By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
To a first-time attendee, the Carrboro Music Festival might seem a bit overwhelming. Best not to try to attend everything. Because with more than 150 shows on 22 stages, there’s way too much fun to be had.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the weather forecast for Sunday is sunny, with a high near 80 — pretty appealing, considering the August we’ve endured around here.
So grab your closest friends and family and head downtown on Sunday. Before you do, though, be sure to catch the kickoff celebration at Cat’s Cradle on Saturday night.
Tres Chicas will headline, with Two Dollar Pistols and Great Big Gone opening. The show starts at 8 p.m. and is free, with a suggested donation of $5.
On Sunday, the music starts at 1 p.m. Parking spots will be few and far between in Carrboro — more so than usual — with 8,000-10,000 expected to attend the festival. Wise drivers will head to the park-and-ride lot behind Carrboro Plaza on Highway 54. The festival will have a shuttle running continuously from the lot to Main Street between noon and 8 p.m.
Having arrived at the festival, the question is then one of which way to head or whose act to watch.
“There are two ways to do it,†said Gerry Williams, festival coordinator. “Some people go through the schedule before hand and pick out where they want to be and who they want to see.
“Other people just get into town and walk through Carrboro and see what they see and hear what they hear.
“You can’t see it all.â€
You can see a ton of different types of acts, however, with jazz, rock, bluegrass, folk, country, reggae and more featured at the festival.
“Stylistically, it’s pretty wide ranging,†Williams said.
Jazz connoisseurs should head over to the Century Center or to the Arts Center, where jazz artists will dominate the stages.
For those with children, the Town Commons will be a convenient location. Kids will be able to do arts and crafts or play in inflatable bounce houses while parents listen to six different acts.
Those who’d like to hear what the younger generation is coming up with these days can make their way over to Fitch Lumber, where a teen band stage will be set up.
The rest of the venues will have a wide variety of acts.
“I like to mix it up a lot,†Williams said.
New to the festival
Some bands, like Storm Front, Too Much Fun and Off the Road Band, have been playing the festival since its inception. Others are brand new this year.
The Kingsbury Manx, for instance, has been around since 2000, but this is the first year the local indie-rock band has played the Carrboro Music Festival.
“It seemed like a great opportunity to play in the afternoon for a crowd that couldn’t get out to the rock clubs late at night,†band member Clarque Blomquist said. “I know that my friends who have just started having kids the past few years immensely appreciate the daytime show.â€
The Kingsbury Manx – comprised of Bill Taylor, Ryan Richardson, Paul Finn and Blomquist – have received national attention for their four albums and have had songs featured on hit TV shows and in movies.
They’ve toured, but lately have slowed down a bit. The festival seemed like a good opportunity for the band to play for a different crowd.
“Usually we do the normal club thing, like the [Local] 506 or the Cat’s Cradle,†front man Taylor said. “This seems kind of fun.â€
Taylor said he’s looking forward to “getting out there and playing in the sun.†The band hasn’t played a show in a while, having been focusing on their fifth album.
Blomquist said he’s glad the band is playing at the festival, since he’s always enjoyed attending it.
“There are street festivals everywhere, but I think in the South it has kind of an extra feeling,†he said. “There’s everybody from the town who maybe are usually all out at different times but here are all out at once.â€
Festival attendees can catch the Kingsbury Manx on the Town Commons at 3 p.m.
For more information, visit carrboromusicfestival.com.