Ready to Naukabout?

By: Elise Hugus, May 24, 2012

Elise Hugus - Ryan Montbleau and his band serenade fans at the 2010 Naukabout Festival.

Cape Cod fans who have been holding their breath to see who’s going to be playing this summer’s Naukabout Music Festival can now rest easy. It’s gonna be a killer concert on August 11.

Now in its 5^th year of bringing top-notch jam-rock bands from around the region to the Barnstable County Fairgrounds, Naukabout released its much-anticipated lineup Thursday.

Ryan Montbleau and his band return to headline Naukabout for the second year in a row. Montbleau has been playing the festival since its inception in 2007, and each year he’s got another notch on his belt of albums and accolades. (The Ryan Montbleau Band released its 8^th full-length album, For Higher, on May 15. Stay tuned for a review!)

“We’re very lucky and excited to have Ryan joining us again. As we grow, he’s grown exponentially more,” says festival organizer Peter Murner.

In a significant shake-up of the festival’s “beachgrass” vibe, the reggae-dub-funk bands John Brown’s Body and Dub Apocalypse will bring a high level of energy (and dedicated fan base) to the East Falmouth stage. These Boston-based bands share several members, so don’t be surprised if JBB’s horn-heavy sound morphs into a full-on Dub Apocalypse improv jam session.

Rising stars

Over the years, Naukabout has cultivated a roster of bands that, like Ryan Montbleau, gone on to become rising stars in the indie pop-rock circuit. Among them are the Adam Ezra Group, another Boston band that attracted major attention on tour over the past year.

Last year’s festival got a little frenetic, with two stages going and local musicians working the entrance as “buskers.” This year, things will be a little more stripped-down, with Will Evans of Barefoot Truth and Boston’s Will Dailey performing solo on the “Side Stage,” powered by the sun thanks to Cotuit Solar.

The only Cape band on the roster this year is the Dune Billy All-Stars, featuring a revolving cast of some of the Cape’s best rock-reggae musicians, including Michael Gabriel of Shango Axe and Charles Parker Walton, who keeps the beat for more bands than you can count. Considering their knockout performance at the InsideOUT Harbor Fest last summer, the Dune Billy All-Stars are bound to get the crowd moving as they open up for Dub and JBB.

The festival opens at noon with Tall Heights and the Baker Thomas Band, two up-and-coming bands from Boston. Tall Heights lives up to its name with a cello in the mix, while the eclectic jams of the Baker Thomas Band are sure to please the kiddos.

Boston's stomp-box and harmonica sweetheart Danielle Miraglia, who is represented by Buzzards Bay's Trespass Music, sets the tone for the whole shebang with a solo performance on the Side Stage.

More than music

Curating the festival is a yearlong process undertaken by Centerville native Jeff Conley, who will also play the festival with his full band this year.

“It’s a balance between trying to find acts outside of Cape scene and the fan base that will attract people here,” says Murner. “There are so many amazing musicians in the NE and the Cape. It’s a heartbreaking process.”

Local artists will have a moment to shine in the Little Beach Art Garden, curated by Jen Villa of the Little Beach Gallery in Hyannis. Artists and craftsmen who are interested in demonstrating or displaying their work should get in touch with Jen!