Like a local band getting some national recognition, Keytar Bear has made it onto the national music festival circuit.
The beloved Boston street performer is officially a part of the lineup for the 2014 Campfire Outdoor Adventure & Music Festival going down August 29 to 31 in Lakewood, Pennsylvania. Lakewood is located in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania near the New York state line, roughly 45 minutes from Woodstock.
On the Campfire lineup poster, which you can stare at below, Keytar Bear’s name appears at the very bottom. The fest is headlined by Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Delta Spirit, Lake Street Dive, and Langhorne Slim & The Law, and also features New England acts such as the Indobox, Ballroom Thieves, Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons, and Ryan Montbleau.
But really, we’re most excited for Keytar Bear, who went from playing MBTA stations and other public areas around Boston to becoming a minor celebrity after a street attack left him with a broken nose and damaged keytar. Fund-raising efforts, including a show at the Middle East in Cambridge, raised $7,700 for the performer and hooked him up with a vintage Roland AX-1 keytar.
Since then, he’s had multiple high-profile appearances, including a party for EventBrite and at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Keytar Bear also performed at the gates of Boston Calling back in May, but wasn’t included on any of the festival’s posters or promo material.
So this Campfire nod is a big fucking deal, even if he got the small-font treatment.
The presser for Campfire reads:
“Carefully conceptualized as a multi-faceted experience, festival attendees can discover their inner child by partaking in an array of summer camp-themed activities including rock climbing, land and lake obstacle courses (including on our amazing Campfire Festival wibit!), mini-golf, zip lines, ropes courses and team sports. Campfire Festival also offers a wide variety of interactive attractions and workshops by local artisans, educators and craft makers, as well as an extensive yoga program. There will also be a craft brewfest, wine tastings and a petting zoo onsite.”
Hopefully they keep our Bear away from that “petting zoo.” Here’s a look at the flyer:
