Let’s get one thing straight: Crooked Coast know how to celebrate an album release. Perhaps the band would host the second iteration of Coast-Fest this weekend even if their new record Picture This wasn’t dropping tomorrow (August 5), but damn does the timing line up perfectly.
After a two-year hiatus, the music and arts festival returns to the Cape this Saturday (August 6), bringing a combination of live music, art, and local food and drink vendors to Falmouth Marine Park. Will Evans, DCLA, Blacktop Strut, Buddahfly, and New York’s Blac Rabbit are all on deck to perform, and as the festival’s organizers, Crooked Coast will end the day with a headlining set.
Crooked Coast created the inaugural Coast-Fest in 2019, but the band was forced to hold off on repeat editions in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, the group initially invented their own event when they weren’t receiving many festival opportunities, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue these days; Crooked Coast stormed the Orange Stage at Boston Calling in May, and they’ll head to Martha’s Vineyard to perform at Beach Road Weekend later this month.
Clearly, Crooked Coast have leveled up in recent years — and so has Coast-Fest.
“The first Coast-Fest we had to learn everything as we went,” singer and guitarist Luke Vose tells Vanyaland. “[It was] definitely challenging but it made the festival crew super tight. We didn’t really know if it would work. We kinda ran on faith…This year we were able to up the capacity and the production. Our lighting designer Rafe Sanger really took off this year. He’s been touring with The Movement doing shows at Red Rocks so he has a new perspective on how to make the visuals incredible.”
Armed with these upgraded visual elements, the band’s vision for Picture This and their second Coast Fest are truly coming into focus.
“Tickets are selling really well and it’s looking like it’s going to be the biggest show we’ve ever headlined, ” Vose concludes. “We really couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate.”
Check out the festival flyer and set times below, and grab advance tickets for $35 here.
