Reservoir on the Road: Spring Festivals

Date: March 3, 2016

As Spring arrives, gracing us with sunny skies and warmer weather, it signals the start of festival season in the States. Millions will flock to musical hot spots to catch their favorite artists tear up the stage. These days it seems there are festivals for whatever musical taste or comfort level you fancy. We’ve highlighted some of the season’s hottest tickets in town and how to catch Reservoir tunes on the road this Spring. So grab your wristbands and let’s go:

Head down to Austin, where music + tech meet, for the industry’s most cutting edge festival, SXSW. Held from March 15-20 in the Lonestar state, SXSW is known for breaking new artists with its showcases, and this year certainly will not disappoint, as hip-hop beat master Statik Selektah, Alabama electronic soul group WatchTheDuck, and indie darling Daya whose new single “Sit Still, Look Pretty” co-written with Mike Campbell, are slated to make appearances.

If electronic dance music is your thing, then Ultra is where you need to be. This year, the festival will see the likes of EDM heavyweights Tiesto, KSHMR, Avicii, and DJ Snake, spinning and singing Reservoir cuts including “Secrets” performed by Tiesto & KSHMR co-written by Phil Bentley, Avicii’s “Dear Boy”, and Major Lazer, DJ Snake and MØ’s larger than life single “Lean On”. Ultra runs from March 18-20 this year, also coinciding with Winter Music Conference, the annual gathering of EDM enthusiasts, artists, DJs and industry professionals. If you make it down to Miami’s biggest dance party, try to snag a ticket to The International Dance Music Awards, held during WMC – Reservoir is up for 11 of the night’s top awards.

Bust out your flower headbands and crop tops, and Perhaps the most culturally impactful festival on the list is Coachella. The 3-day-weekend-long festival runs for 2 consecutive weekends (April 15-17 and 22-24), in the California valley and draws big name acts and even bigger crowds. Famous for its famous guests and superstar performances, this year the festival totes a line-up of A-listers including Calvin Harris, Major Lazer, Ellie Goulding, Skrillex & Diplo, Joey Bada$$, James Bay, Ice Cube, DJ Mustard, and KSHMR. Don your cutoffs, crop tops, and floral headbands, and keep your ears out for their Reservoir cuts under the desert sun.

The Big Apple takes a bite out of the festival circuit with it’s annual Governor’s Ball, on Randall’s Island. New York heavy hitters like Big Grams (Big Boi + Saratoga Springs natives Phantogram) and Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ will take the stage for the three-day affair, held on June 3-4. Swedish electronic music production group Galantis, whose album Pharmacy, features the Reservoir cut “Water” will also be gracing the stage.

For those brave enough to go without their creature comforts, grab your sleeping bags and head down to Tennessee for Bonaroo. The four day festival, set to take place June 9-12, will feature acts like Big Grams, along with Ellie Goulding who has several cuts with Reservoir/Reverb Music writer John Fortis, and J.Cole, whose Grammy nominated album 2014 Forest Hills Drive features Reservoir cut “G.O.M.D.”. Catch your favorites on stage under the stars with 85,000 happy campers.

Hard rock fans will not want to miss Rise Above Festival this year. Founded in 2012, by South African band Seether, the festival aims to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental illness, a cause near and dear to the rockers’ hearts. This year’s line-up will see Seether perform alongside a host of other hard rock musical acts in Bangor, Maine.