Inweekly Hangout Fest 2024 Feature

Independent News | May 16, 2024 | Volume 25 | Number 19

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2024 HANGOUT FEST 2024

HANGOUT FEST

HANGOUT FEST

2024

2024

HANGOUT FEST

The third weekend of May is finally here, which means it's time for the biggest beach party of the year—Hangout Fest.

We know we say this every year, but this lineup really might be the best yet. Especially if you love powerhouse female performers. In addition to headliner Lana Del Rey, this year's lineup also features everyone's favorite Midwest princess Chappell Roan, plus "Mean Girl" Reneé Rapp and "Buckle Bunny" Tanner Adell, just to name a few.

And that's barely scratching the surface of all the acts taking over the

beach throughout the weekend. Just make sure you remember that last part. Hangout Fest is a full-on three-day weekend, people. Three really long, really hot days. So make sure you pace yourself and stay hydrated. Think marathon, not sprint, OK? To help you plan for the weekend, we've once again put together a jam-packed guide, complete with artist interviews, must-see picks and survival tips straight from the festival's director. So read up and get ready to fest with the best of them. We'll see you in Gulf Shores. {in}

*All set times printed in this issue are current as of Monday, May 13, but they are subject to change. Make sure you download the official Hangout Fest app and follow them (@hangoutfest) for updates.

Photo Courtesy of Hangout Fest / Alive Coverage May 16, 2024

9

WHAT'S NEW, WHAT'S NOT & TIPS FOR NEWBIES

By Savannah Evanoff

What people love most about Hangout Fest isn't changing.

Great music with a diverse lineup, this year featuring headliners Zach Bryan, Lana Del Rey and Odesza. A beautiful setting in Gulf Shores, Ala. And tons of stuff to do, like the Monster Beach Club with nonstop dance parties, Corona Beach with volleyball and beer and the wedding chapel—for non-legally binding (but still equally fun) unions.

Katelyn Yount, the festival director, said the biggest change this year is the festival's footprint.

They decided to lean into what makes the festival so special: the uniqueness of its venue.

"We have reprogrammed our second stage (formerly the Boom Stage) as the new and improved Boom on the Beach, and so it'll be highlighting some amazing electronic and hip-hop artists this year in its new location," Yount said.

The new Shoreline Stage will arguably have the best backdrop: the Gulf of Mexico.

"We've positioned it in a way that our fans can watch their favorite artists from the beach or from the great lawn area," Yount said. "So super excited. All of our stages this year are now on the

beach with the exception of the Mermaid Stage, which is in the courtyard at the Hangout restaurant. We're super excited about how that will change the overall feel of the show, and again, just continue to really highlight what is so special about Hangout."

Another change she suspects festivalgoers will appreciate is additional sun protection.

"We know it can get hot at the beach, so we've added more shade," Yount said. "There's plenty of areas to cool off and relax in the shade this year."

They've also added new experiences, such as the Nosh Pit, which will offer snacks all day in a new shaded dining pavilion adjacent to Boom on the Beach.

There's also additional benefits for General Admission Plus-ers, such as permanent bathroom facilities and an improved hang space with a private bar and food offerings. VIP ticketholders will have new amenities too, such as a spa area with hairstyling and IV hydration treatments and a coffee vendor—and of course, they're bringing back the VIP pool.

"How could we not?" Yount said.

Super VIP fans will have up-front viewing.

As far as rules go, no alterations were made to the prohibited and allowed items.

"We still have a clear bag policy, and obviously people can bring in empty hydration packs, empty water bottles, and we very much encourage them to do so," Yount said. "We'll have our water refill throughout the festival grounds to fill up those containers."

Yount has a few other pieces of advice for newbies: Firstly, wear sunscreen, she said (speaking as a mom). Secondly, wear actual tennis shoes or other comfortable footwear.

"Sandals can sometimes be a little challenging on the hot sand," Yount said. "I saw some people last year just wearing socks with sandals, so they could take their sandals off and just walk with socks and not be affected by the hot sand. And I was like, 'Honestly, that's genius; wear your sand socks.'"

As far as the lineup goes, the team starts planning a year in advance using a mix of science and gut instinct to concoct the right mixture of rock, pop and everything in between. Yount is excited about dipping a toe into the country genre.

"It's been interesting watching music evolve

Photo Courtesy of Hangout Fest / Alive Coverage

over the last couple of years and really start seeing this melding of genres between artists—and people aren't really sticking to one lane anymore, which I love," Yount said. "So I'm actually really excited to see how Zach Bryan and Lana Del Rey really kind of bridge between rock and pop and country and see how our fans interact with that."

Yount is always blown away by Cage the Elephant, she added.

"They're releasing an album the weekend of Hangout, so I'm sure that it will be a special weekend for them," Yount said. "So lots of awesome music. Chappell Roan has been blowing up and Reneé Rapp as well, so we've got some really fun artists on the lineup this year that I think will lead to some really one-of-a-kind experiences for our fans."

It'll be a special time for Yount, too, who tries to take at least one solo walk through the full festival site during the weekend.

"I certainly try to take a moment to step back and enjoy a couple of performances and get to see the festival from our fans' perspective," Yount said. "It's definitely fulfilling to be able to take that walk sometimes and remind myself that it started as just an empty beach."

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Chappell Roan / Photo by Ryan Clemens May 16, 2024

11

LIFE'S ALWAYS BEEN A BEACH

By Grayson Keglovic

This year's Hangout Fest lineup is filled with musicians who make soundwaves, but there's one band in particular that's literally bringing the beach—The Beaches.

At first glance, you may have thought that the indie-pop band, composed of Jordan Miller (vocalist/bassist), Kylie Miller (guitarist), Leandra Earl (keyboardist/guitarist) and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drummer), is named for a profound love of the beach, good times and tan lines. But their name has much more meaning than sun and sand. "[The Beaches] is actually a neighborhood where we all grew up in Toronto," said EnmanMcDaniel. "It's very close to our hearts … so it just kind of seemed like a really great name."

The Toronto-based band grew up in the tight-knit neighborhoods of Woodbine Beach in Canada. The neighborhood that brought The Beaches together was a memorable place for the band, especially for the Miller sisters and Enman-McDaniel whom they first met when they were six years old, according to the drummer.

A closely attached community comes with special banter, Enman-McDaniel continued.

"There's a debate that the neighborhood's called 'The Beach' versus 'The Beaches'," said Enman-McDaniel. "I think it's 'The Beaches.'

It's just within the neighborhood, but it's ongoing and kind of funny."

The introduction between the preschool

Miller sisters and Enman-McDaniel became the start of a long and flourishing career. The Beaches have known each other through life's many stages and have been a band for over a decade, making their debut in 2013.

"It's great to have each other to kind of keep you grounded, and none of us have changed throughout this entire process," Enman-McDaniel said. "We're the same people that we were before."

Despite being a band for over 10 years, The Beaches finally reached a mass audience courtesy of TikTok. Following their popularity on social media, the band released their 2023 single "Blame Brett," which became a trending song on TikTok. While 2023 was the breakthrough year for the band, The Beaches had already received praise from legendary artists like Elton John, The Rolling Stones and the Jonas Brothers.

"It gives you a lot of confidence to see other acts that you really respect, respect you back and reciprocate that," Enman-McDaniel said. "It's a great confidence boost and it gets rid of the imposter syndrome when you can see other people, who are in your mind, like, so amazing and so good, say that you deserve to be on this bill too."

THE BEACHES | @thebeachesband 4:15 -5 p.m. Friday | Shoreline Stage

The Beaches / Photo by Becca Hamel

DID YOUR BOOTS STOP WORKIN'?

By Savannah Evanoff

It's no surprise TikTokers latched onto the catchy chorus of Dasha's "Austin."

She recalls the hit being born while in a writing session for another song called "Play Dumb" with Adam Wendler, Cheyenne Arnspiger and Ken Heidelman.

"I didn't think it was fitting the vibe of the room and I just started freestyling the chorus to 'Austin,' and everyone stopped in their tracks," Dasha said.

"We wrote the song in such a short amount of time after that, and we all knew right away that it was something really special."

Dasha came up with a corresponding line dance to the chorus that went viral on TikTok. The response from fans all over the world has been "crazy in the absolute best way," she said.

"There has been no better feeling than hearing my fans scream along to the words with me at live shows," Dasha said. "It has been a whirlwind couple of months, but I couldn't be more grateful."

The country singer is originally from San Luis Obispo, Calif.—the perfect combination of country and surfing, she said.

"You're always 10 minutes away from the water and ranches for horseback riding," Dasha said. "There is only one downtown street, and it has my favorite bar, Frog & Peach, that I always go to when I'm back home."

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Dasha's father was her first quasi-manager, helping her book gigs in her hometown, she said.

She stumbled her way into the country music genre through the process of songwriting.

"I have always loved how country music is all about storytelling," Dasha said. "Because of that, I will always consider myself a songwriter first and foremost."

Today, her family is incredibly supportive and always shows up to cheer her on from the crowd.

And on the heels of her TikTok traction, Dasha plans to release a deluxe version of her 2024 album "What Happens Now?" "In a way, it continues a lot of the same stories that the original started," Dasha said. "I love writing and creating worlds where characters can exist in songs across an album, and I can't wait for fans to live in these stories with me."

She plans to debut a "bunch of unreleased music" from that version, as well as music from her "new era" this summer and this weekend at Hangout Fest.

DASHA | @dashamusic 2:15 -3 p.m. Saturday | Shoreline Stage

Dasha / Photo by Adam Budd inweekly.net

HANG 10

10 SETS YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T MISS All photos courtesy of the artists, via Hangout Fest

Photo by SJ Spreng

Photo by Daniel Prakopcyk

Photo by Erica Snyder

FLYANA BOSS

DOMINIC FIKE

SEX Y Y RED

DEL WATER GAP

QVEEN HERBY

HEMLOCKE SPRINGS

TANNER ADELL

RENEÉ R APP

DOECHII

PAUL RUSSELL

Photo by Chris Parsons May 16, 2024

13

THE SINGING DRUMMER

By Savannah Evanoff

G Flip / Photo by Callum Walker Hutchinson

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G Flip said. "It took me a little longer to get into "I drum, I sing, g'day mate," reads G Flip's the singing drummer thing."

Instagram bio.

And there aren't a lot of them, they And if you're not already playing songs acknowledged. like "Worst Person Alive" or their rock cover of "Growing up, I never saw anyone that Taylor Swift's "Cruel Summer" on a loop, you looked like me singing, so I wanted to do exactly should be. that and create the things I wish existed," they The Australian musician, who identifies said. "And I wished someone like me was a singas nonbinary, proudly represents the LGBTQ+ ing drummer, so that's what I went for." community.

In many ways, G Flip is a blend of their "It's something I'm very passionate about, parents' taste in music: their dad's penchant and I think being my authentic self is really a for British pop and punk and mother's bias for big part of my project," G Flip said. "I want to top-40 hits. They were psyched to sit next to be the representation I never had when I was Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, a childyounger. I think me just being myself helps a hood favorite, while presenting at the GLAAD lot of people, so it's definitely something I Awards with Stause. will continue to do in my career and I won't "The Worst Person Alive," their favorite be changing." song on their sophomore album "Drummer," Some listeners might've been acquainted is a prime example of this musical mixture. As with G Flip via cameos alongside their wife indicated in its name, the breakup anthem is Chrishell Stause on the Netflix reality show about feeling like the worst person (alive) after "Selling Sunset." They agreed to highlight their a breakup. relationship on the show for representation.

"It's definitely a song people really shout"We wanted to show a healthy queer sing back to me," G Flip said. couple and someone that's nonbinary and in Their rendition of "Cruel Summer" was a healthy couple on the screen," G Flip said. born after countless times being hyped up by "We didn't want to get involved with drama or the song in the green room while on tour. It was anything, we just wanted to be ourselves and featured in their pre-show warmup playlist. represent our community … It was interesting "It's just my favorite Taylor Swift song," G to film, but it was cool. And you know, I love Flip said. "I think the writing is so good, and that Chrishell so much, so doing anything with her bridge is one of the best bridges ever written. I is fun." just wanted to put my own G Flip spin on it. So I G Flip started playing a "kiddy" drum kit got to work and I just thought about, 'If this was at 9—a gift from uncle and auntie after bemy own song, sonically what would I want it to ing weirdly drawn to their cousin's drum kit, encompass?' And obviously, being a drummer, they said.

I wanted it to be drum heavy, but I still wanted "I've just always loved the physicality of to bring that emotion because it's quite an it," G Flip said. "As a kid, I had very high energy emotional song lyrically." running around all the time and really struggled G Flip promises their Hangout Fest set will to focus on anything, but drums always kept my be worth your time this weekend. focus. I just really adored the instrument—and "I've got a very high-energy show, and it's then I had a really amazing drum teacher that very fun; it's very drum heavy, of course," they made me love the drum kit even more." said. "I've played one festival on the beach Drums are home base, but G Flip also before, so I'm excited to do it again. And it's a plays piano, guitar and bass guitar—and great lineup, so I'm very keen." dabbles with a few other instruments, too.

Singing came later.

"I've never been vocally trained, so G FLIP | @gflip I've just sang what my ear hears and writ5:45 - 6:30 p.m. Friday | Mermaid Stage ten songs by what my brain thinks is right,"

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Lana Del Rey / Photo courtesy of the artist, via Hangout Fest / By Chuck Grant May 16, 2024

15

Linka Moja won the breakup—if a breakup competition exists.

Moja was taking a five-year hiatus from music; she'd nurtured a love-hate relationship with it through the unrelatable classical piano lessons her parents had encouraged growing up. What brought her back to music, though, was an ex-boyfriend slash musician.

"He was writing all this music, and I was kind of attempting to communicate with him through songwriting, and so the songs I was writing were really, really personal and emotional," Moja said. "But it was also really healing for me. Then once we broke up, that just continued to be an outlet for me."

Even while studying economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Moja couldn't stay away. She's now on an extended break from school.

"It's funny because a lot of people would rather hear that you're in school, regardless of the fact that you're miserable, than to hear that you're doing something crazy like taking a break and chasing a dream," Moja said.

But now, gaining traction and booking shows across the country like Hangout Fest, Moja is starting to think she made the right call. She recently returned to Los Angeles after performing at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta.

"It was crazy," Moja said. "It's the first time in my entire life there were people in the crowd who were singing the words to my original music. Like, I've never had that happen before in my entire life, and I've been gigging for a while now. It was just really inspiring, seeing people connect with what I'm saying. It was a really, really good feeling."

One of the songs the audience sang back to her was Moja's most played on Spotify, "Blood Orange." The lyrics are about holding on tightly to a relationship that isn't meant to be, she said.

Moja, a multi-instrumentalist, thinks that track might resonate more with people because it's less rock and more pop. But she's still committed to the rock path,

STAYING TRUE

By Savannah Evanoff

embodied on one of her other popular songs and her personal favorite, "High and Dry." "I really enjoy a more grungy sound … a lot of guitar and a lot of pedal effects," Moja said. "'High and Dry,' I feel like, is a good representation of what direction I want my music to continue in. That song is about knowing there's no going back, like it's been done; you're already head over heels, not really knowing, like, where it's heading and just being willing to do anything to make it work."

"There's a common theme of being willing to sacrifice for love," Moja continued.

Moja's big on doing what feels true to her, starting with her stage name. She's been recommended to change it by more than one person—including her father.

"It just really speaks to me," Moja said. "Linka is my nickname in my mother's tongue, which is Slovakian, and that's where all of my extended family is. It just feels like I'm paying homage to them. Moja means mine. So it's Linka Moja, like my Linka. It's really sweet to me, but Americans have a hard time pronouncing it especially.

Or if I say it out loud, they have a hard time spelling it. So I think that that's kind of a barrier to entry."

But it's worth it to Moja as an artist to not compromise what feels right.

"There's something to be said for if it takes an extra second to figure out," Moja said. "I think you'll remember it easier, too, because it's unique. Once you do figure it out, I don't know, I think it sticks with people."

LINK A MOJA | @linka.moja 1:15 -2 p.m. Friday | Mermaid Stage Linka Moja / Photo by Jeremiah Rafferty

The Stews / Photo courtesy of the artist

THE PERFECT SCENARIO

By Grayson Keglovic

As if a worldwide pandemic wasn't terrible enough, imagine being a college band working towards fame one moment and quarantine forcing you apart and inside the next.

That's pretty much what happened to Auburn, Ala.based band The Stews. Composed of Preston Hall (lead vocalist/lead guitarist), Blake Dobbs (guitarist), Bennett Baugus (bassist) and Wyatt Griffith (drummer), The Stews developed into an alternative rock band over the span of several years—throughout middle school, high school and college.

Right as the four were beginning to establish the band and create a chord of chemistry their freshman year of college, the Covid pandemic and mandatory quarantine took effect and The Stews had to return to their hometowns and go separate ways.

"I was staying in touch with the other guys and saying, 'You know, if we ever get a shot, we should all get together' and then the pandemic happened," Griffith said. "[The pandemic] presented itself as that perfect kind of a scenario where we could all have a bunch of free time and get together, so we kind of just spawned from that."

Griffith said that the long months of isolation gave each member an opportunity to focus on music.

Once quarantine ended, the four had individually grown and exercised their talents.

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"We actually got to start playing and writing music once it became safe to meet up," Griffith said.

As life returned to the new "normal," The Stews moved back to Auburn and picked up where they left off. "[Auburn] ended up being a nice place because it wasn't somewhere like Nashville or a very dense kind of music scene to get started," Griffith said. "We were just kind of doing our thing and before long, we were pretty much the only band in Auburn that was playing every weekend and all the time."

A freshly-ended pandemic eventually connected The Stews and their newfound fanbase. Since 2019, the band has reached more than 70,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, filled venues across the country and released their debut album "What Was." When reflecting on his college experience with Covid and the early days of the band, Griffith said that he would remind his younger self "to not take any of it for granted."

"Because it's really easy for those years to just fly by," Griffith said. "Let things slow down, take in everything. I would also tell myself to make smarter decisions."

THE STEWS | @thestews 1:30 -2:15 p.m. Friday | Hangout Main Stage inweekly.net