Ever wish Knoxville had a trendy contemporary music festival like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo? Wanting to listen to wider variety of alternative, pop, indie, and rock music? A new festival popping up in Knoxville can satisfy your wish for both, sporting all local artists.
New Ground Music Festival is a brand new festival aimed at gaining exposure for local Tennessee musicians as well as growing Knoxville’s often forgotten music scene.
Announced on July 29th with an Instagram post on a newly formed account (@newgroundfest), the festival is set for Sunday September 8th at Lakeshore Park from 1:30 PM to 9 PM.
New Ground was created by Tyler Larrabee, a member of the local band Stonefish who will be headlining the festival. When asked over Instagram about where the idea for New Ground came from, Larrabee reflected on many young bands, and being in one himself. Even with a lot of talent and good music he states, “it’s really hard for us to get noticed by people in the community, especially in the [music] industry, so this festival will help expose these great new bands to the Knoxville community.”
With a full lineup, there is no doubt about the level of talent and skill among these bands and artists. The lineup is diverse in style and genre from Stonefish’s pop-rock beats to Indigo Age’s indie psychedelic riffs to Cam Cool’s softer but still electric flow.
For many young artists and bands an event like New Ground could be groundbreaking for their exposure and reaching a larger audience, Central junior and member of the band Indigo Age who will be preforming at New Ground opened up about expectations and the payoff of the festival. When asked what she’s excited about in anticipation for the event she answers, “I’m pretty stoked that Knoxville is finally having a large-scale festival made entirely of local bands. It’s really exciting to see so many local artists getting the exposure they deserve because the majority of the time local music gets so overlooked and underrated.” You can listen to Indigo Age on Spotify as well as all the other artists.
Tickets are only $10 online and $15 at the door. There will be local food vendors as well as merchandise for many of the artists and bands. A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley. If you’re schedule is open Sunday afternoon, I highly recommend driving down to Lakeshore Park to experience some local music, support local businesses and vendors, and have a great time with a lot of great people.
Graphics via @newgroundfest on Instagram
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