Another Saturday is approaching. Your mind races. What can you to do that involves the trinity of weekend pleasure: beer, live music, and your least hated party pals. Alas! There's the Second Annual Palm Beach Craft Beer Festival this June 22, at the Meyer Amphitheater, here to put that trio on steroids.
Oh, you're a beer snob who likes to stick to your own crafty watering hole? Dig yourself out of there, because the brews will be pouring steadily and heady all day with almost 50 craft breweries bringing their finest libations to sauce up the crowd. This includes South Florida big boys like Funky Buddha Brewery and Due South, who'll tap into their finest kegs to show off for the locals.
There's the beer portion of your day. It's wet, it's hoppy, you'll drink it, you'll like it. Now what is going to be pouring into your earhole?
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Keep in mind, this is a Rodney Mayo event; the dude basically runs the Palm Beach County party circuit. Thus, music matters here. The lineup is stacked with Spred the Dub, Gravel Kings, Raggy Monster, and RunDownTown all taking a lap on the massive amphitheater stage.
Spred The Dub will be rocking the crowd with what they lovingly refer to as "good time reggae." Well known around West Palm, especially for their weekly Clematis gigs, bassist Kevin Johnson told us that Spred the Dub are pumped up for the fest.
"It's always fun playing big stages, and being part of such a large scale event is a chance for us to expose our band and our music to a greater number of people. Every show is an opportunity to make new fans."
If you have been seeking a new sound lately, Gravel Kings just might have what you need. Zachary Jones on vocals and guitar broke it down to us like this, "At heart, we are big fans of indie rock bands from the late '90s and early 2000s. I guess we've taken that inspiration with a strange blend of folk and bluegrass to create our sound."
They like a good drink too. Gravel Kings take their craft seriously. "Unfortunately we have to hold back on the beer until we're done playing, but we're definitely "gettin' down" afterward."
Local indie band Raggy Monster is no stranger to the big stage these days after opening for Train at SunFest. But frontman Billy Schmidt has his eyes on the prize and he knows this is another major opportunity for Raggy. "After our show at SunFest got ruined by a hurricane, we're hoping for a little redemption at Beer Fest." We're with you, Billy, unless, of course, it starts raining beer.
Look out for the fellas of RunDownTown. Good buddies with Spred The Dub, they offer a different sound but the same enthusiasm for their role in Palm Beach County's music scene. Guitarist Hunter Hutchings told us, "Playing this gig for our band means a great deal, we get to play on a great stage right down the street from where we are based with bands that are in our musical family." Get drunk, join the family. See you there.
Palm Beach Craft Beer Festival takes place at the Meyer Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Saturday June 22 from 4 to 9 p.m. (3 to 9 if you are VIP). General admission tickets are $40, VIP are $80. Visit pbcraftbeerfestival.com foror more information.
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