There’s a lot to know about the who, what and why for this year’s Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Music Festival. The number one ‘who’ is you: you should be there. What? Yes…you. Why? Because Mulberry Mountain and all its musical wonder will never leave you, even if you eventually leave the mountain. The tagline for Wakarusa, another great festival on Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas, is ‘Where music meets nature.’ That holds true for this festival, too.

Advannce tickets are now available for the exciting inaugural COASTLINE FESTIVAL taking place Saturday, November 9th in Tampa and Sunday, November 10th in West Palm Beach.  With all-day music on 2 stages, 11 bands, a wide array of food trucks, over 25 craft beers with a heavy tilt toward Florida’s own wildly popular hand craft brewers, and regionally renowned artists, COASTLINE FESTIVAL will have something for all.

In its first year WARMfest in Broad Ripple Park, Indianapolis, Indiana should be counted as a success. It was a great, and warm, way to spend my Labor Day Weekend. With six stages, one being a riverboat stage, this event was one of massive size and variety. I have been in Broad Ripple Park at least 20 times, and never realized how much space there truly was in my little town. WARMfest started off a bit rough on Saturday, getting rained out a few hours into the event.

The chill in the air and the familiar rumble of school buses tells us that summer is quietly coming to an end. If you were at Bumbershoot this past weekend, however, school lunches and winter jackets were far from a hot topic. In its 42nd year, Seattle’s music and arts festival was blessed with sunny skies, a distinct lineup, and its 7 millionth visitor ever.

Does the end of festival season leave you and your wallet feeling a little empty? Want to keep that great musical feeling going a little longer? Want to know how to do it at no cost to you? Want to know how to do all of this while helping kids in need? Well then my philanthropic, penny pinching, audiophile friend- The Life Is Good Festival, September 21st and 22nd at the fabulous Prowse Farm in Canton, MA can fulfill all of these needs and more. And did I mention the line-up?

In less than two weeks the beautiful grounds at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio will become alive again for the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival. September 12th-14th there will be a great family gathering featuring three sets of The Werks and tons of other great musicians along with camping, awesome venders, and some of the best people in the world.  This festival is truly a hidden gem in the Midwest jam band scene.Legend Valley is a great place to go for a festival.

Back for its 2nd year, Dancefestopia is soon to make a repeat appearance in Kansas City, MO.  Featuring over 60 EDM and hip-hop artists including big names such as Wiz Khalifa, Porter Robinson, Mac Miller, Lotus, EOTO, Adventure Club and more, festival goers far and wide are making their way to the Midwest to take part in the popular festival.The much-anticipated event will take place on September 13th and 14th at Berkeley Riverfront Park in Kansas City.

I wanna portray Whippersnap Arts & Music Festival 2013 as that scene from the Lion King where Rafiki holds Simba up over the African Pride Lands.  Alas, much like Scar and Mufasa there is an obscured version of the truth.  If I was to sing the praises of this festival, I would be naïve to the dark side that it did have.  Albeit the sleeper festival, the musical acts outshine the production which are the real pride of Whippersnappin to it.

Between the comedy, films, lectures, and music, Bumbershoot almost has too much going on. Almost. If you find yourself at a loss for direction, here are five musical acts that are guaranteed to leave you with a grin on your face.

Well, it wouldn’t be NedFest without a little rain and a lotta Vince Herman. As the first hopeful few sauntered on to the grounds last Friday, we dared the sky to open up wider and keep pouring down on us. It hadn’t stopped us Nedestrians before (we’re no fair-weather fans) and it certainly was not going to now that Whitewater Ramble, leaving tradition behind, plugged in and opened up the weekend with some lively tunes.