I woke up around 6:30 in the morning on Friday to make the three hour drive. My second time making this trek in just that many weeks. I left around 7, stopping at the grocery store to get a large bag of ice and Dunkin’ to grab some breakfast before hitting the road. Down I-271 to Columbus, I was heading to Nelsonville Music Festival.
About 13 miles northwest of the small college town of Athens, Ohio (where I currently go to school) is the town of Nelsonville. For the past 18 years, the town has hosted the festival, drawing in high profile artists such as Tyler Childers, Willie Nelson, and Brandi Carlile. In 2022, the festival was moved from nearby Hocking College to its new home at Snow Fork Event Center
I arrived at about 10:15, set up camp, ate lunch, and got my media credentials around 12:45. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t set up my schedule to shoot any bands until 5 pm. So I had to wait around in the heat, exploring the festival grounds. At least it was sunny. The festival was divided up between three stages; Porch, Creekside, and the main stage, Snow Fork.
The Peel
The first band I went and shot was The Peel. Hailing from my college town of Athens, Ohio (as a few of the artists I’ll be covering are), the trio is composed of Lucy Schwallie on fiddle, Adam Fuller on banjo, and David Colagiovanni on guitar. The best way I can describe them is as instrumental folk, with hints of what they describe as “chamber, drone, and experimental” music. Nestled among the trees at the Creekside Stage, I feel the wooded environment perfectly suited them.
The Peel can be found on Instagram, Bandcamp, and Spotify.
Jeffrey Martin
Coming back to the Creekside Stage at 5 pm, Portland-based country/folk singer Jeffrey Martin. This man exuded calmness and swagger. Behind his sunglasses and burly beard was a rich yet raspy country voice. The first truly solo act I saw this weekend, I was able to focus just on him. In the video I took of him on my phone once I was done shooting, there was a Johnny Cash esque gravel to his voice.
Jeffrey Martin is going to be on tour in the U.S and Canada through the rest of July, then Europe in August, and back in North America in November. You can find him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify.
The Felice Brothers
Heading over to the Snow Fork Stage for the first time, I encountered The Felice Brothers. As the name suggests, the band was started by brothers Ian and James Felice, along with Simone who is no longer in the band. The group originally started out playing in the New York City subway. When listening to them, Franz Ferdinand came to mind of similar sounds.
The Felice Brothers are going to be on tour in the U.S through August, then go over to the UK, Ireland, and Germany in October and November. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify.
Amyl and the Sniffers
Woah. I think that is by far the best word to describe Amyl and the Sniffers. Just woah. All the way from Melbourne, Australia, the band is what punk wants to be. Fronted by the energetic Amy Taylor, the group has garnered many awards and nominations in the land down under for Best Band, Best Live Act, Best Punk Act, and more. I’ll admit it was hard to focus on all four band members when Amy demanded so much attention, but the rest of the bands knew that and feeds off of her.
Amyl and the Sniffers are going to be on tour in the U.S through August, then go over to Europe in November. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Bandcamp, and Spotify.
Killer Mike
Unfortunately, I lost my SD card as I was heading to the media tent, so I was unable to get photos of Killer Mike (don’t worry I found it back at my campsite). Starting out his recording career on Outkast’s fourth album, he gained some solo fame before forming Run The Jewels in 2013. Aside from his prolific music career, Killer Mike also has a long history with political activism, garnering him and Run the Jewels to open for Rage Against the Machine on their recent reunion tour.
Killer Mike is going to be on tour through the U.S through August, hit a few dates in Europe, and come back to the U.S in October. You can find Killer Mike on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Spotify.
