Pickin’ Picnic
To Rock Bradenton’s Riverwalk on Memorial Day Weekend
Saturday, May 23 § 2-10 p.m.
Realize Bradenton cooks up another inspired free event featuring, “battling” food trucks, craft brews, local vendors, and music by the region’s most exciting new musicians and groups.
(BRADENTON, FL) Realize Bradenton will rock Bradenton’s Riverwalk Memorial Day weekend with the fourth Pickin’ Picnic showcasing the region’s music scene. The festivities begin at 2 p.m., with live music starting at 3 p.m. The event is free and takes place at the Pavilion on Bradenton’s Riverwalk, 452 3rd Ave. W. in downtown Bradenton. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnics, although food and beverages will be available to purchase. The event is sponsored, in part, by the Downtown Development Authority, the Bradenton Herald, McCabes Irish Pub, C&S Community Management Services, OneMain Financial and One Nation. This year’s stage sponsor is Uncle Bob’s Self Storage. For more information, visit RealizeBradenton.com/events.
“Pickin’ Picnic began as the brainchild of Justin Labadie, a musician in the local band, Faceless Bandits, one of last year’s featured musical acts,” says Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton, the organizing force behind Pickin’ Picnic. “It’s a wonderful example of how area artists, nonprofits, business owners and audiences partner to build community.”
The festivities get underway at 2 p.m., with a “Battle of the Food Trucks,” a cook-off incorporating a mystery ingredient with a panel of local celebrity judges rating the results at 2:45 p.m. Beer aficionados will have the opportunity to purchase handcrafted brews and chat with the brew masters from Darwin Brewing Company of Bradenton, Big Top Brewing Company of Sarasota, 3 Daughters Brewing of St. Petersburg, and Rochster Mills Beer Co. of Rochester, MI. Domestic beer, soft drinks, and water will also be available for purchase. In addition, local vendors will also be selling crafts and merchandise.
And of course, there’s the music. This spring’s lineup includes:
- 3 p.m.: Chasing Jonah: Chasing Jonah puts forward an emotionally charged sound that combines haunting vocals and vulnerable lyrics, with moving orchestral and indie rock arrangements that produce a characteristic, cinematic sound.
- 4:15 p.m.: Hymn for Her: Injecting juiced-up backwoods country blues with a dose of desert rock psychedelia that has been described as “Hell’s Angels meets the Amish.”
- 5:30 p.m.: The Dram: With a blend of violin, keyboard, and distorted guitar, this Americana six-piece walks the line between southern rock and folk (with a healthy dose of punk).
- 6:45 p.m.: Lions After Dark: With influences rooted in many styles, the band draws from elements as diverse as the raw, brash nature of blues, the confrontational attitude of metal, and the anthemic character of musical theater, combining for a live experience that is tailor made to the moment.
- 8:30 p.m.: Have Gun, Will Travel: Has a natural instinct for combining folk, pop, rock and classic country influences to create a sound all their own. “Their music has a great energy to it with infectious, sing-along choruses and refrains” remarked NPR’s Robin Hilton. American Songwriter called HGWT’s music “organic, infectious Americana Pop. Their music has a refreshing immediacy to it.” Their music has been featured in a national Chevy TV commercial; multiple episodes of the PBS series Roadtrip Nation; a GTE Federal Credit Union TV and radio ad campaign; and an episode of CBS’s The Good Wife. Their albums have spent months on the CMJ Radio Top 200 chart and ranked as high as No. 3 on WMNF 88.5 Tampa’s list of most-played albums.
For more information about Pickin’ Picnic, visit RealizeBradenton.com/events.
About Realize Bradenton
Realize Bradenton is a non-profit organization that brings people together to create a vibrant and prosperous Bradenton area. For more information, visit www.RealizeBradenton.com.
