Culture
Nelsonville Music Festival returns to the hills of southeastern Ohio later this month
By: Julia Weber
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NELSONVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – The Nelsonville Music Festival will return to the hills of Southeastern Ohio later this month.
The annual music festival, produced by local music venue and arts education non-profit organization Stuart’s Opera House, runs June 20-22 at Snow Fork Event Center (5685 Happy Hollow Rd). This year’s headlining artists include Waxahatchee, Charley Crockett, and Taj Mahal.
Mackenzie Kurcharsky, marketing director for Stuart’s Opera House, said the festival is a “community-based, community-rooted event.”
“We really carefully curate an experience where folks come to discover new music through up-and-coming talent, but still see legendary performers,” she said. “We are really committed to being diverse and being an inclusive place for people that love music to come to.”
While the festival officially kicks off Friday morning, attendees may purchase Early Arrival passes for Thursday evening access to campground sets from JP Harris, Chris Biester, and Mill Creek Mile.
Friday’s schedule hosts an array of artists spanning local, regional, and international acclaim. Athens music staples Natural Sway and Weedghost—set to play their fifteenth Nelsonville Music Festival—will take the stage throughout the day.
Other artists slated to play the festival’s first full day include indie rock musician Merce Lemon, psychedelic funk group BALTHVS, and Venezuelan-Appalachian folk fusion duo Larry & Joe. Capping off the night are frequent collaborators MJ Lenderman, who played the festival just two years prior, and headlining musician Waxahatchee.
Saturday features an even bigger lineup of artists, with none other than a selection of Stuart’s Opera House Afterschool Music Program (AMP) student bands kicking off the full day of live music. Athens’ own Spencer Radcliffe & Everything is scheduled to take the stage, as are the regional acts Gardener, DANA, PAL, and Brood X.
Saturday also welcomes the return of NMF alumni Watchhouse, Bonnie Prince Billy, Black Lips, and Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters. Other sets range from the distorted rock of Being Dead to the American folk duo Two Runner, with Charley Crockett closing out night two of the festival with a headlining set.
Sunday brings the festival to a close, but not before a third full day of music. Students of Stuart’s Opera House’s AMP will again take the stage to start the day, followed by local acts such as Wished Bone and Moe Reen. The afternoon brings various sounds, including everything from the avant-Americana music of Jerry David DeCicca to the contemporary blues of Southern Avenue and the experimental punk of NMF alums Snõõper. Rounding out the third day of music are fellow NMF alums The War And Treaty and headlining artist Taj Mahal.
For years, “freak folk” artist Michael Hurley was a key part of NMF. Though scheduled to perform at this year’s festival, Hurley died on April 1 at the age of 83.
“He’s performed every year since 2008. It’s a huge loss to us — not just as a performer — he’s part of our family,” said Kurcharsky.
The festival will celebrate Hurley’s art and music at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Creekside Stage, where Hurley’s friend Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy) will act as the Master of Ceremonies.
In addition to the full live music schedule, the festival will offer other location-based activities each morning, including bird watching, foraging and yoga, and a guided mountain bike ride on Saturday morning. No additional registration is required to attend these sessions.
To serve the community, the festival has been committed to maintaining a zero-waste presence by diverting as much waste as possible to compost and recycling. According to the festival’s website, 86,042 pounds of trash have been diverted from landfills since 2011.
Nelsonville and Buchtel, Ohio, residents are eligible for discounted tickets until tomorrow, June 5, which can be purchased in person at Stuart’s Opera House box office between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. This year, tickets can be purchased for $85, differing from years past in which tickets could be obtained at no cost to area residents. To get a ticket, individuals must show proof of residency, such as a valid ID or a piece of mail showing a valid address within the last six months.
“Nelsonville is a small town; it’s (one of the) poorest counties in Ohio, so to be able to bring this caliber of music to this area, I think, is a huge deal,” said Kurcharsky. “We do our best to make it accessible to all.”
The remaining proceeds from the festival are used to support regional music education, such as the AMP. What began as a few bands has now grown into nine as participation in the program has grown significantly.
“Just two years ago, (the AMP bands) performed only on Saturday morning, but now we have nine bands. It really goes to show the impact the festival has had in growing that reputation of us being a place for arts education, a place for opportunity, for this underserved community,” Kurcharsky said.
“It’s a real honor to be able to provide that to the community here, and then to have these students — after a year of working so hard to learn instruments and create a song and build this band and curate their setlist for the festival — to come and perform, it’s really special,” she added.
Tickets for Nelsonville Music Festival can be purchased at nelsonvillefest.org.