The 3rd annual Dark Star Jubilee is the perfect festival for the Ohio Deadhead who doesn’t want to break the bank to see excellent music. Headlined by Dark Star Orchestra, the preeminent Grateful Dead tribute band, the Jubilee is a fun experience for music lovers of all ages that is smaller, more intimate and free of the logistical headaches and hassles of large-scale festivals like Bonnaroo or Coachella. Taking place over Memorial Day Weekend (May 23-25), the festival is held at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio—just a three-hour drive south of Toledo.
Forget three-mile treks to the concert stages from your campsite, $9 beers and $400 ticket prices; at the Dark Star Jubilee, attendees are invited to camp in the main concert bowl, just 100 yard from the music, and can bring their own beer and liquor (no glass allowed). Yes, you can see the stages from your campsite. Tickets are $150 at the gate for all three days, which, compared to the high-ticket price of most other music festivals, is an absolute steal. The lineup features 20 artists from across the country ranging from bluegrass to funk to rock and even reggae, with two side-by-stages and no overlapping sets.
The Jubilee features three nights of the Dark Star Orchestra in the headline spot. Also on the bill are New Orleans funk all-stars Galactic, blues-rocker Anders Osborne, reggae masters The Wailers performing Bob Marley’s Legend in its entirety, as well as late-night performances by bluegrass mad men Yonder Mountain String Band and The Devil Makes Three. And for all the parents out there, kids under 3 get in for free and tickets for kids ages 4-12 cost just $25 as long as you register in advance at darkstarjubilee.com (no pets allowed)
Legend Valley, formerly known as Buckeye Lake, was the site of legendary Grateful Dead shows in the 90s, and the Dark Star Jubilee does an amazing job of replicating the one-of-a-kind vibe that was unique to Dead concerts. Beyond the fantastic music, the festival is a perfect place to meet like-minded music fans from Ohio, the Midwest and beyond.
Here are the Top 5 acts that you don’t want to miss:
1.) Dark Star Orchestra — The premier Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra recreates exact set-lists from classic Grateful Dead performances while injecting their own mind-bending improvisational prowess into the songs. Their mastery of the Grateful Dead’s brand of psychedelic music is second to none—and with two full sets of music every night of the festival, get ready for an overdose of Dead.
Dark Star Orchestra -> Performing “Help On the Way, Slipknot!, and Feel Like a Stranger” at the 2013 Jubilee.
2.) Anders Osborne — New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Anders Osborne is one of the most honest and pure singer-songwriters currently writing music. His newest album, Peace, combines introspective lyrics about topics such as addiction and love with raw slide guitar and chunky blues riffs.
Anders Osborne -> Performing “Burning On The Inside” at the Bluebird Theater in Denver, CO, 5/18/12.
3.) Yonder Mountain String Band — Former front-man Jeff Austin left Yonder Mountain String Band earlier this year, which means the group is inviting special guests Jerry Douglas on dobro and John Frazier on mandolin to join them for a special late-night performance at the Jubilee. So bust out the whiskey and get ready for a good ol’ fashioned hoedown with virtuoso picking and classic YMSB songs.
Yonder Mountain String Band -> Performing “Traffic Jam” at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC, 2/7/14.
4.) The Devil Makes Three — If Yonder Mountain String Band are the good guys of bluegrass, The Devil Makes Three are the genre’s unabashed troublemakers. Their songs tell debaucherous stories involving copious amounts of whiskey, criminal activity and other activities only fit for the dark of night.
The Devil Makes Three — Performing “Old Number 7” at the Independent in San Francisco in November 2007.
5.) Keller Williams and More Than A Little — Usually known for his solo act as a “one-man band,” Keller Williams returns to Legend Valley with his funk band More Than A Little. Check out our interview with Keller for Current Magazine back in April here https://www.ecurrent.com/April-2014/Han-Solo/#.U2uy2K1dUrw
Keller Williams and More Than A Little -> Performing “Let’s Jam” live at a JamBase HQ visit
For more information on the Dark Star Jubilee including a full lineup of musical artists,
directions and frequently asked questions, visit darkstarjubilee.com .