Category: 2015 Festivals

From Virginia Key GrassRoots
The inclusive four-day arts and culture extravaganza known as the Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival of Music, Art and Dance will return to the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (4020 Virginia Beach Drive Key Biscayne, FL 33149) Thursday, February 19, 2015 through Sunday, February 22, 2015. A week of camping, dance, cooking and movement workshops will precede the festival during GrassRoots Culture Camp, starting Sunday February 15th.

This year’s lineup will feature Rubblebucket, Marco Benevento, Keith Frank, AJ Ghent Band, Big Mean Sound Machine, Donna the Buffalo, Swear and Shake, Telekenetic Walrus, Danay Suárez, Morikeba Kouyate, Locos Por Juana, MC Yogi, Jim Lauderdale, the Spam Allstars, Afrobeta and 40+ other acts.

Rubblebucket is a Brooklyn, NY-based indie / dance band touring in support of their latest release Survival Sounds and their latest single “Carousel Ride.” They brand their music as a “mischievous, playful, boundary-smashing blast,” and their live shows have been known to cause mass dancing.

Marco Benevento is a New Jersey born and raised pianist whose influences run the gamut of indie rock, jam and post-rock/experimental. His latest effort Swift, released in 2014, is nine tracks of ambitious alternative jams with catchy hooks and pop-like melodies. He has previously toured with Phish’s Trey Anastasio.

Keith Frank stands at the forefront of the “nouveau zydeco” movement, his accordion prowess the product of a family tradition that began with his father, the great Preston Frank. His style is steeped in the rich tradition of North American and specifically, Louisiana Cajun zydeco music.

Lap steel guitar prodigy AJ Ghent is currently based in Atlanta, GA, but his six-piece band, a fusion of southern rock, blues, soul and funk, tours the southeast U.S. pretty extensively. They are currently working on their debut release.

Founded in 1989, Donna the Buffalo are a GrassRoots staple hailing from upstate New York. Their original roots music, hued by elements of Cajun, rock, folk reggae and country, travels well up and down the east coast throughout the year. They will be making their fourth appearance at the Virginia Key festival.

Danay Suárez, originally from La Habana, Cuba, has been generating a buzz throughout Latin America and Europe with her soulful voice, razor-sharp lyrics and innovative musical style. Performing since the age of 15, Suárez formed part of the Havana Cultura series, collaborating with various artists throughout the years. Danay recently released her third studio album Palabras Manuales, which includes a combination of hip hop, reggae, jazz and R&B sounds.

The Spam Allstars are a pioneering Latin funk act, the brainchild of DJ Le Spam, a composer, producer and musicologist. A Latin Grammy-nominated act, the band plays often in South Florida and beyond, appearing at both the NC and NY editions of the GrassRoots festivals. They are gearing up for the release of a new EP of material, slated for this spring.

The dance/pop/electro funk duo of Smurphio and Cuci Amador are better known as Afrobeta and have been heating up dance floors on both coasts of the U.S. since 2006. They recently issued a remix of their single called “Everywhere,” and new music from them is in the works.

Full Lineup:
Afrobeta
AJ Ghent Band
Big Mean Sound Machine
Bobbie Henrie
Brendan O’Hara
Chantil Dukart
Consortes
Cortadito
Danay Suarez
Dark Water Rising
DJ Bill Kelly
DJ Richard McVay
Donna the Buffalo
Driftwood
Elastic Bond
Electric Piquete
Ephniko
Fabi World Experience
Jim Lauderdale
Juke
Keith Frank & the Solieau Zydeco Band
Keith Secola & His Wild Band of Indians
Lanzallamas
Lobo Marino
Locos Por Juana
Marco Benevento
MC Yogi
Morikeba Kouyate
Nag Champyons
Nativos Orchestra
Nikki Talley
Osceola Brothers
Preston Frank
Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton
Rubblebucket
School of Rock
Sihasin
Sindy Rush
Spam Allstars
Suenalo
Swear & Shake
Tamboka
Telekinetic Walrus
The Apple Butter Express
The Baboons
The Blind Spots
Uma Galera
Uproot Hootenanny
Uruchamba
WildCat Creek
Zey Ta Blan
Zona De Bomba

This year, the non-profit Virginia Key GrassRoots Festival was awarded a $75,000 matching grant through The Knight Arts Challenge, in recognition of the dynamic support they provide to the arts community of South Florida, as well as the world class music they bring to the citizens and visitors that attend the festival. The Knight Arts Challenge Grant validates the work of the festival, which strives to grow community using the magnets of music, art and dance.

New for 2015, the GrassRoots Culture Camp will predate the festival itself, running Sunday, February 15th through Wednesday, February 18th, featuring yoga, instrument and cooking workshops, and more, ending each night with a daily family-style dinner and dance. Think beachside camping coupled with innovative workshops led by some of the GrassRoots Family’s greatest talent.

The festival will also feature the Zen Village Healing Arts area, the Kids Village, the Sustainability Fair and Expo, band and instrument contests, the Beer Garden & Vinyl Lounge, the GrassRoots World Café, live art, craft vendors, daily yoga session, beach camping and more.