Louisville’s Forecastle Fest to Be Fronted by Cage the Elephant, Weezer and LCD Soundsystem

Jordan Bailey

As one of the coolest music events in the Midwest, Louisville’s Forecastle Festival will once again take over Waterfront Park during a midsummer weekend. From July 14-16, a unique lineup of bands will take the stage as Forecastle celebrates its 15th year in Kentucky.

Taking over the main stages this year are a handful of artists who command their respective genres. First up are festival veterans LCD Soundsystem. These electronic legends have been blowing minds since their inception in 2002 and are currently hard at work on a new album. Look for them to premiere new tracks like “Tonight,” “Call Police,” and “American Dream.” Weezer recently dropped a new tune called “Feels Like Summer,” a pre-release single for their upcoming “Black Album.” Lead singer Rivers Cuomo says this project will be “like the Beach Boys gone bad.” Odesza is arguably one of the hottest electronic acts on the circuit this year. 2014’s “In Return” shot them into the hearts and minds of electronic fans around the world, leaving plenty of anticipation for their upcoming third studio release. Given that Forecastle takes place in Kentucky, it’s only appropriate that Sturgill Simpson makes an appearance. This homegrown country singer self-produced his last record, 2016’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” which prompted a Grammy Award for Best Country Album. Another Kentucky-bred band featured this year is Cage the Elephant. These guys also bagged themselves a Grammy for Best Rock Album with “Tell Me I’m Pretty” from 2015. British singer-songwriter PJ Harvey made waves recently with her new music video “The Camp,” which addresses the Syrian refugee crisis. Harvey has always been politically motivated when writing; a notion made clear by her last album “The Hope Six Demolition Project.”

Many other notable bands will take the stage this year, including Run the Jewels, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Phantogram, Spoon, Capital Cities, Griz, Vince Staples, X Ambassadors, Needtobreathe, Tycho, Conor Oberst, Real Estate, Cashmere Cat, STRFKR, Judah and The Lion, Foxygen, K. Flay, Classixx, Twin Lab, Giraffage, and Lany—amongst dozens more.

As far as hotels go in Louisville, options are plentiful with one standing out amongst the crowd: 21c Museum Hotel downtown is an award-winning boutique hotel claiming over 9,000 square feet of exhibition space among 91 design-friendly rooms. Replete with a spa, award-winning restaurant and bar, and a massive gold replica of Michelangelo’s David, 21c is not to be missed. Other notable hotels in the city are The Brown Hotel, a historic landmark featuring a restored rooftop bar and Old World charm, and the Galt House, Louisville’s only waterfront hotel conveniently located next to the very park Forecastle calls home.

Forecastle Festival will take place from July 14-16 in Louisville, KY. Tickets can be purchased here.