Local Bands Pour Florida Flavors Into Fool's Paradise Inaugural Event

From April 1st to 2nd, Fool’s Paradise will take over St. Augustine, FL with some funky mayhem, bringing a stellar line up of top acts and talented up and comers. While Lettuce, GRiZ, a Chris Robinson led super jam with George Porter Jr. and Ivan Neville (among others), Vulfpeck, Goldfish and The Nth Power bring the established star power, that isn’t the whole story.

The great state of Florida is doing more than just host the two day festivities, it’s sending a few of its up and coming bands like The Groove Orient, Herd Of Watts, Morning Fatty and LoveChunk to the main event. They’ll even be hosting late-night throwdowns, dubbed “Fool Moon”, at the local watering hole (and grilled cheese emporium) Planet Sarbez. While most folks are already familiar with the big names set to rock their worlds, we wanted to spotlight some of the incredible local talents.

The Groove Orient

Harry Ong, bassist and vocalist for Groove Orient, recently spoke to us about the exploding music scene in his home state. “There’s lots of stuff going on in Florida to be proud of, there’s a lot of great bands, and festivals as well, and venues like the Spirit Of Suwannee Music Park.” When asked to give folks an idea of what to expect at a Groove Orient show, Ong summed it up in one word, “variety.”

It’s an apt description, as the band seems to effortlessly flow from traditional rock and roll to funky, infectious funk rhythms and jams that have everyone in ear shot moving and grooving. Audiences up and down the eastern seaboard are expanding as Groove Orient has shown the dedication and talent it takes to build a fan base that can get them to the next level. The band is expanding their reach as a band later this year, taking their first journey west to areas of Colorado and points in between. The future looks bright for this sunshine state quartet. Check out their song Bananas below, and don’t miss them during the Fool’s Paradise.

Herd Of Watts Another staple of the Florida jam scene, Herd Of Watts has built a solid reputation for delivering a high energy blend of dance-able rocking jams by delivering funky shows night after night. A crowd favorite with national appeal thanks to their many appearances at festivals at Suwannee, Herd Of Watts manages to sound like a ten piece band with only four members. A lot of this is accomplished by their keyboardist Matthew Strok with lush fills and horn samples adding to the bands jammy aesthetic. Matt’s brother Ben handles the guitar duties with a strongly lyrical playing style and the rhythm section provides a punchy platform for everyone to do their thing. Their wide name recognition has gotten them several high profile opening slots that they’ve taken full advantage of to win many hearts and minds. Watch their entire set from Bear Creek 2014 below, and check out their live show at Fool’s Paradise. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xVQTfIu3FUg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

Herd Of Watts

Thanks to their many appearances at The Spirit Of Suwannee Park festivals, Herd Of Watts has gotten their music out to a wide audience, who continue to be impressed with their deceptively large sound. Thanks to the fills and horn samples employed by keyboardist Matt Strok, the four piece band sounds like a ten piece funk-rock juggernaut. Matt’s brother Ben Strok plays guitar with a mix of emotional fret board pyrotechnics and precision that expands nicely on the solid platform built by the rhythm section. With numerous choice opening slots highlighting a packed tour schedule, Herd Of Watts is building their reputation the old fashioned way…giving everything they have, night in and night out. You can watch their entire set from the last Bear Creek Music Festival below, and onstage at the upcoming Fool’s Paradise.

Morning Fatty

The tongue in cheek name sets the stage perfectly for Morning Fatty’s upbeat ska/reggae flavor, letting people know that there is fun on the way. Though obviously influenced by Americanized ska/reggae groups like Sublime and Slightly Stoopid, the band has put a decidedly individual stamp on the genre. Crisp and crunchy guitar lines snake through a very thick, wide bass that bobs with a joyful buoyancy, bringing smiles to the faces of happy fans. The band isn’t afraid to sail into the dub bass area of the spectrum, and the hypnotic beats have captured many in its funky wake. Their video for the song Street Pharmacist is below to get you ready for the funky good time to come at Fool’s Paradise.

LoveChunk

Three piece rockers LoveChunk have made quite the name for themselves in Florida. Emerging from Jacksonville, the band’s potent sound continues to captivate whenever they hit the stage. Yearning vocals and catchy progressions put them in the realm of rockers like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, making their music all the more exciting. Check out their songs here.

With all this great music at the festival and late night after shows, not to mention the one of a kind artist excursions, fine dining, historic sight-seeing opportunities and the fact that Florida is a perfect place to escape the winter blues, Fool’s Paradise is a perfect way to start the summer outdoor music season. For tickets and information about all the exciting fun to be had at the Fool’s Paradise Music Festival, click HERE and come be a part of history!