Festivals

Snarky Puppy, Karl Denson, Twiddle and More Talk Suwannee Hulaween 2016, ’80s Music, Exclusive News

suwannee hulaween 2016

In the spirit of Suwannee Hulaween’s 2016 theme, “Stringier Things: celebrating vintage 1980s supernatural horror / pop culture”, we spoke with several Hulaween performers to find out their favorite 80’s music acts. Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park has an undeniable magic that offers a unique festival experience, not only for the attendees, but also the musicians. Here they share their sentiments on what makes Hulaween at SOSMP special to them – many are looking forward to their first-ever Hula appearance. There’s also exciting things happening for each of the performers and we got the inside scoop! Read the exclusive news below and check out the daily schedule here for set times.

SNARKY PUPPY (Michael League)

snarky puppy

Favorite 80s era music:
The Police and Tears For Fears are probably my two favorites. To me, the music of The Police is timeless. They completely reinvented the sound of the power trio and used it as a beautiful platform for songwriting. On the other end of the spectrum, Tears For Fears reeks of the 80’s and I love it. The style and production is almost over the top, but the songs are so good that it all melds together to form something very unique and specific.”

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“I always love hanging at the park. We’ve played three different festivals there and had a great time at every single one. I’m curious to see how it feels in October, which is my favorite month of the year.”

What’s new with Snarky Puppy:
“We released two albums this year – “Family Dinner (Volume Two)” and “Culcha Vulcha.” Snarky Puppy is launching an online video lessons program from our website, which should be live early next year. We’re cutting back a bit on touring – we’ve been hitting it pretty hard for over a decade – and taking the time to plan out our next album, which will take two months of traveling around the world at the end of next year. And in the meantime, almost everyone in the band is working on their own projects. We don’t like to sit still.”

KARL DENSON

karl denson

Favorite 80s era music:
“I was a huge new wave fan. Talking Heads, B52s and The Clash were my favorites. It was so happy and smug at the same time.”

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“I’m looking forward to the cold. Brrrrr.”
(We hope it’s cold too, Karl!)

What’s new in Karl Denson’s universe:
“I’ve got my record done. Also, David Veith and I are starting a new project but it’s a secret.”

http://karldenson.us/

TWIDDLE

twiddle

Favorite 80s era music:
“The 1980s musician that truly defines us is Billy Joel. When “We Didn’t Start the Fire” came out in ’89, Zdenek wasn’t even born yet, so we’re just going to assume he was conceived to that song.” – Ryan Dempsey

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“This is our Hulaween debut so we’re extra stoked. The lineup is stacked, so we’re always pumped to see so many friends, but especially The String Cheese Incident. We’ve had the chance to play with SCI a few times now, and those dudes are role models to us.” – Mihali Savoulidis

What’s new with Twiddle:
“There are always big things we’re working on, both in the studio and for our upcoming tours. We’re exploring plans for 2017 and 2018 already that should be very exciting for our family of supporters.” – Brook Jordan

http://twiddlemusic.com/

LATE NIGHT RADIO

late-night-radio

Favorite 80s era music:
Prince – to me, he’s the only person ever to upstage James Brown and Michael Jackson at the same time. And Madonna – she gave zero f*cks.”

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“I’m looking forward to seeing all the homies I pretty much only see at festivals, and this is my first year at Hulaween so I’ll really just be soaking it all in.”

What’s new with Late Night Radio:
“I’ve got a new album coming out soon featuring Manic Focus, Borahm Lee, Kevin Donohue, Clark Smith and bunch of the other friends. I also have a full-length hip hop album with Def 3 out of Canada in the works.”

https://soundcloud.com/late-night-radio

LOCOCHINO

locochino

Favorite 80s era music:
Talking Heads – they have a unique sound that can put people in a weird place but it always gives you a good groove. Pixies too – they paved the way for a lot of what you hear in music today.” – Nick Melms

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“A big part of why many of us have become musicians is because of experiences we’ve had at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park since childhood. Getting our first chance to perform at a major festival at that park is definitely what we’re looking forward to the most.” – Blake Briand

What’s new with Locochino:
“We’re very close to releasing a game mod for Fallout 4 on Xbox and PC. It’s something that we’ve been working on since Bethesda released the game and the project has been a lot of fun. There’s really a lot there for fans of the Fallout series – a new in-game radio station, new quests and a new location, radio shows with great voice acting, wearable band merch that’s actually useful in the game, and at least one very special guest voice actor that die-hard fans will instantly recognize. We’re super proud of the work that John Peacock, the project lead, has put into this and can’t wait to show it off.” – Dave Johnson

http://www.locochino.com/

AJEVA

ajeva

Favorite 80s era music:
Some of our favorite artists from the 80s or music that was released in the 80s include: Prince, RHCP, Herbie Hancock’s tunes, 80s Funkadelic, Metallica, Guns n Roses, Tears for Fears, and Michael Jackson. Shit got weird in the 80s, real weird.

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“We are especially excited to see Mungion, Antibalas, Snarky Puppy, Karl Denson, The Motet, The Lennon Claypool Delirium, Locochino, Too Many Zooz, The Groove Orient, Lettuce, three nights of String Cheese, and of course the honor of being selected to play in the first place.”

What’s new with Ajeva:
“In December we will be at Hometeam New Years Rally where we will be playing an original set and a set featuring the music of Santana. We also be recording and releasing a new album in the spring of 2017. This will be the band’s third full-length album and its first release as a 6-piece band. Our keyboard player and bass player can also be seen playing with their jazz/r&b/fusion group ‘JOOSE’ which also features members of Come Back Alice and Holey Miss Moley. They are currently writing material to release a full-length album as well.”

http://www.ajevamusic.com/

COME BACK ALICE

come-back-alice

Favorite 80s era music:
“I have to say the Talking Heads and The Police really put out great music during that era. Of course Prince showed us all how to do it. Oingo Boingo and basically everything Danny Elfman did was so unique – he’s a big inspiration to the CBA sound. Huey Lewis and The News was pretty funky too!”

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“We’re really looking forward to being around all of the family and the amazing vibes in the park. Suwannee has a feel like no other, I think it’s in the trees.”

What’s new with Come Back Alice:
“We are excited to hit the studio in November to record our second album. We are planning for an early 2017 release.”

http://www.comebackalice.com/

BROCCOLI SAMURAI (Ryan Hodson, aka Bruce)

broccoli samurai

Favorite 80s era music:
“Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys and The Clash were among some of our favorite 80s bands. Michael Jackson was all over MTV at the time so it was impossible not to be infatuated with his music and performances. Depeche Mode was such a great 80s band that brought that new wave sound to pop. Beastie Boys were the underground cool band to listen to in grade school. I remember having to hide my Beastie Boys cassettes from mom and listening to it repetitively on my walkman. The clash was also such a powerful band that after the first listen, it had you hooked.”

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“This will be our first time at Hulaween. We visited the campground earlier in the year when we played at Aura. The campgrounds are absolutely amazing! We’re really excited to check a lot of bands out on the festival as well. Rumor has it the festival production is nothing short of incredible, so we are very excited to see what is in store.”

What’s new with Broccoli Samurai:
“After touring a lot this year, we are gearing up to hit the studio soon to record our next album which is already written. We’re hoping for a release sometime in 2017. We also will be running a Kickstarter to help raise some money for a new tour van as our poor little Vanna White is on her last leg. Much love famurai!”

https://soundcloud.com/broccoli-samurai
Social Media: @broccolisamurai

AARON LEBOS (of Aaron Lebos Reality)

aaron lebos reality

Favorite 80s era music:
“I was first a huge pop fan for years, for example Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tears for Fears. I think it was musically the best pop music ever with simple yet organic melodies and parts on every instrument. Some of the best session musicians ever were making great stuff in the 80s.”

On Hulaween 2016 at SOSMP:
“This is our first time playing Hulaween so I’m excited about sharing our music for an energetic crowd and contributing to the unbelievable lineup.”

What’s new with Aaron Lebos Reality:
“Our third album is due to release in November and we have November tour dates in Tampa, Jacksonville, and a lot in the Carolinas. We also have some brand new music not on the new album that we are going to debut at Hulaween.”

http://www.aaronlebos.com/
Social Media: @AaronLebosReality

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The String Cheese Incident will headline all three nights of Suwannee Hulaween ’16 with My Morning Jacket, Disclosure (DJ Set), Logic, Umphrey’s McGee, Sts9, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Big Gigantic (Ft. The Motet), Rebelution, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals and more.

Additions include the newly formed RB&B supergroup Russo, Benevento, & Burbridge (consisting of drummer Joe Russo, keyboardist Marco Benevento, and bassist Oteil Burbridge), London-based indie/pop duo Oh Wonder and Brooklyn’s afrobeat / jazz ensemble Antibalas.

The Thursday Pre-Party also features a stacked lineup of diverse artists on multiple stages including two sets of prog-rock jam scene stalwarts Umphrey’s McGee, groundbreaking Americana quintet Greensky Bluegrass, and experimental all-improv electronic duo EOTO & Friends, SCI keyboardist’ side project, Kyle Hollingsworth Band along with Marco Benevento, Fruition, The Werks, GanjaWhiteNight, The Heavy Pets, Late Night Radio, Con Brio, and more.

Tickets:
Weekend passes are available and moving quickly at www.suwanneehulaween.com. Ticket sales will be limited to 20,000 attendees, so grab tickets now in order to avoid missing out on Hulaween 2016.

Suwannee Hulaween Links:
www.suwanneehulaween.com
www.facebook.com/suwanneehulaween
Twitter + Instagram: @HulaweenFL (#HulaweenFL)
www.youtube.com/HulaweenFL

Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park Links:
www.MusicLivesHere.com
www.facebook.com/musicliveshere
Twitter: @SOSMP (#Suwannee)

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