Following its initial announcement in November, Black Deer Festival has announced the second round of names for its 2023 edition. And it’s a stonker of a list.
As a reminder, the first name drop included Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lucinda
Williams, The Teskey Brothers, Calexico, Allison Russell, and Bonnie Raitt –
who just claimed the prestigious ‘Song of the Year’ at the 65th Grammy Awards
with ‘Just Like That‘. It was a strong first announcement for a festival that’s really starting to establish itself.
Added to the headliner list are The Pretenders. Having just finished a tour of tiny UK venues, the legendary rockers move into festival mode in June. Big names also added are Midlake, Steve Earle with a solo acoustic set that has the potential to be magical, Kurt Vile & the Violators, and Willie’s boy Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, who will deliver a winding jam-packed country rock set. An intriguing addition are Far From Saints, a new supergroup of sorts with Kelly Jones (yes that one) joining up with Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker to make what they describe as “an album evoking a cross-genre sound spanning country, rock, folk and Americana”.
Also added is the returning Willi Carlisle, who was one of the treats of 2022. Expect him in a more prominent slot this year. Bonny Light Horseman released one of the best Americana albums of 2022 and will be at Deer Park as well as guitar legend Joanne Taylor Shaw, country singalong machine Drake White, New Zealand’s finest country songstress, the imperial Tami Neilson and the fantastic purveyor of traditional country music, Melissa Carper.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be an excellent year for Black Deer Festival, maybe the best yet. Tickets are available from the official website.
