Written By: Sam Wolloch
Welcome back to my preview of some awesome artists hiding out in the early end of the Moonrise lineup this weekend. I took the time to focus on eight different acts and this is Part 2, looking at one artist from each stage performing on Sunday. If you want to catch up on my first four selections for Saturday, here’s a link to Part 1.
Sunday 12:20pm – 1:10pm @ Solar Tent: Donnie Miller, aka Decadon, hails from Denver, CO and does outstanding work mixing his love of guitar rock music with dubstep and dance. Decadon festival sets come packed with original mixes and pop rock anthems complete with powerful percussion, bass to the brim, and sometimes live guitar riffs. You best be ready to bring the energy. I was truly blown away when listening through Decadon’s folder of remixed pop and rock songs to find my favorite Rolling Stones song of all time, Gimme Shelter. It SLAPS!
Sunday 1:00pm – 2:00pm @ Lunar Stage: Felly is a 23 year old rapper and producer from Connecticut with a familiar trap sound blended with a relaxed reggae feel. His most recently recorded album “Surf Trap” is quite aptly named, as the jazzy piano and guitar melodies backed by heady trap drum beats pair perfectly with a lazy afternoon at the beach. Check out his track Maple to get a better idea of what surf trap really sounds like and go get groovy with it.
Sunday 2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Celestial Garden: Eclectic and experimental – two words that come to mind after listening to some of the sets from this trio comprised of Spencer Lokken, Bethany Lokken, and Ben Silver. These close friends got together in 2001 in Chicago with a goal to bring different and diverse dance music designed to get people going anywhere and everywhere “from the dance floor to the couch” … and they have delivered! Expect the unexpected as Orchard Lounge looks to expose their listeners to a wide range of other artists they admire and respect. Although this trio of artists maintains separate pages for studio work, its soundcloud offers some select live sets and this 5 year old beauty on a boat cruise in Boston is my pick for best of the bunch.
Sunday 2:30pm – 3:30pm @ Stellar Stage: Ricky Retro’s America-loving antics answer the question of what would happen if a Danny McBride character became an EDM house DJ. Decked out in a cowboy hat and boots, Rik brings country swagger, stadium anthems, and classic rock cuts to his brand of energetic house music. By far the best part of my due diligence was finding his Instagram @gorickyretro. His IG highlights are humorous levels of ridiculousness, but I think I may have enjoyed hearing him MC his set from the Indy500 Snake Pit even more. You can thank me later for skipping a few minutes into the set to get to the goods.
Well there you go, eight artists in total to look out for at Moonrise Festival and beyond. I know I’ll be through those gates early to check out the sounds of some fresh faces and see what vendor village and festival foods are on offer. And finally, here are my six can’t miss sets for the business end of each day. Feel free to drop a DM on Twitter or Instagram @SamWolloch if you’d like a music meet up for a Moon Landing at Moonrise.
Saturday: Sullivan King b2b Wooli; Party Favor; Rusko; Big Gigantic; Gud Vibrations; Zhu.
Sunday: Whipped Cream; Jai Wolf; Slushii; KSHMR; Seven Lions; Excision.
