March 9, 2004

Galactic, Particle and Robert Randolph and the Family Band are among the bands set to play Kansas’ inaugural Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival. Scheduled for June 18-20 at Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, the event will feature more than 50 acts on three stages leaning in the jam band vein, but covering various genres.

Also on board for the event are O.A.R., Leftover Salmon, the North Mississippi Allstars, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Derek Trucks Band, Indigenous, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, Jazz Mandolin Project, the Samples and Sound Tribe Sector 9. Reggae act the Wailers has also confirmed its participation, as has rock group the Donnas, alt-country band BR-549 and hillbilly punk the Reverend Horton Heat.

Along with music, the weekend affair will boast activities such as mountain biking, disc golf, water sports and hiking, as well as plenty of food and provisions for revelers. “Once you hit the Wakarusa site, you won’t have to leave the grounds the entire weekend,” organizer John Brooks says. “Wakarusa is not just a concert. It’s a lifestyle and total outdoor experience focusing on good friends, good vibes and great memories.”

A limited amount of early bird tickets priced at $65 — including camping and parking — will go on sale Friday (March 12). Ticket prices will escalate to $75 through April 30, $95 during the month of May and $105 after June 1. A limited amount of $500 VIP packages include a pair of tickets, food and beverage, a premium camping location and access to a special viewing area at the Sundown stage.

For more information and the full lineup of performing artists, visit the festivals Web site.

Source billboard.com.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals have begun lining up summer European festival appearances. The group will hit the road beginning May 28 at Festimad in Madrid, Spain, and will play 11 additional dates, including Rock in Rio – Lisbon on May 29 and the Werchter Festival in Belgium on July 3.

Later in the summer, Harper and company will open for Dave Matthews Band Aug. 28-29 at the Home Depot Center in Carson City, Calif. Black Eyed Peas will also be on the bill. Harper is touring in support of his 2003 Virgin album “Diamonds in the Inside.”

According to a spokesperson, Harper will hit the studio this month with the Blind Boys Of Alabama and in the near future with his own band. As previously reported, the artist guests on upcoming albums by blues artist Charlie Musselwhite and veteran reggae combo Toots and the Maytals, due April 6 from Real World Records and V2, respectively.

Here are Ben Harper’s tour dates:

May 28: Madrid, Spain (Festimad)
May 29: Lisbon, Portugal (Rock in Rio – Lisbon)
June 1: Cournon, France (Zenith D’Auvergne)
June 3: Dresden, Germany (Alter Schlachthof)
June 4: Hamburg, Germany (Freilichtbuhne Stadtpark)
June 5: Nuremberg, Germany (Rock Im Park)
June 6: Nurburgring, Germany (Rock Am Ring)
June 11: Bayonne, France (Arenes)
June 16: Naples, Italy (Flegrea Arena)
June 17: Pisa, Italy (Piazza De Cavalieri)
June 22: London (Carling Apollo Hammersmith)
July 3: Werchter, Belgium (Rock Werchter Festival)
Aug. 28-29: Carson, Calif. (Home Depot Center, w/ Dave Matthews Band)

Source billboard.com.