Get ready for a two-day, two venue festival with multiple bands and stages this weekend all put together by Richmond’s own The Shack Band.
Get ready for a two-day, two venue festival with multiple bands and stages this weekend all put together by Richmond’s own The Shack Band.
The five-piece rock and roll group will throw their first festival, “The Shack Up”, a two-day music festival Friday and Saturday at The Camel and The Broadberry featuring 13 acts, including two headlining sets from The Shack Band themselves, The Southern Belles, Dalton Dash, and others.
Bassist Mason Owen said he and Lucas Fritz, co-owner of the two music venues, have been planning The Shack Up Festival since last year.
“We really wanted to put together an “urban music festival” where folks can come out and enjoy live music inside The Broadberry and The Camel as well as outside like a traditional music festival,” Owen said. “Sleeping in your own bed at the end of the night is a plus too…”
The lineup for consists of the best of our local talent here and bands that The Shack Band has played with along the way.
“We really wanted to put together a lineup that consisted of some of RVA’s best bands as well as some of the bands that The Shack Band has toured with over the years,” said Owen. “We didn’t want the festival to be centered around one style of music, this weekend’s lineup offers rock, bluegrass, funk, mo-town, reggae rock, prog rock… you name it.”
It’s the first festival the band has put on and Owen said they got the idea from a band called Sol Drien Train.
“They put on a festival each year in their home town of Charleston, SC that’s very similar to The Shack Up,” he said. “We got the idea from them and in turn, invited them to come up and play this weekend.”
Festivities kick off Friday at The Broadberry and The Camel with performances by Butcher Brown, The Shack Band, Dank and The Southern Belles. The band has planned an outdoor stage for the venue that is going behind the patio section.
The Shack Up Festival will feature The Southern Belles’ “First Fridays” at The Camel. Owen said The Belles and The Shack Band go way back. Tommy Booker from The Southern Belles and Bobby Hudson from Shack played in a band called Think about 15 years ago.
“The Belles have carved out a killer niche every first Friday at The Camel and we were extremely happy to be able to incorporate that into The Shack Up,” Owen said. “I think they’ve been playing first Friday’s for almost two years now, definitely a Richmond staple.”
Saturday’s lineup at both venues includes Dalton Dash, Jackass Flats, The Slank, The Big Payback, Love Canon, Dale and the Z Dubs, The Trongone Band, Consider the Source and of course The Shack Band.
Owen said response for the festival has been great thus far and they’ve been able to get the word with social media and street teamers.
“The RVA music loving community is strong enough to support an event like this as well which also helps,” he added.
Owen said he hopes The Shack Up Festival will turn into something they can put on every summer.
The Shack Up Festival kicks off this Friday and Saturday at The Broadberry and The Camel. A weekend pass is $35 and day passes range from $10-$25. Grab your tickets here.
