Fests or Famine

In terms of big outdoor summer music fests, we're officially a cold Omaha.

Chicago has Lollapalooza with Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Kanye West. Milwaukee has Summerfest with Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw and Stone Temple Pilots. Even Des Moines has a cool new bash, the 80-35 Fest, happening on the July 4th weekend with Flaming Lips, the Roots, Drive-by Truckers and many more.

And who does the Twin Cities have for its big, city-sponsored festival over the 4th? REO Speedwagon, Eddie Money and Barry (Greg Brady) Williams. For more laughs, see TasteofMN.org.

The lack of major festivals in town has produced at least one positive, though. There are a bunch of smaller, unique niche fests starting up or on the rise that could make it an interesting, if not star-studded, summer of outdoor music in or near the Twin Cities.

"It seemed like it was time to step up and do our own kind of fest," said Jason (J-Bird) Cook, tour operations manager for Minneapolis' indie-rap empire Rhymesayers Entertainment, which is throwing its first festival Sunday, an all-day, 35-act show outside the Metrodome called Soundset '08.

Soundset is more or less Rhymesayers' personalized answer to nationally known festivals such as Coachella, Vegoose and Bumbershoot, where its artists Atmosphere and Brother Ali have performed.

Atmosphere rapper Slug said, "J-Bird has been on us to try to do some kind of festival thing for forever, because he loves them, seeing 25 bands in one day and all that. We've just never really had the time, energy, resources. This year, though, it all came together."

Walker Art Center's June 21 revival of its Rock the Garden event, for instance, is already sold out thanks to a smart lineup taken straight off the niche indie-rock playlist at the Current (89.3 FM). Organizers of this weekend's second annual Fest di Bella Sol at Harmony Park in southern Minnesota are also catering to a very specific audience with its three-day array of psychedelic, Southern-flavored jam bands.

One very genre-specific local fest, the second annual Deep Blues Festival (July 18-20 in Lake Elmo), has sold tickets in 26 states and a few other countries, its organizer said. The volunteer-run, three-day event will pair gritty, authentic but little-known Southern bluesmen such as T-Model Ford and Elmo Williams with younger, hipper acolytes such as the Black Eyed Snakes and Buffalo Killers.

"I'm not saying we've sold a lot of tickets, but we've found the audience for our event in a lot of different places," said Chris Johnson, a former insurance salesman who started the event simply because he's a fan. "I think these are exciting acts, and I'm hoping we can turn more people from the Twin Cities on to them."

And then there's the seventh annual Square Lake Festival near Stillwater on Aug. 16, which seemingly caters to the most select group any promoter could ever dream up: indie-rock/classical/free-jazz fans who are also art-house film buffs and cyclists. Tickets are even discounted for riders, based on how far they bike to get to the site.

"We're not striving to become a big event that has fences and beer gardens," said Square Lake organizer Paul Creager. "We like to keep it intimate and make it a unique experience."

Not all of the local fests think small. The most promising new fest from a commerce standpoint -- and maybe a party-hearty standpoint -- is the Apple River Country Splash, June 19-21 at Float-Rite Park in Somerset, Wis. Float-Rite used to be the local site for Ozzfest and the modern-rock-oriented EdgeFest and X-Fest but has mostly sat dormant for the past four summers.

"We're not completely giving up on rock, but we see this as a changeover year to country," said Float-Rite co-owner John Montpetit, who teamed with a California concert promoter to land such big Nashville names as Alan Jackson and Gretchen Wilson. "Country music is doing really well, and we think that crowd will have a lot of fun out here."

One of the biggest country festivals in the nation, We Fest, takes place four hours in the other direction from the Twin Cities in Detroit Lakes, Minn. (at the same location where the jam-band-centric 10,000 Lakes Fest is also held). Another big twangathon started in 1987, the Cadott Country Fest near Chippewa Falls, Wis., has been attracting more and more Twin Citians and looks to have one of its strongest lineups this year with Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley and Sugarland -- although We Fest has all those acts and Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley for roughly the same ticket price.

Nonetheless, Montpetit believes his Country Splash will be a big hit for one very big reason: His event is only a half-hour from the Twin Cities.

"You shouldn't have to drive half a day from the Twin Cities to get to a good festival," he said.

You don't have to drive far, especially if you have adventurous tastes. Here's a rundown of the most interesting music fests in our area after this weekend:

Apple River Country Splash (June 19-21) -- Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, Clint Black, LeAnn Rimes, Sara Evans, more. Float-Rite Park (camping). $77.50/day, $135.50/three-day. CountrySplash.com.

Twin Cities Jazz Fest (June 19-29) -- Return to Forever, Ravi Coltrane, Charmaine Neville, Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band, Butch Thompson, more. Various locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Many free shows. TwinCitiesJazzFestival.com.

Cadott Country Fest (June 26-29) -- Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert. Campgrounds in Cadott, Wis. (east of Chippewa Falls). $82.50/day or $165/four-day. CountryFest.com

Deep Blues Festival (July 18-20) -- Richard Johnston, T-Model Ford, Black Eyed Snakes, Black Diamond Heavies, Bob Log III, Scott H. Biram, Cedric Burnside, more. Washington County Fairgrounds in Lake Elmo. $30/day, $75/three-day. DeepBluesFestival.com.

10,000 Lakes Fest (July 23-26) -- Phil Lesh & Friends, the Flaming Lips, George Clinton & P-Funk, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Leftover Salmon, more. Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minn. $140/three-day. 10KLF.com.

We Fest (Aug. 7-9) -- Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Wynonna, LeAnn Rimes, more. Soo Pass Ranch. $140/three-day. WeFest.com.

Bayfront Blues Fest (Aug. 7-10) -- Ruthie Foster, Corey Stevens, Lamont Cranston Band, Hoopsnakes, more TBA. Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth. $89/four-day, $60/two-day. BayfrontBlues.com.