The Best Music Festivals in March 2012

Just because it's still winter, there's no reason not to celebrate! Here are only a few reasons to welcome the month of March:

The AURA Music & Arts Festival (3/9/2012 - 3/11/2012) is returning to Saint Cloud, Florida. Although the annual festival is usually held in January, it has been moved to March this year to provide better weather conditions for camping. It will, as always, bring the best regional and national touring acts in the underground jam community and live-electronic scene. From jazz and funk to roots reggae to deep house music, the genres vary to create an eclectic, unique vibe.

Also in the Sunshine State, the Englewood Music Festival (3/9/2012 - 3/10/2012) in Englewood, Florida will be packing two full days with continuous music. Two stages will welcome the likes of Glenn Leonard (the legendary former lead singer of The Temptations) and other blues, jazz, rock, trop-rock and Motown artists. Along with live entertainment, the weekend-long festival will include food and games for the entire family. Proceeds benefit The Englewood Youth Foundation and The Rotary Club of Englewood.

Celebrating a colorful part of the local heritage, the Solo Zydeco Festival (3/9/2012 - 3/11/2012) hits the stage of the Humble Civic Center Arena in Humble, Texas once again. It is set to offer great food, fun and live music by the best that Texas and Louisiana have to offer. The line-up this year includes Geno Delafose and French Rockin Boogie, Chris Ardoin and Nu Step, and Brian Jack and the Zydeco Gamblers.

The Gasparilla Music Festival (3/10/2012) is definitely one of the most popular music events in Tampa, Florida. Two stages set up among the parks and museums of Tampa transform the downtown area into a unique concert venue dedicated to celebrating the city's diverse music scene. This year, headliners will include Deer Tick and Alvin Youngblood Hart.

The Gilliards Music Day Festival (3/10/2012) in Pelham, Georgia is also held each year to honor the local music scene - but also national legends who have impacted American music. It will include a live Elvis tribute as well as performances by the Johnnie Marshall Band, and a variety of country and gospel acts. While the music plays, vendors will be selling food and gift items.

The Pastel Project (3/23/2012 - 3/24/2012) in Las Vegas, Nevada is the first in a new series of outdoor concerts and festivals presented by The Royal House. Held on the Convention Corridor right off the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, the event will include everything from live music (on the main stage and in side cabanas) to unique springtime exhibits like sidewalk chalk, carnival rides, and roller skating. There will also be flying beach balls, elevated swimming pools, food trucks, and local vendors inspired by the indie spirit found in music and art.

Not one to let the bad winter weather get them down, the residents of Wilmington, Ohio are gearing up for the area's only indoor bluegrass festival: the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival (3/30/2012 - 3/31/2012.) The line-up is still to be finalized, but it's sure to be a good one.

The 13th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival (3/30/2012 - 4/30/2012) in Brooklyn, New York will be held in honor of America's Jazz Appreciation Month (April) - and also in honor of Brooklyn's diverse culture. Live jazz will be offered in clubs and concert halls from Coney Island to Williamsburg, and food vendors will serve the best from the borough's ethnic enclaves. The month-long celebration begins at the end of March.

Here are some other events to keep an eye out for this March:

- Jazz on the Square (3/10/2012) in Marietta, Georgia

- The Crosby/Solo Zydeco Festival (3/16/2012 - 3/18/2012) in Crosby, Texas

- The Louisiana Swamp Stomp Festival (3/16/2012 - 3/18/2012) in Thibodaux, Louisiana

- The River City Blues Festival (3/16/2012 - 3/17/2012) in Marietta, Ohio

- Jazz in the Gardens (3/17/2012 - 3/18/2012) in Miami Gardens, Florida

- The Toadlick Music Festival (3/22/2012 - 3/24/2012) in Dothan, Alabama

- The Berks Jazz Fest (3/23/2012 - 4/1/2012) in Reading, Pennsylvania

- The Statesboro Music Festival (3/23/2012 - 3/24/2012) in Statesboro, Georgia

- The High Up 2012 Music Festival (3/24/2012 - 3/25/2012) in Kirkwood, California

- The Stone Mountain Village BlueGrassRoots Music & Arts (3/31/2012) in Stone Mountain, Georgia

But the most famous of March's festivals are, of course, being held by Southwest in Austin, Texas. First up is the SXSW Interactive Festival (3/9/2012 - 3/13/2012) and then the SXSW Film Festival (3/9/2012 - 3/17/2012.) Then comes the most exciting of all: The annual SXSW Music Festival (3/13/2012 - 3/18/2012.) Bands (local up-and-comers and international superstars alike) are still registering for the event, so the final line-up remains a mystery. But if previous years' festivals are any indication, it is sure to be impressive.

Stay tuned to hear more about upcoming music festivals and events--including the 2nd Annual HillTop Records Online Music Festival for Songwriters!

... From all of us here at HillTop Records, Happy March 2012!

A2IM Announces Plans to Launch First Independent Music Awards

We've got some pretty exciting news for our HillTop songwriters and other independent artists: The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has recently announced its plans to produce the first-ever American Association of Independent Music Libera Awards. The "Libbies," as they will be called, are scheduled to take place June 21. The award show will be the main event of A2IM's Indie Week 2012, a week-long celebration of independent music. Conferences, panel discussions and other invite-only events will be held in New York City throughout the week.

Portia Sabin, an A2IM board member and the President of independent label Kill Rock Stars, calls the new award show a "chance to celebrate the risk-takers of the music industry - the independent labels - and the amazing people we all work with every day, from music supervisors to designers." She went on to say in a recent statement: "We want to honor the people who do great work with independent artists, as well as our artists themselves. This is an exciting time for the independent community and we look forward to marking it with the A2IM Libera Awards ceremony."

Like our own HillTop Records Online Music Festival for Songwriters, this unprecedented event is an obvious response to the ways in which the industry is changing. The steady development of new media and growing success of social networking are taking the power from the hands of major record labels and evenly distributing it (more or less) among songwriters, artists, and smaller production companies. The result is, to put it simply, better accessibility to more quality music--which is, of course, a win-win situation for artists and fans.

At this most recent Grammy Awards Ceremony, 34 Grammys went to Indie labels - a definite increase from previous years. These accolades included the much-coveted Best New Artist, Best Country Song and Best Album of the Year categories; the first title and that of Best Alternative Album both went to Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, who beat out heavy-hitters (represented by major labels) Nicki Minaj and J. Cole. Other indie winners include Best Pop Instrumental Album for Booker T. Jones' "The Road From Memphis," and two awards for Taylor Swift and Alison Krauss & Union Station. What's more, A2IM reports that this past year was the second in a row wherein independent labels and artists led industry nominations with over 50% of the possible nominations (194 out of 387, to be exact.) However, some might rightly point out that with the same distribution networks, manufacturing plants, publicity teams and artist contracts as major music labels, some independent names may be all but indistinguishable from their larger counterparts. This has certainly become truer over the past decade, with indie and major labels collaborating to promote certain artists and even on an album-by-album basis.

The Libbies will serve in part to clear up this ambiguity, as only "real" indies will be honored. The awards ceremony will showcase and celebrate the dedication to innovation and also the entrepreneurial spirit that have kept the music industry going, even through tough times. Awards will include one for the Road Warrior of the Year (to be given to the artist who worked hardest on the touring circuit) as well as the Indie Light Bulb Award, for the year's most innovative marketing campaign. Nominees for these and other awards (including one for Indie Label of the Year) will be determined by a secret panel of industry professionals, and all active members of the A2IM will be allowed to vote.

Here at HillTop Records, we are excited to see how this new award show will help to propel the indie world--and the music industry as a whole--forward.

The Future of Music is Getting Cloudy

Two years ago, we wrote about cloud computing and its potential effect on the music industry. Since then, what we predicted has happened: The technology has grown and advanced drastically, and with its development comes the next great shift in the way people pay for and listen to music. With the emphasis placed on access rather than ownership, cloud-based music services allow for greater portability and maximum storage space. The transition marks an exciting time for music fans and music makers alike.

In 2011, the digital music sector recorded significant growth. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's yearly report, global revenues rose by 8% from the previous year and the number of subscribers paying for online services to access music grew from 8 million to over 13 million. Between 2009 and 2010, the sales of music within the realm of cloud services grew by 4.6% while the digital music industry increased its sales by 5.3%. What these numbers show is that consumers are willing to pay for the portability of music. Obviously, this is a great sign for songwriters and artists. It doesn't really matter if it is per song or per month or for the amount of space--as long as people are paying to listen to music, the industry will continue to thrive.

One great thing about cloud music (from a songwriter's point of view) is that it operates through licenced services, so only copyrighted music is available for streaming and downloading. This means that listeners finally have an incentive to not use pirated material--especially given the low costs of cloud services. Take, for example, one of the industry's leading services right now: Spotify, a Swedish start-up founded in 2008. Spotify subscribers can actually listen to unlimited songs for free; however, the free subscription comes with advertisements. For as little as €5, subscribers can listen ad-free--and for €10, they can download the songs they hear directly from the cloud to their cell phone.

Pandora, a similar company based in the United States, also offers the choice of listening to its radio stations for free with ads or paying a small fee to cut them out. Pandora subscribers can create up to 100 unique stations based on their musical preferences, and even modify them as they go by confirming whether or not they like a particular song. Those who subscribe for free can skip a certain number of songs per day; those who pay get unlimited skips as part of their package. Unlike Spotify, however, Pandora does not offer the option of streaming music from a user's library. It only offers its radio stations, as does Last.fm. Services like iCloud, mSpot, Subsonic and the Amazon Cloud Player only stream music from your library (which they allow you to sync to virtually any portable device.) Grooveshark and Rdio are dual-purpose services like Spotify, which can serve music you already own as well as streaming radio.

The success of these companies has encouraged Internet heavyweights like Apple and Google to get in on the cloud game. iTunes Match was just launched in the US last year, and Google Music is currently in its initial stages. We can only guess that the number of cloud music services will increase in the next few years, in turn expanding the entire digital market. By matching consumers with the type of music they like, these services provide an easy way to discover (and download) new songs--and even if a listener is not likely to buy the songs they hear, they may still be likely to pay for a subscription. It's a win-win situation for music industry professionals and fans--and for advertisers as well.

Despite the many pros of cloud music, however, there is an issue still to be resolved: Because licences for songs are per country, subscribers cannot always take their streaming music with them. A particular song may be licenced in Spain but not in France, and so you will not be able to listen to it once you cross the border. This poses a problem for the services that are available in multiple countries--and not all of them are. Even the industry's leading competitors--like Spotify and Pandora--are not operational everywhere. And then there is the fact that the radio service requires a network to stream on (most cloud servers have the ability to cache songs from your library to play offline.) So, unlike your iPod, your cloud service subscription may not be entirely travel-friendly. For that reason, the new technology will probably not replace old-fashioned MP3 downloads any time soon. However, it does provide a great alternative--and the two methods combined offer unlimited opportunities for access and portability.

Great American Songwriters: Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter

Born Huddie William Ledbetter in 1888, this American icon is almost always referred to as "Lead Belly" (Note: Although many releases list him as "Leadbelly," he himself spelled it as two words--and that is how it is written on his tombstone. The exact origins of the nickname are unclear, but it probably had to do with his last name or his physical toughness--or both.) One of the most influential American folk and blues musicians ever, Lead Belly is also sometimes called the "King of the 12-string guitar." In his lifetime, he was a pioneer of American folk music--and his legacy lives on in the impressive songbook he left behind.

Although Lead Belly most commonly played his beloved twelve-string, he was actually quite skilled on a number of instruments; recordings kept today by the Lead Belly Foundation show off the musician's abilities on the harmonica, the violin, the mandolin, the piano, and even the accordion. In a recording of "John Hardy," he actually uses an accordion instead of a guitar. In other songs, he sings a Capella--accompanied only by the clapping of his own hands, or the stomping of his own foot. This unique musical style was developed at a surprisingly young age, while Lead Belly was still a boy growing up on a Louisiana plantation. By the time he was 14 years old, he was performing for local audiences around Shreveport--even though he did not receive his first instrument (an accordion, given to him by an uncle) until a few years later. In his early 20's, after he had already started a family with his first wife, Lead Belly left home to pursue a career as a professional guitar player.

When the RMS Titanic sank in April 1912, the event captivated Lead Belly--so much so, that it prompted him to write the song "The Titanic." In it, the musician notes the racial differences of the time (the song describes how African-American boxer Jack Johnson was denied access to the ship, on the account of his race.) He continued to write songs--whether they be gospel, blues or folk--about racism throughout his career. "The Titanic" was, however, considered groundbreaking and controversial at the time. It was also the first Lead Belly learned to play on a 12-string guitar.

Other reoccurring themes in Lead Belly's music are cowboys, women, liquor, prison, work, sailors, cattle herding, dancing, and politics. He typically wrote about the newsmakers of the day, such as Howard Hughes, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jean Harlow, the Scottsboro Boys, and Adolf Hitler. The more violent themes in his songs were often inspired by events in his own life; in fact, Lead Belly spent quite a few years in prison for violent crimes. The second time around, he was released after serving the minimum sentence--and also writing a song appealing to Governor Pat Morris Neff for his freedom. The third time, three years into his sentence at the Angola Prison Farm, Lead Belly was "discovered" by folklorists John Lomax and his (then 18-year-old) son Alan Lomax. The father/son team was so deeply impressed by the singer's vibrant tenor and huge repertoire that they returned again and again to listen to--and record--Lead Belly's music. All in all, they recorded hundreds of original songs.

The Lomaxes also started a petition (in writing and on the other side of a recording of Lead Belly's signature song, "Goodnight Irene") to have the musician released; while he was shortly thereafter, it probably had much more to do with his good behavior than with his singing abilities. Regardless, Lead Belly was widely known throughout the rest of his life as the convict who had managed to sing his way out of prison. He was described as such by the press, after participating in a "smoker" (group sing) at an MLA meeting at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania in 1934. Lead Belly actually traveled quite a bit during the Great Depression, after being hired as John Lomax's personal driver. He thereby helped the archivist collect folk songs across the United States. He also, oddly enough, earned quite a bit of fame as the "singing convict." Newspapers in every city Lomax visited were eager to interview Lead Belly, and Time magazine made one of their first filmed "March of Time" newsreels about the musician. Decades later, Bob Dylan referred to Ledbetter as "one of the few ex-cons who recorded a popular children's album".

It's hard to say whether his singing voice or his story finally catapulted Lead Belly into the national spotlight. However, whichever it was, it certainly worked swiftly. The songwriter signed a deal with ARC, the race records division of Columbia Records, shortly after the article in Time. Perhaps because ARC insisted on only releasing Lead Belly's blues songs instead of the folk songs that would eventually make him legendary, the earliest recordings under the label were not commercially successful. The musician responded by switching gears, spending the month of February 1935 recording his and other African-American songs, as well as interviews about his life with Alan Lomax; the material was being compiled for the book, Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Lead Belly (1936). The two went on a lecture tour of colleges and universities in the Northeast together, before eventually having a falling-out and parting ways.

At the beginning of 1936, Lead Belly returned to New York City to make his comeback. He performed twice a day at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem during the Easter season, in a live dramatic recreation of the "Time Life" newsreel about his prison encounter with Lomax. During that same time, Life magazine ran a three-page article on the musician (complete with color photographs) that greatly romanticised his relationship with the "ramshackle" Texas State Penitentiary system. The article attributes both of Lead Belly's pardons as a direct result of his musical abilities, saying that the governors were so moved by his singing that they had no choice but to release him. The folklore-filled article ending with, "he... may well be on the brink of a new and prosperous period".

On the heels of the Life article, Lead Belly adjusted his performance style to cater to the leftist folk music aficionado. Taking a cue from his lecture tour with Lomax, the musician combined live music with informative explanations on how his songs fit into the greater context of Southern black culture. He was especially successful when he applied this method to his repertoire of children's songs--and, despite the setback of yet another short stint in prison in 1939, Lead Belly's star continued to climb. In the early '40's, he appeared on the groundbreaking CBS radio show, Back Where I Come From, produced by Alan Lomax and Nicholas Ray. He also found an audience in New York City's thriving folk music scene, playing alongside the likes of Josh White, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. He recorded for RCA, the Library of Congress, and Moe Asch (the future founder of Folkways Records.) Then, in 1944, he headed west to work with Capitol Records. This steady rise in recognition led to Lead Belly being the first ever American country blues musician to see commercial success in Europe.

By 1949, Lead Belly had his own weekly radio show on New York's WNYC, and was preparing for his first European tour. However, before he was able to leave American soil, the musician fell very ill. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. His final concert was held at the University of Texas as a tribute to his former mentor, John Lomax, who had died the previous year. After his own passing later that year, Lead Belly was honored with the erection of a life-size statue across from the Caddo Parish Courthouse in Shreveport, his home town. It wasn't until 2008 that the great pioneer of American folk and blues music was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. However, his lasting legacy had been cemented long before that. Lead Belly's recordings have been covered by The Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Harry Belafonte, the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, Nirvana, The Doors... The list goes on and on. Of his place in the grand scheme of American music, Van Morrison once said:

"Lead Belly was not an influence, he was the influence. If it wasn’t for him, I may never have been here. I don’t think he’s really dead. A lot of people’s bodies die but I don’t think their spirits die with them.”

Lead Belly's signature technique, characterized by an emphasis of finger picks as well as low tunings and heavy strings, was eventually popularized by Pete Seeger. It has also inspired (and been imitated by) many other musicians--including some of our own HillTop Records songwriters. Another unique Lead Belly trait can be heard in some of the recordings where he accompanied himself; in them, he often made an unusual grunting sound between verses. This sound can be heard in "Looky Looky Yonder", "Take this Hammer" and "Julie Ann Johnson" among others. Lead Belly himself explained the sound, an obvious reference to the work chants sung by Southern railroad section workers and prisoners, this way:  "Every time the men say 'haah', the hammer falls. The hammer rings, and we swing, and we sing."

What's in a Name?

They say you can't choose your parents--and, along those same lines, you can't choose your birth name either. However, you can choose what people know you as--and, if you are planning to live a life in the public eye, this is an important thing to keep in mind. Just as your own parents thought long and hard about what to call you, the selection of one's own stage name should be a somewhat lengthy and serious process. Once you've decided on a name--any name, whether it is a version of your own or an entirely new one--you need to stick with it, verbatim. It's a commitment.

Here at HillTop Records, we have many songwriters who are still deciding what to call themselves professionally. Oftentimes, the name they request to be put on a recording is not the same name shown on the song's copyright--and that is perfectly fine. However, please remember to keep your name consistent on all song tracks and marketing material (including but not limited to press releases, CD covers, and web material like MP3 downloads and websites.) If you don't, it can be very difficult for friends, family and the general public to find your music online and in other retail spaces.

Say, for example, your legal name happens to be John Patrick Smith. This is the name on your driver's license, your credit cards, and all of your copyright forms. However, you decide that you like the sound of "J.P. Smith" better and so you choose to make it your stage name. So now, this is how your name is spelled on everything your potential fans see--in the press, after your song titles, on playlists, on your personal blog, etc. But what were to happen if, for whatever reason, you decided to change your name once in a while? Not anything drastic but what if, just for fun, you chose to call yourself John P. Smith or John Smith or J. Patrick Smith on a song or two? Well, it may not seem like a big deal--but here's the problem: The people who listen to your music are already used to your name being J.P. Smith, and so that is the name they search for to find your songs. If you type "J.P. Smith" into an online search engine, that is the name that will appear--not John P. Smith or J. Patrick Smith. So songs or other pieces of writing under that name will not come up in a search... See the problem?

When establishing a name for yourself in a chosen field, it is best to avoid confusion as much as possible. You want your name to stand out--but even more importantly, you want it to be easily remembered. This is why you will often see artists giving themselves strange (and even ridiculous) stage names: Meat Loaf, Coolio, Eminem. At the other end of the spectrum, many musicians and other celebrities choose to simplify their legal names (either by going by their first name alone, or by a nickname that is a shorter version of their full name) or replace a long or uncommon name with one that is easier to identify with and pronounce. John Denver's real name is Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr; Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman. Richard Melville Hall calls himself Moby after supposed ancestral ties to Moby Dick author Herman Melville, and George Michael chose to follow in the age-old Hollywood tradition of "de-ethnitizing" his legal name (which happens to be Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou.)

In theory, you can call yourself whatever you want. Just keep it consistent. As far as we know, the only songwriter to successfully change his stage name over the course of his career is Prince (which is, interestingly enough, his real first name.) So, perhaps that should be the rule of thumb here: When you are as famous as Prince (or Jamie Starr, or Joey Coco, or another of his many pseudonyms--or even the unpronounceable symbol he changed his name to during a controversial lawsuit in the '90's) then you can do whatever you want. But until then--pick a name and stick with it.

For more helpful tips and information for songwriters, continue to follow us here at HillTop Records!

The Best Music Festivals of Feburary 2012

Unless you are someone who likes to go all-out for Valentine's Day, February does not have much to offer as far as holidays go. Sure, it's got Groundhog Day and Presidents Day--but who really celebrates those? Luckily, we've got a list of the best music festivals coming to a city near you this month; they are all cause for celebration.

- The Central Illinois Jazz Festival (2/3/2012 - 2/5/2012) is set to take over the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel in Decatur, Illinois the first month of February. The beloved tradition, now in its 37th year, is the Midwest's  premier jazz event. The festival features multiple venues and concerts by the likes of Portland's Black Swan Jazz Band; Tom Rigney & Flambeau from Berkeley, California; and Illinois' own Dixie Daredevils. The fun-filled weekend also includes special events, like the Friday Swing Dance and Sunday Jazz Brunch.

- The Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering (2/3/2012 - 2/5/2012) is a unique event held each year in Sierra Vista, Arizona. It serves to honor authentic cowboy poetry and music, which has been an integral part of the West's culture for over a century. Born around the campfire and over the bunkhouse stove, cowboy poetry was a way for the West's working class to relate the events of their daily life. Today, the tradition lives on at this music festival: More than 50 poets, storytellers, singers and musicians from around the Western States come together to stage live performances, hold jam sessions, and otherwise celebrate their heritage.

- The Gilliards Music Day Festival (2/11/2012) in Pelham, Georgia is actually a party for a cause--it helps raise money for the local volunteer fire department. Highlights of the one-day annual event include arts and crafts vendors, food and drink, and live concerts. The music here is mostly gospel and country; however, there is also a pretty popular Elvis tribute.

- An award-winning event in a new location, the Confluence Beer, Wine, Seafood & Music Festival (2/17/2012 - 2/18/2012) is set to draw a crowd to Reedsport, Oregon this year. From Oregon's best wineries and breweries to local restaurants to artists and craftsmen, the varied vendors here promise something for everyone. Browse the stalls for tasty delicacies, fine art, and other souvenirs while listening to live music by the likes of Candy Apple Bleu and Soul Pie. You are sure to come away with a better understanding and appreciation for the flavors, sounds and customs of the Pacific Northwest.

- The River City Blues Competition Weekend (2/17/2012 - 2/18/2012) is returning once again to Marietta, Ohio this year. The contest, wherein 18 local and regional bands compete for $1200 in prize money and sponsorship to the International Blues Competition in Memphis, is presented by the Blues, Jazz & Folk Music Society. Come to support your favorite local act, or simply enjoy the music.

- The Winter Fiddle Festival & Barn Dances (2/18/2012 - 2/20/2012) is warming up one of the year's coldest months in Leavenworth, Washington. The three-day event includes fiddle and guitar workshops, band labs and jam sessions, barn dances, calling classes, and other sorts of wintertime fun at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. Headliners include Dave Cahn, Sara Comer, and Stuart Williams. Musicians of all ages, including children, are welcome to participate.

- The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival (2/22/2012 - 2/25/2012) in Moscow, Idaho is one of the biggest events held on the Univeristy of Idaho's campus each year. Its primary goal is to celebrate and maintain jazz music for the benefit of future generations. Concerts and workshops are carefully organized to inspire students, educators, artists, and audiences of all ages.

- The Panama City Strawberry Music Fest (2/25/2012 - 2/26/2012) in Panama City, Florida serves to bring two of the local community's springtime favorites--live outdoor concerts and sweet, farm-fresh strawberries--together. The annual festival, held on the Bay County Fairgrounds, also features green amusement rides, a car show, entertainment for children, and a ton of vendors selling everything from local crafts and souvenirs to great food. This year's headliners include Steven Clawson, Suite Caroline, Diamond Rio, and Eric Durrance's Tobacco Road Band.

For more information on upcoming music festivals, please be sure to check out Festivals.com. Also, keep checking back with us here at HillTop Records as we bring you the latest news from around the music industry! Happy February!