the fest with their effortlessly joyful presence and powerful voices. There will even be bands that have created their own music genre, for example, The Longshots play “junk rock,” which is garage rock n’ roll infused with a little punk rock.

Some of the local bands have created a lot of buzz lately, such as Air Review who was just listed on NPR’s band to watch at SXSW 2013. The Unlikely Candidates were recently were signed to Atlantic Records. Last year, The Southern Renaissance was voted as Best Country Act by the Dallas Observer Music Awards, and is definitely living up to that title in 2013. The Orbans have been winning over Texas critics right and left with their Americana rock and roll rhythms all while wearing their finest cowboy boots.

Whether their playing in small bars or selling out venues, we love our local bands and are proud that they let their DFW Texas pride shine through no matter who their audience may be.

Food At The Fest

A great music festival experience is never complete without mouthwatering meals and treats, and this year we can’t thank our food vendors enough for satisfying all our hungry concertgoers’ cravings!

Returning for a second year in a row are Easy Sliders, Red Barn BBQ and Gypsy Scoops.

Easy Sliders is a food truck known for its perfectly bite sized hamburgers made with all farmers fresh ingredients including their Texas born baby Portobello mushrooms and homemade sauces made daily. Since it’s opening in 2011, Easy Slider has been providing these yummy sliders to the DFW area and customers keep on coming back for more.

Red Barn BBQ will be providing all the BBQ favorites for all those meat lovers out there, and they will have an even been serving it up in the VIP area. Red Barn BBQ opened its doors in 2011, and has been servicing the greater DFW area with not only delicious barbeque but also a fun atmosphere. Red Barn provides a great hangout to watch your favorite sports and discover some new local music.

Gypsy Scoops is another food truck that calls the DFW metroplex area home. Gypsy Scoops will be serving up cool, sweet treats with their high-quality hand scooped ice cream, putting a new spin on the old fashioned ice cream truck experience that we all know and grew to love as children.

New to the festival this year is the Chile Pepper Grill truck, Doughboys Pizza truck and More Puffcorn Please.

Chile Pepper Grill is bringing the Mexican food flavors to the festival with their tantalizing street tacos. Since 2011,Chile Pepper Grill has been priding itself for being  a real deal Mexican food truck with authentic salsas, quality tacos, cheesy quesadillas…the list goes on and on.

Another food truck that’s constantly on the move in the DFW area is Doughboys Pizza, serving some of the finest pizza you can imagine with unique ingredients in their dough including one of our sponsors Rahr and Sons who’s Ugly Pug beer is used in their dough!

More Puffcorn Please opened in 2012 and has quickly become widely received by Fort Worth civilians for its popcorn that literally melts in your mouth. Their popcorn comes in fun and addictive flavors such as salted caramel, birthday chow and sugar cookie that will have you coming back for more. The saying “you can’t have just one” more than applies to their treats.

Each of these wonderful food vendors provides something unique and delicious so just in case you can’t decide on one, visit them all! Thanks again to all that are participating in this year’s Fort Worth Music Festival!

The Old 97′s are celebrating their 20th birthday this year, and if any band is able to celebrate this kind of milestone, they’re sure to be something special.

Originating out of Dallas in the early 1990’s, Old 97’s started as a popular bar band but as they began to tour the nation, they were quick to catch the attention of audiences and record labels. Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond do most of the songwriting and the band has been successful in releasing a total of eight studio albums. Old 97’s achieved a moderate amount of success in the late 90’s and are considered to be one of the pioneer bands in the alternative-country movement during that time.

Old 97’s continue to pave the way to long-term success as musicians and we are happy to have them at the festival and see them in their native Texas element.