Brace yourselves: Waking Windows has just announced its initial 2018 lineup. The three-day music festival in downtown Winooski runs Friday through Sunday, May 4 through 6,  and features over 150 bands, artists, comedians and DJs. The first wave of confirmed acts is just as dynamite as you'd expect.

Taking the headlining spots are Chicago rapper Noname and Providence-based rock band Deer Tick.
Also included in the top tier are indie-rock bands Palm, Bully, the Districts, Ohmme and Hoops, plus locals Rough Francis.
An eclectic lot of singer-songwriters — Steve Gunn, Bedouine, Lief Vollebekk and Vermont's own Anaïs Mitchell — also receive high billing.
Sammus and Jaw Gems are the only other hip-hop acts given premier billing. Over in the pop/electronic sphere, Braids, Anna Wise and the APX are among the prime acts announced.
And that's just the headliners. Rounding out the initial lineup are a bajillion other bands, most of whom are local. We can expect more artists — both local and nonlocal — to be added in the coming weeks and months.

We'll take a deeper dive into the current list in next week's edition of Soundbites. In the meantime, feast your ears on this sumptuous Spotify playlist featuring this year's headliners.
Tickets for Waking Windows Winooski are on sale now. Visit wakingwindows.com for more information.