OCEANS CALLING FESTIVAL GEARS UP FOR FIRST YEAR IN OCEAN CITY
Ocean City, Maryland is gearing up for the first ever Oceans Calling Festival, after last year's supposed-to-be inaugural festival sadly got rained out by Hurricane Ian. Fingers crossed that this year will have a much better outcome, because I know plenty of people are excited to take an extra trip to the beach as a hopeful extension of the summer and see some world class acts on the OCMD beach.
Featuring headliners Jack Johnson, John Mayer, and The Lumineers, the festival should surely bring some good, fun, rock vibes to the beach. Each of the headliners will be playing unopposed, so those are the no-brainers to go see, but let's dive into some of the other acts on the schedule that I recommend checking out, in no particular order:
Sheryl Crow
Hearing “Soak Up The Sun” on a Saturday afternoon at the beach? It’s like the festival perfectly curated the artists that have the best vibes for the beach. I will say I am disappointed that there is a schedule conflict with Matt & Kim because they are one of my favorite acts to see, but I missed most of Sheryl Crow's set at Bonnaroo so I feel like I can’t miss another chance to see her. (Honorable mention to at least walk by Matt & Kim if you’ve never seen them, though).
Noah Kahan
The song “Dial Drunk” has turned me into a new-found Noah Kahan fan. It’s so catchy, and he’s been getting so popular so quickly that I feel an obligation to go see him before he breaks fully into headliner status.
Weezer
I’ve seen Weezer multiple times and they’ve never disappointed. They have so many hits that are so much fun to sing along to, and seeing them in a beach setting should be a lot of fun.
Dirty Heads
Anything remotely close to reggae gives me automatic beach vibes, so this feels like a natural fit to see while just chilling in the sand with a beer in hand.
O.A.R.
This band is actually a major part of Oceans Calling's existence, as they are a partner of the festival. They’re playing two sets throughout the weekend, one of which is a special set billed as ‘O.A.R and Friends’ with some special guests. I saw them years ago at Firefly and remember it being a really fun set.
Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs
Mike Campbell is best known as being a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and helped in writing for many Tom Petty songs. This is probably my mom’s most anticipated set, so I’ll be excited to see her having a good time.
Peach Pit
Indie pop is another great chill-genre that lends itself to a beachy vibe, and Peach Pit has some really catchy songs that I’m looking forward to hearing.
Alanis Morisette
A 90’s angsty grunge icon, I feel like this is almost as much of a no-brainer as the big 3 headliners not to be missed. So many hit songs, yet is someone that I otherwise probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see, which is what I love so much about festivals.
Oceans Calling Festival kicks off Friday September 29th and goes through Sunday October 1st. 3-Day passes are sold out, but there are resale options available through their website as well as the full lineup, schedule, and additional information at https://www.oceanscallingfestival.com/
