Lockn' 2015--Where we stand at the moment (2/19/15)
Feb 19, 2015 12:43:59 GMT -5
Sneake, suebhunny, and 1 more like this
Post by southernman on Feb 19, 2015 12:43:59 GMT -5
So, just for some fun and to while away the time until September (and also because there has been a little bitching about the lineups perceived strength or lack thereof--i am doing a "mapping" exercise. That is i am comparing the acts that performed (thus eliminating Further and Ratdog) at last year's Lockn to the acts announced so far for 2015. This exercise is based on the premise that when we get to the final lineup it will look roughly similar to the lineup last year in number of acts, quality, and musical style. I didn't take order of announcements or timing into account at all. This is not meant to be a scientific exercise, so there is a lot of judgement involved in what compares to what. It is just a way to take stock. So, here is what we have so far compared to last year:
Tauk >> Fishbone
Dumpstafunk >> Galactic
Hot Tuna Acoustic >> Hot Tuna Acoustic
Keller Williams' Grateful Gospel >> Keller Williams Grateful Gospel
Phil Lesh and Friends (x2) >> Phil Lesh & Friends (x2)
Wilco (x2)>> Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters (x2)
Soja >> Slightly Stoopid
The Revivalists >> St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Tedeschi Trucks Band (x2) >> Tedeschi Trucks Band
(x2)
JT Taylor and the Cheese and the Gang >> The Doobie Brothers in The Doobie Incident
The String Cheese Incident (x2) >> The String Cheese Incident (x2)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band >> Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Umphrey's McGee >> Umphrey's McGee
Widespread Panic >> Widespread Panic (this is just WSP by themselves, not collaborating)
Feel free to suggest there are better equivalents. In particular I think Robert Plant is a poor mapping stylistically, but I couldn't find a better one. I chose Wilco because I would project him to possibly take the same two weekend time slots. Wasn't too sure on St. Paul.
So, what I learned from this part of the exercise (including some things I sort of knew but didn't appreciate as much until putting it down in black and white): If you look at that 2014 lineup and think that is the complete lineup or most of the lineup I think many people would be equally unenthusiastic about that as the complete thing. It isn't complete. There are a lot of acts to come.
There are a lack of new headliners (yes, that is a very subjective term) announced. I mean, I am good with WSP, TTB, and P&F all. But the same acts may leave a sense of "been there, done that" I'm sure it would help enthusiasm if there were some new big names. The only real one so far has been Robert Plant, and he has kind of been greeted by a "meh" by the community, but a lot less hate then Wilco, anyway. Honestly I was more enthusiastic when he was originally announced then after listening to some of his recent stuff. I'm good with one slot for him but think 2 is a little much. Whatever.
They have not really announced any acts that are "off the reservation" stylistically. I know some people don't love the Slightly Stoopid or Fishbone adds, but it is not a huge stretch to compare them to acts that performed last year. I ended up enjoying Soja a lot more than i thought I would, even though they were not my favorite.
There are some upgrades here. I think Trombone Shorty is a big upgrade over his equivalent. I like the Doobie Incident a lot more than the Cheese and the Gang, which I thought was a poor idea and turned out to be worse in execution than I imagined. Perhaps that is taking an "equivalency" model too far. In the end there will surely be both upgrades and downgrades in people's minds, but it is not as though this lineup to date is demonstrably weaker overall than last year. Again, i didn't take order or timing of announcements into account. As we get closer and the lineup fills in that might be more appropriate.
There are entire musical styles not yet represented. I've been saying for a while we are past due for some Bluegrass. There hasn't been any announced so far. I don't think the entire festival will happen without bluegrass, but I personally would have been more enthusiastic about the lineup to date if they had announced more Bluegrass and less Funk (there was a time last year I thought the lineup was turning a little bluegrass heavy).
Second part of this exercise is coming...
Tauk >> Fishbone
Dumpstafunk >> Galactic
Hot Tuna Acoustic >> Hot Tuna Acoustic
Keller Williams' Grateful Gospel >> Keller Williams Grateful Gospel
Phil Lesh and Friends (x2) >> Phil Lesh & Friends (x2)
Wilco (x2)>> Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters (x2)
Soja >> Slightly Stoopid
The Revivalists >> St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Tedeschi Trucks Band (x2) >> Tedeschi Trucks Band
(x2)
JT Taylor and the Cheese and the Gang >> The Doobie Brothers in The Doobie Incident
The String Cheese Incident (x2) >> The String Cheese Incident (x2)
Preservation Hall Jazz Band >> Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Umphrey's McGee >> Umphrey's McGee
Widespread Panic >> Widespread Panic (this is just WSP by themselves, not collaborating)
Feel free to suggest there are better equivalents. In particular I think Robert Plant is a poor mapping stylistically, but I couldn't find a better one. I chose Wilco because I would project him to possibly take the same two weekend time slots. Wasn't too sure on St. Paul.
So, what I learned from this part of the exercise (including some things I sort of knew but didn't appreciate as much until putting it down in black and white): If you look at that 2014 lineup and think that is the complete lineup or most of the lineup I think many people would be equally unenthusiastic about that as the complete thing. It isn't complete. There are a lot of acts to come.
There are a lack of new headliners (yes, that is a very subjective term) announced. I mean, I am good with WSP, TTB, and P&F all. But the same acts may leave a sense of "been there, done that" I'm sure it would help enthusiasm if there were some new big names. The only real one so far has been Robert Plant, and he has kind of been greeted by a "meh" by the community, but a lot less hate then Wilco, anyway. Honestly I was more enthusiastic when he was originally announced then after listening to some of his recent stuff. I'm good with one slot for him but think 2 is a little much. Whatever.
They have not really announced any acts that are "off the reservation" stylistically. I know some people don't love the Slightly Stoopid or Fishbone adds, but it is not a huge stretch to compare them to acts that performed last year. I ended up enjoying Soja a lot more than i thought I would, even though they were not my favorite.
There are some upgrades here. I think Trombone Shorty is a big upgrade over his equivalent. I like the Doobie Incident a lot more than the Cheese and the Gang, which I thought was a poor idea and turned out to be worse in execution than I imagined. Perhaps that is taking an "equivalency" model too far. In the end there will surely be both upgrades and downgrades in people's minds, but it is not as though this lineup to date is demonstrably weaker overall than last year. Again, i didn't take order or timing of announcements into account. As we get closer and the lineup fills in that might be more appropriate.
There are entire musical styles not yet represented. I've been saying for a while we are past due for some Bluegrass. There hasn't been any announced so far. I don't think the entire festival will happen without bluegrass, but I personally would have been more enthusiastic about the lineup to date if they had announced more Bluegrass and less Funk (there was a time last year I thought the lineup was turning a little bluegrass heavy).
Second part of this exercise is coming...
