North Side
Lucky Chops Brass Band – performing 7pm to 8:30pm at Volksplatz
These guys got their fame via youtube videos of their awesome NYC subway performances. The baritone sax player is also part of the (even better) “brasshouse” band Too Many Zooz and is an absolute beast on the horn (and apparently the dance floor too). If there’s one band you should see tonight it’s probably these guys.
Zepplehem – performing 7pm to 8:30pm at Plaza Tropical
Besides having an awesome name, this female-fronted Led Zeppelin tribute sounds fantastic and rocks hard. They’re on of the few cover bands that make our list.
Ceramic Animal – performing 8:30pm to 10:30pm at Main Street
We caught a late set by these guys last year in the 11pm timeslot at on SouthSide so it’s nice to see they’re getting a more prominent position. From Doylestown, they sound like a heavily synthed version of Tame Impala. We dig it.
South Side
Skunkmello – performing 5pm to 6:30pm at Americaplatz
These NYC blues-rockers sound like they should hail from Nashville. They’ve got the sound of the Black Keys and a twinge of ZZ Top without the beards. Hell, one of their songs is called “Whiskey & Oatmeal” which sounds like something they came up with as a Musikfest hangover cure.
Former Belle – performing 11pm to 12pm at TD Community Stage on Air Products Town Square
The singer of Former Belle sounds so close to Conor Oberst that if you sent me one of their songs labeled as “Bright Eyes” I’d believe it. That said, this guys have a fantastic sound. They might be a little too on the mellow end for 11pm on a Friday night, but they’ll be worth it.
The Lawsuits – performing 12pm to 1am at TD Community Stage on Air Products Town Square
Bright, clean indie pop rock from Philadelphia. These guys were named the Philly Indie Band of the year at the 2013 Tri-State Indie Awards and have performed at the CMJ Music Festival.