Bellwether Music Festival Staff Picks

Bellwether Music Festival is an alternative music and camping festival right here in Ohio at the Renaissance Faire Grounds in Waynesville this Friday (8.9) and Saturday (8.10). At only two years young, Bellwether boasts an impressive line up including headliners Cake and Beach House. You'll also catch two Cincinnati artists on the bill --MULTIMAGIC and Young Heirlooms--and you can catch Cincinnati's Maria Carrelli at the Pre-Fest Party on Thursday evening. Make sure you come say hi at the INHAILER booth right by the Arena of Champions--Home of Rock-n-Roll Jousting! Here are some of our staff picks for the weekend!

Beach House: With their own distinctive flavor of dream pop and indie rock, and always finding ways to improve and change their sound with each album, Beach House is sure to impress as the Saturday night headliner. They’ve moved from lo-fi to ethereal lullabies to shoegaze and each iteration of them translates very well to a live performance which is exactly what it is--more than a show--it’s an ordeal, an event, a night to remember.

Where: Sunset Stage When: Saturday 8.10 9:15 PM

STRFKR: If you don’t know STRFKR already, you’re in for a treat seeing them live. While we’ll be seeing them in the early afternoon and probably won’t get any lasers or visuals, the band plus their dancing spacemen groupies are sure to get you moving. Want to keep the party going with STRFKR too? Don’t worry, they’re helping shut down the festival with a DJ set after Beach House.

Where: Sunset Stage When: Saturday 8.10 4:30 PM Live Show & 11:00 PM DJ Set

Pinback: An almost criminally underrated band from the late 90’s in San Diego, Pinback is going to help ease you into Beach House’s chill grooves, well, with more chill grooves. Consisting of main members Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow among a rotating cast of musicians, they blend emo, indie, progressive rock and two soft--almost calming--voices tying it all together.

Where: Shipwreck Stage When: Saturday 8.10 8:30 PM

Quiet Hollers: Louisville’s Quiet Hollers have gone through a couple of lineup changes over the past nine years but the one constant is singer-songwriter Shadwick Wilde, whose lyrics explore mental illness, spirituality, agnosticism and toxic masculinity. They’ve still got an alt-country vibe but are far more saturated in punk rock soul.

Where: Acoustic Stage

When: Friday 8.9 5:45pm

Sego’s latest album is entitled Sego Sucks, and it’s pretty obvious that the band has a great sense of humor because nothing could be further from the truth. Raucous, primal and super fun, this hook-laden sophomore album (named after a resentful hashtag someone started not long after the band’s formation) absolutely cooks and I’ve got a feeling their live show will be a hoot.

Where: Shipwreck Stage

When: Saturday 8.10 5:45pm

Caroline Rose: After two country/folk inspired albums, Caroline Rose crossed over to pop-rock and released Loner on New West Records. I saw her open for Rainbow Kitten surprise at Bogart's last fall and loved her set. Looking forward to seeing her again!

Where: Sunset Stage

When: Friday 8.9 2:45pm

Other Friday Picks: Twin Shadow, We are Scientists, Cold War Kids, Real Estate, Cake

Satruday Picks: MULTIMAGIC, STRFKER, Sego, Beach House

Check out the full line-up and daily schedule here!