www.desmoinesregister.com
Country-western legend Willie Nelson and renowned songwriter Ray LaMontagne are scheduled to headline the second year of the Hinterland Music Festival in St. Charles, which attracted 7,000 people to the small town last year after organizers decided to move it from a flooded Water Works Park in Des Moines.
Hinterland founder Sam Summers called booking Nelson and LaMontagne for the festival’s second year a “natural transition” from the festival’s 2015 headliners Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. He said he wants to make Hinterland a summer entertainment destination. In 2015, tickets were sold to people in 45 different states and seven different countries.
“Year one built a solid foundation and proved that people in our state and region supported the idea of the festival,” Summers said.
The festival is scheduled for Aug. 5-6 at the Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater.
Nelson, a seven-time Grammy Award winner who’s released over 60 studio albums in his career, performed at the Des Moines Civic Center in 2013.
LaMontagne is scheduled to release his sixth studio album, “Ouroboros,” in March.
“Willie is a genre-defying artist that appeals to so many different types of people,” Summers said. “He is absolutely a living legend and people who have seen him before know how he can captivate a crowd, even ones that might not be familiar with all of his 200 releases.”
The 2016 Hinterland lineup also includes California-based rock group Cold War Kids, Midwestern roots act Pokey LaFarge, indie-pop group Lake Street Dive and more.
Also on the bill is Oklahoma-based country act Turnpike Troubadours and indie rock band San Fermin.