Spring Skunk 2.0

Four years ago this week my wife and I ventured to Hot Springs for the French Broad Music Festival.  We had been dating about four months and somewhere between the music, fun, and a bottle of whiskey, I used a certain four letter word that starts with “L” with her for the first time.  That festival is now an anniversary-type event for us and we have marked our calendar for the festival every year since.

Not this year, though. We have something better to do way closer to home. 

This weekend we will keep our fun in the Upstate as we spend the weekend at the Skunk Farm for the Albino Skunk Music Festival’s second annual Spring Skunk Fest.  If you live in The Upstate and do not call the underside of a rock your home, then surely you have heard of it. Heck, just by nature of visiting this website you should already know about Skunk Fest if you pay any attention to the sidebar on the right.

For eighteen years, The Albino Skunk Music Festival has taken place in Glynn Zeigler’s backyard in late September or early October.  Once a year music lovers would venture to the Skunk Farm for three days of bluegrass, folk and Americana and then wait patiently for another year to pass.  Somewhere along the way Glynn decided that it was an injustice for the Skunk Stage to sit uninhabited in his backyard for the other 362 days a year.  To remedy this, he brought balance to the Albino Skunk Universe and introduced Spring Skunk Fest in May, 2011.  This May 4-5, Spring Skunk 2.0 will return to the Skunk Farm for a weekend of great music.

Spring Skunk was designed as a slightly smaller two day event to satiate the festival hunger that brews in the hearts of music fans as winter gives way to inviting outdoor temperatures.  After months of listening to live music in the confines of crowded clubs and concert halls, music lovers are eager and ready to take in great live sounds in the freedom of the great outdoors.  Nothing feeds a music fan’s soul like an entire day of live music from a diverse selection of bands and Skunk Fest serves this up in spades.

This year’s Spring Skunk features twelve bands over two days.  Skunk Festivals pool a diverse selection of talent from all over the country and Spring Skunk 2.0 is no different.  From New York to Los Angeles bands come from far and wide for the opportunity to perform on the Skunk Farm.  This is one of my favorite things about Skunk Fests in that it offers the chance to see musicians that I would not have the opportunity to find anywhere else in the Upstate.  Larry Keel is the only artist on the bill that I have seen locally and cannot wait to see what Glynn is raving about when he tells me about I See Hawks in LA, Erin McDermott, Seven Handle Circus and all the rest of this year’s featured acts.

In addition to the music, Skunk Fests feature a laid back setting, a family friendly environment, and great flavors of the Upstate.  Community Tap will be pouring the tasty beverages, Mike & Jeff’s BBQ and Skunk Friend Smiley will offer their great tasty goodness, Stomping Grounds Coffee House will keep you hopped up on caffeine, as well as plenty of other area artists and vendors of local goodness.  

For our part, we will set up shop with oodles of Big Daddy’sHot Sauce and 100% recycled guitar picks from our music loving friends at Reprotone Inc.  I should also note that Chris and I will have the coolest hot sauce salesman in the country working our table – Ivan is on a mission to cute your brains out and be the leading hot sauce salesman in the world.  He is now seven years old, loves Big Daddy’s Amplified Heat, and really, really wants your money.  Good luck saying no to this kid.

Buy your tickets now or grab them at the door.  Bring folding chairs, coolers, or even a tent and come ready to make yourself comfortable and have a great time in the woods.  We hope to see you there.