Globally-celebrated indie rock band headlines inaugural music festival, joined by Boston local favorites
Friday, Sept 6
Old 4th Ward Skate Park from 5-10pm
FREE!
People know the city of Boston most for its amazing seafood, championship trophies, revolutionary spirit and innovation, but this summer, that’s about to evolve. Meet Boston, the region’s primary private sector destination marketing and visitor services organization, is bringing the unique, eclectic sounds of the city south to the Peach State with its inaugural Meet Boston Music Fest, a free concert experience that will be held on Friday, September 6th at Atlanta’s Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. The show will introduce a diverse lineup of Boston-originated artists, headlined by the renowned rock band Guster, to a whole new region of fans.
Meet Boston Music Fest kicks off at 5 p.m., inviting music fans of all ages to enjoy the dynamic, electrifying sounds and performances that consistently land Boston as one of the top-ranked music cities in the country. Fans are sure to recognize Guster, the indie alternative rock band from Somerville, Massachusetts, famously known for their appearances at the neighborhood “Porchfest.” Now Atlanta natives and visitors alike will have the opportunity to experience their own southern take on those live shows, while also discovering new artists integral to the culture of Boston.
Joining Guster are some of Boston’s most popular and up-and-coming musical artists:
STL GLD: Formed in 2014, STL GLD (pronounced “Still Gold”) is a genre-blending band that combines elements of hip-hop, rap, punk, and cinematic orchestra for an unforgettable experience. Named “Live Artist of the Year” at the 2018 Boston Music Awards and “Boston’s Best Band” by Improper Bostonian, STL GLD’s powerful message and exhilarating live show have quickly earned them the reputation as one the most exciting bands to come out of Boston. Find out more about STL GLD here.
Sofia Villarreal: Sofia is an upright and electric bassist, producer, composer, and current student at Berklee College of Music. She’s best known for leveraging music as a catalyst for positive change and healing. Sofia founded the Start Where We Are Earth Music Festival, from which all proceeds benefited environmental organizations fighting climate change. Find out more about Sofia and the band here.
Rilla Force: Known for his signature sound coined RBDM — a blend of future bass infused with electronic, hip-hop, and RnB — Rilla Force is an artist, producer, and DJ that has performed across Boston’s premier music venues, and is dedicated to building relationships with other diverse artists and giving back to the music community. Find out more about Rilla Force here.
“There’s a vibrancy to Atlanta that makes it one of our favorite places to visit and to welcome visitors from,” said Martha J. Sheridan, Meet Boston President & CEO. “Many travelers don’t realize that our two cities have much in common, including a shared love of music and celebration of local artistry. We are actually more alike than different. We can’t wait to make new friends in Atlanta and come together for an incredible night of live music by our favorite Boston headliner and hometown heroes.”
In addition to the musical performances, concert-goers can enjoy a variety of food and beverage concessions that blend the best flavors of Boston and Atlanta.
We saw Helmet at the Masquerade on 5/12/24. Helmet is an alternative metal and rock band out of New York fronted by guitarist and lead singer, Page Hamilton, boasts some early 90s classic rock albums from 1992’s Meantime to 1994’s Betty. Their sound is creatively unique for the time with melodious metal if that can even be a thing, mixed with grunge notes of the time and very distinct repetitive guitar work called drop D tuning (per wiki).
John and I were both huge lovers of the Crow movie soundtrack back when it came out in 1994 and that’s how I discovered Helmet with their song, “Milquetoast” one of the lead tracks! From there we listened to all of album Betty with its repetitive heavily distorted guitar paired with riffs and melodious lyrics. But my heart stays with Meantime and the song “Unsung.” The albums are similar, but I feel Meantime was a little edgier and harder. A recurring MTV staple, I just remember the “Unsung” video looking like it was filmed in a nuclear silo. Fun fact: Beavis and Butthead critiqued the song on the show in 1993 (from wiki).
Something I found interesting in their wiki was that the New York Times called Helmet, “a band that made important connections between indie-rock and metal.” and that they had a HUGE impact on the nu metal bands of the late 90’s. And even called “smart rock” by the New York Daily News. We agree, their songs and riffs are highly influential, and we think they are one of the most underrated bands of the 90’s in terms of notoriety. They should be rock gods!
Helmet is on tour right now to promote their new album, LEFT, that is now out, and their new track “Holiday” is just what you’d expect from them. Ripping chords blurred with power guitar, fast slow, and grunge reverb. I love it when bands keep their sound, and this new album is just that.
With acts like Weezer, Sunny Day Real Estate, Dinosaur Jr, and Foo Fighters,
this year’s Shaky Knees spoke to my Gen X heart.
New Band highlight
Something we’re highlighting this Shaky Knees beyond the stout 90’s band line-up are the new bands that we catch. On Friday, the first one is Ax and the Hatchetmen, a young indie 7-piece out of Chicago with tons of energetic big band sound, funky, rocky, and beachy all rolled into one fun time. I felt it was a mix of Cage the Elephant-esque, the strokes, and a hint of Ween. A great show where they ended the set with The Strokes, “Last Night.”
Another band that we hadn’t seen is and enjoyed is Late Night Drive Home out of Texas. The lead singer, Andre Patillo, came out with a red mask on that had frills at the bottom. They’re a blend of punk, rock, 90s with swelling choruses. But they also play a wide variety of rock sounds including 90’s reverb. We loved they sang Blur, “Song No. 2.” to end the set. I love that song!
Next up on Saturday, was two bands: Microwave and Dead Poets Society. Microwave is out of Atlanta, which I didn’t know, and has a variety of sounds from loud, hard rock to 90’s fast slow, and then some punk. The other was Dead Poet’s Society out of Boston that had hard riffs that reminded me of Rob/White Zombie up front, thrash, but then the vocals come in softer and higher for a fun mix of sounds.
Then, finally on Sunday, we caught a newer band we had not heard of until the festival, Arcy Drive. They are out of New York with a mash-up of varieties of sounds like indie, 90s fast slow, two-step, and singsong talking and singing mix. Not all at the same time, for example one song would be songs that are softer almost ballad-like that erupt into heavy guitar for the chorus. Then, the next song would be a rock song with more of a southern twang and have some two-step influence. I enjoyed lead singer Nick Mateyunas’ voice, it is smooth yet gritty. The one we really like is called Wicked Styley, which is the one they started with. It is a fun upbeat rock song with lots of 90’s influence and reverb.
Top 5 Favorite Artist Moments
5. Finally hearing “Seven” live from Sunny Day Real Estate
4. Billy Idol throwing shirt into crowd
3. Dead Poets Society lead singer, Jack Underkofler, fell into the crowd and crowd surfed while singing one of the first songs.
2. Dinosaur Jr embracing the downpour. Putting on the best show despite the rain coming down so hard it caused a flood! Bravo! Plus, they covered The Cure!
1. Ax and the Hatchetmen. A genius way to get people to listen to your new song is to hand out water with a QR code to your song on the side. They even named it HatchetWater. Love.
Our two favorite performances
The Downpour. About 5 minutes before Dinosaur Jr. went on the Ponce De Leon stage, the skies opened, and a torrential downpour started and lasted for almost the entire set. People were caught in the rain, and it was so much that even us with ponchos got soaked. Especially our feet in ankle deep water near the front of the stage flowing into the crowd. No one seemed to mind too much, and it electrified the audience. John quipped at one point, “it’s like we’re back in the 90’s.” And he was right, the energy from the crowd was noticeably high! They even broke out into mosh pits and a sea of crowd surfers dotted the front. It was a sight to behold! Plus, the music had a lot to do with the mood! If you don’t know Dinosaur Jr, they are what I call hard skate rock. Something I imagine skaters on their boards would listen to in their ear buds. Songs like “Feel the Pain” and “Over It” are melodious with heavy guitar and just plain fun. Plus, the covered The Cure, “Just Like Heaven.” It was a great show.
That brings us to Sunny Day Real Estate. They are one of those 90’s bands that I just got introduced to by John a few years ago and we started watching their videos on YouTube. I call them the quintessential fast slow early 90’s band. Melodious verses and vocals erupt into a barrage of heavy guitar and pounding drums, Sunny Day Real Estate satisfies song after song. This performance was just that, song after song, humming along as they played the entire Diary album for its 30th anniversary. It was AMAZING. Plus, we found out that 90’s band Super chunk members were also playing with them. It’s almost like a super group!
90’s band extravaganza at this year’s Shaky Knees
Our favorite of the bands we know is Metric out of Canada. A band that played on 99x back in the day, and that I know probably 5 songs from was thoroughly enjoyable. Emily Haines, the lead singer, came out in a bright red shinny body suit. If you know Metric, they are heavy on electronic and keyboard, yet rock and 80s infused. Reminiscent of Garbage to me, “Help I’m Alive,” was the highlight for me. I hadn’t heard it live and it was my favorite of their music then and now.
Unfortunately, we had to miss Offspring because we had never seen Sunny Day Real Estate and we’re going to spend time with a band that we hadn’t seen. We love Offspring, I saw them back in 1994 for the Smash tour and several times over the years including the last time they were at the Tabernacle. I heard they did an incredible show.
Have you ever found yourself driving too fast on the interstate? You might have been listening to Queens of the Stone Age. What I call fast driving music, Queens of the Stone Age are very drum forward with deep and heavy beats, beautiful guitar riffs and Josh Homme’s great voice. Plus, they visually never disappoint, this year with roaming light show. Last time we saw them they had a large video board with LED visuals that really went well with the music. Did you know Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) also did the drums on “No One Knows” which you can tell by the drums! But my favorite of their songs after last night is “Go with the flow.” I always liked it but realized it is more diverse musically than some of the others.
My boyfriend back in 1994 gave me a non-descript bright blue album as a present. Little did I know that that album would be in my top 5 all-time records, and Weezer would cement themselves into rock god status in my life. I’ve seen Weezer over the years from them playing large festivals to arenas to a small stage at the Braves stadium and they always sound perfect. What I call garage or college rock, Weezer has a distinct sound that no one else can create and that sets them apart from some of the other 90’s bands, don’t get me wrong, I love most early 90’s bands! The underlying hum of the guitars, explosions of rock juxtaposing the smoothness or River’s voice, it all comes together completely. What I love about them live is they really play up the guitar and show their musical prowess, plus, visually, they always have their W front and center. If you’ve never seen them live, you must; it is an experience.
I’m just going to come right out and say it, we left before Foo Fighters. We’d seen them before, and the weather had made the main stage too muddy. Plus, we had stood in ankle high water for an hour, so our feet were wet, and we had a long weekend. We will catch them next time.
Billy Idol
After our Dinosaur Jr. experience, we headed back over to see Billy Idol and found the main stage to be a mud bog. People without shoes dancing in the sprinkles, drenched friends with smiles on their faces. We saw him back in 2015 during Music Midtown and his show has always been top notch! Billy Idol is always a good time singing greats like White Wedding, Rebel Yell, and Cradle of Love that anyone will sing and dance with. Visually, he had some fun LED graphics and seems to have not aged a bit and still sounds good live! He even took his Billy Idol shirt off and threw it in the crowd.
Around the Festival
It wouldn’t be a large music festival without festival polls, our favorite was the blown-up stick of butter. Plus, we were blown away by the food court with some great Atlanta and regional restaurants like Hattie Bs. Finally, we experienced a cool activation, Liquid Death Country Club. It was an actual small house with grim reapers guarding the entrance where you can “sell your soul” to get some water inside. You can also get free water with a whole in one on their golf green and airbrushed tattoos inside. It is much fun and on brand for Shaky Knees.
Helmet, an American Alternative rock band out of New York join forces with guest Cro-Mags, a hardcore band, for an evening that will blow you away. Maybe literally.
HELMET
Helmet is an American alternative rock band from New York City formed in 1989 by vocalist and lead guitarist Page Hamilton. Since 2010, the band has consisted of Hamilton, drummer Kyle Stevenson, guitarist Dan Beeman and bassist Dave Case.
In June 2021 the band released via their website only a limited edition box set entitled “Move On” featuring 4 x 7” singles including the following covers and live tracks:
Move on (David Bowie) w/ More Bad News live
Mercy (Wire) w/ Rollo live
ETI (Blue Oyster Cult) w/ Blacktop live
I’m only sleeping (The Beatles) w/ Crisis King live
2023 saw the band return to the studio for it’s ninth album Left which was released by earMusic in November 2023.
CRO-MAGS
“It is 1981 in New York City: a distant planet, hard to see now. Beastie Boys is just being embryonically formed in a rehearsal space somewhere. Elsewhere, Butthole Surfers, Cro-Mags, Motley Crue, Napalm Death, Run- DMC, Sonic Youth, and Wham! are likewise coagulating.”
-Luc Sante “Beastie Revolution” introduction to Beastie Boys Book (2018)
The history of the Cro-Mags is integral to the history of Hardcore, it’s evolution from Punk and the development of alternative music genres such as thrash, cross-over, thrash metal, post punk and grunge to name a few. Numerous iconic bands from Metallica to Green Day, and individuals such as Dave Grohl have credited Cro-Mags with having a primal influence on their development.
The brain child of a very young Harley Flanagan back in 1981 (at the time 14 years old) when still playing with the Stimulators, Flanagan set out to start his own band. By 1982/83 he recorded the very first Cro-Mags demos consisting of 4 songs that would become the blue print for the seminal 1986 “Age of Quarrel.” He wrote all of the music, played each instrument and sang. Before long he was joined by Parris Mayhew and the two started writing music and auditioning band members.
After several line-ups, 6 album releases (beyond the original demos) and 40 years of tours around the world, Cro-Mags remains one of the most iconic hardcore bands with tremendous reach and influence beyond the genre.
Premier festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents kicks off its 2023 season with DWP’s longest-running annual festival, Welcome To Rockville. The festival brought together 150,000 fans in 2022 and the 12th edition of the event will be held for its third installment at the hallowed grounds of “The World Center of Rock,” Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The 2023 event takes place from May 18-21 and features a massive lineup featuring headliners Tool, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold and Pantera plus Deftones, Rob Zombie,Godsmack, Evanescence, Incubus, Queens of the Stone Age, Alice Cooper, The Mars Volta, Puscifer, I Prevail, Chevelle, Coheed & Cambria,Hardy and Trivium. Jose “Metal Ambassador” Mangin will host the event with on-stage appearances and fan meet and greets.
“We are so excited to be bringing this fantastic lineup to Welcome To Rockville,” says Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “Our fans have been wanting Pantera and along with one of Avenged Sevenfold’s first live shows in five years, crowd favorite Slipknot, AND one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Tool, we are delivering a jam-packed weekend to the ‘The World Center of Rock.’ Can’t wait to see everyone in May!”
“Danny Wimmer Presents has done it yet again, producing a spectacular, anticipated lineup of legendary rock bands for the 2023 edition of Welcome To Rockville” says Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. “The event is fast becoming a tradition here at The World Center of Entertainment, hosting 150,000 concertgoers from all over the world. It’s a huge win-win for our guests and our community. We can’t wait for next May.”
For the first time in Welcome To Rockville history, Early Bird Passes sold out before the lineup was released. Single day and weekend passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now at www.welcometorockville.com. Passes can be purchased as general admission, VIP, or Daytona Owners Club, and layaway is available starting as low as $10 down, only through December 31, 2022. Passes are expected to sell quickly, and festival promoters Danny Wimmer Presents recommend fans purchase early to secure the best price.
The current Welcome To Rockville 2023 lineup is as follows (subject to change):
Thursday, May 18: Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Queens of the Stone Age, Puscifer, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Black Veil Brides, Suicidal Tendencies, Avatar, Black Stone Cherry, Converge, Band-Maid, Austin Meade, Stray From the Path, Brutus, Rain City Drive, Bloodywood, Malevolence, Vended, Rivals, Nevertel, Widow7, Conquer Divide, Budderside
Friday, May 19: Avenged Sevenfold, Evanescence, Hardy, I Prevail, Motionless In White, Asking Alexandria, Sleeping with Sirens, Badflower, Ayron Jones, Memphis May Fire, From Ashes to New, Born of Osiris, The Warning, Mothica, Des Rocs, Varials, Tallah, Tigercub, Slay Squad, Ryan Oakes, Tuk Smith and the Restless Hearts, Bastardane, OTTTO, Until I Die
Saturday, May 20: Pantera, Godsmack, Alice Cooper, Chevelle, Alter Bridge, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, Knocked Loose, Rival Sons, Yelawolf Presents: Sometimes Y, Pop Evil, Suicide Silence, Sepultura, The Bronx, Poorstacy, Ho99o9, Zero 9:36, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Dayseeker, Dead Poet Society, Kreator, The Violent, Starcrawler, Hammerhedd
Sunday, May 21:Tool, Deftones, Incubus, The Mars Volta, Coheed & Cambria, Pennywise, Ghostemane, Grandson, Sueco, Filter, Deafheaven, Anti-Flag, Senses Fail, New Years Day, Nothing, Nowhere., Angel Du$t, Nova Twins, Point North, Wargasm, Bob Vylan, Capital Theatre, Uncured, Reddstar
Welcome To Rockville features 95 musical acts over four days on four stages, amusement rides, a giant water slide, artwork installations, partner experiences, award-winning spirits, and delectable eats.
Passes for Welcome To Rockville are on sale now for as low as $109.99 plus fees. Full pass type options can be viewed at www.welcometorockville.com. Festivalgoers are encouraged to buy early to save as pass prices increase throughout the coming months, based on level quantities. A limited number of specially priced tickets for military personnel and first responders are on sale now via GovX.
Welcome To Rockville VIP pass holders will be living their best lives with access to all GA areas as well as a commemorative VIP laminate and wristband for access to dedicated Festival VIP Fast Track entrance lanes, access to all VIP lounges, and shaded patio areas which feature comfortable furniture with live audio & video streams of both Main Stages. VIPs will have dedicated VIP main stage viewing areas, access to a dedicated festival merchandise booth**, dedicated guest services team, private locker rentals with charging capabilities**, air conditioned & flushable restrooms, and premium food & drink offerings** (**for additional purchase).
After a record sell-out in 2022, the Daytona Owners Club VIP returns for 2023. In addition to being a festival VIP, a commemorative Daytona Owners Club laminate and wristband will be provided, granting exclusive access to an enclosed air-conditioned lounge with a private hosted bar (all-inclusive beer, cocktails, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks will be available at dedicated bars throughout the Owners Club and VIP bars) and comfortable seating and live audio & video of both Main Stages. The show can be enjoyed with a bird’s eye view of a main stage under a covered/shaded platform. Additional amenities include complimentary hors d’oeuvres during lunch and dinner hours, a dedicated festival merchandise booth**, complimentary Wi-Fi, air-conditioned and flushable restrooms, private locker rentals with charging capabilities**, a dedicated “Owner’s” services team, dedicated Owner’s Club Fast Track entrance lanes, and one premium parking pass included with each Daytona Owners Club Pass order (**for additional purchase).
Welcome To Rockville campers get the ultimate experience. They will spend five days on the festival field in the middle of all the action with the quickest access to all the stages. Amenities include indoor restrooms and showers, in and out privileges, and a general store for supplies. A limited number of Weekend Camping Packages are available for both car and tent and RVs. Admission to the festival is not included in Weekend Camping Packages and must be purchased separately. Campers can also look forward to a kick-off party on Wednesday, May 17 and themed contests throughout the weekend.
Welcome To Rockville is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.
Welcome to Rockville is proud to host premier partners Bud Light Seltzer and Jack Daniel’s.
“Bud Light Seltzer is happy to be back supporting Welcome To Rockville for the 3rd year in a row as we continue to bring new and exciting flavors to Rockvillians from around the country!” – Grant Herman, Trade Marketing Manager Anheuser Busch
“Jack Daniel’s is committed to supporting musicians now more than ever as we continue our long-standing connection to the music industry dating to Mr. Jack Daniel himself. We have been at Welcome To Rockville for some great musical moments and are excited to continue that partnership. Jack Daniel’s is just about as close to the music as you can get, without actually making the music.” – Greg Luehrs, Director Partnerships Jack Daniel’s, Brown-Forman Corporation
More partners and experiences will be announced closer to the show.
For more information on #WelcomeToRockville, visit:
