The Speed of Sound Music Festival is landing at Dutchess County Airport this Sunday, and it boasts quite a lineup, from luminous New Jersey-bred singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins to Denver’s breakout folk-pop act (and Girls-referenced) the Lumineers. Or as Peter Himberger, vice president of live events for Radio Woodstock and one of the event’s organizers puts it, the affair should be the “ultimate, great-vibes summer party.”
But rather than simply provide you with hyperbole about every artist or easily aggregated bio info, we thought we’d offer some more intimate insight into the weekend’s standout performers. The rest—i.e. buying a ticket, grabbing a ride, attending, etc.—is up to you.
Nicole Atkins (Asbury Park by way of Neptune, NJ)
- Nicole has a cat named Leon who may or may not like being dressed up like a pirate.
- She is also a fan of the new Showtime series Roadies (and is appearing on it Aug. 28!), but what rock ‘n’ roll lifer isn’t?
Rayland Baxter (Nashville, TN)
- Rayland loves Snapchatting random people, and he is not offended very easily, so the weirder the Snaps the better!
- He also really likes Mac Miller, for both his music and his intangible coolness.
Swear and Shake (Nashville, TN)
- They drive around in an old Ford van with a self-described “hardcore” mom tattoo on the roof.
- Their songs are also featured on Jcrush, a Jewish dating app.
Simone Felice (Palenville, NY)
- Simone produced The Lumineers’ (see below) Cleopatra album and preformed with them on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
- He also wrote a book about a runaway prostitute in the Reagan era titled Hail Mary Full of Holes.
 Photo: Scarlet Page |
The Lumineers (Denver, CO)
- Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” taught drummer Jeremiah that a band doesn’t need drums to sound awesome.
- Cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarek met the band by answering a Craigslist ad and gave up a full time teaching job to stay with it. Probably a good move.
