A year removed from the schism that derailed one of St. Petersburg's most promising music festivals, organizers of Antiwarpt offshoot Plan B seem to have the negativity well in the rear-view.
The initial lineup for the second installment of Plan B— set for October 4 in Ybor City — was announced yesterday and outside of garage rockers Those Darlins (Tennessee), ex-Bright Light Social Hour keyboardist A.J. Vincent (Texas), and psych bluesmen The People's Blues Of Richmond (Virginia), Plan B's modus operandi still seems centered around featuring Sunshine State bands poised to make a national splash.
"We try and stick to the old school aesthetic of Antiwarpt and do as much unsigned Florida music as we can," Sean O'Brien told CL. O'Brien, 38, is one half of Brokenmold Entertainment, the promoters responsible for booking Plan B's lineup, and he's aware that music fans have a lot on their plates in today's growing festival market.
"Coral Skies, Guavaween — there's so much going on and a lot of it is focused on getting bigger," he said. "We try and go the other way and keep it grassroots." The more than two dozen bands announced today back up that statement.
The bill features the return of ex-Heathens frontman Matt Butcher (who made a name for himself in the Florida folk scene before bolting for Nashville), and the ticket is littered with tried-and-true local favorites (Zulu Wave, Luxury Mane, Y Los Dos Pistoles, and Red Room Cinema to name a few). Local label New Granada Records continues its 20th anniversary celebration with performances from NG bands Permanent Makeup, DieAlps!, and Dear & Glorious Physician, and there are more than a few Orlando bands in the mix (The Sh-Booms, Day Joy, Case Work). Miami is even repped thanks to soul-rock outfit Ketchy Shuby.
We're naturally expecting an announcement from Antiwarpt's other half (Don't Stop St. Pete) soon, but in the meantime know that Plan B ticket prices for the festival are set to be announced on Friday (tomorrow). Plan B will take place at New World Brewery, Crowbar, The Social, Market on 7th, and the Dirty Shame, according to O'Brien, and a few more venues are in the works. The complete lineup is listed below, and more information is available here.