Strap in, folks. The Waking Windows music-and-arts festival has just revealed its 2019 lineup. The highly anticipated three-day indie-music bonanza kicks off in Winooski on Friday, May 3, and concludes on Sunday, May 5.
Oakland, Calif.,-based art-pop outfit tUnE-yArDs and Chicago rock band Twin Peaks take top headlining slots. Rounding out the marquee are Los Angeles electronic-pop duo Knower, formerly local Brooklyn-based pop-rocker Caroline Rose, New York indie-pop group Sunflower Bean, Maryland alt-folk band Michael Nau & the Mighty Thread, LA jazz duo the Mattson 2, New York City tropical-psych ensemble Combo Chimbita, NYC soul DJ Jonathan Toubin, Burlington garage rock stalwarts Rough Francis, NYC indie poppers the Shacks, Brooklyn experimental singer-songwriter Hannah Epperson, Philadelphia indie-pop artist Kississippi and Portland, Maine, rock trio Weakened Friends.
As always, Vermont-based projects are strongly represented. Local groups include Afro-funk fusion group Sabouyouma, twee-pop sextet the Smittens, rock quartet Swale, R&B producer/singer-songwriter Princess Nostalgia, hip-hop collective 99 Neighbors, country band Eastern Mountain Time, bilingual singer-songwriter Francesca Blanchard and indie darlings Clever Girls, J Bengoy and Julia Caesar, among others.
Curated showcases include Montréal promoter Blue Skies Turn Black, Burlington's Loose Leaf Talent Agency and the return of formerly local Chicago-based comedian Annie Russell's No Chill Comedy Showcase. Also returning are the Downtown Artisan's Market, Page Burner Reading Series and a screening from the Vermont International Film Festival.
Tickets for Waking Windows 2019 are on sale now. Expect additional artists, DJs, showcases and events to be announced soon. Listen to a playlist of featured artists below.