Last year, it seemed like Zach Bryan stuck his head down and took every offer he could get anywhere. He played so many festivals, so many headline shows, and it was all part of his steady ascent to the top rung of country music like he’s at now. One of the festivals he played last year though really caught my eye. It was a smaller, first-year festival taking place in Colorado that seemed to be about more than the music. The poster prominently advertised that alongside the music, there would be plenty of hiking, fishing, and camping available for attendees to take advantage of as well. The festival was called Caveman and it’s back again this year on Labor Day Weekend.
Held at Monument Lake Resort in Weston, Colorado, a six-hour drive from campus and in the middle of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the festival’s location is unmatched. According to a press release, founders Red Shahan and Parker Morrow took one deep breath of the air in Weston and told each other, “This is it.” Shahan, who’s also performing and is one of many artists that cut their teeth at The Blue Light finding their start, has the best quote I could find to sum the fest up for anyone on the fence to attend.
“Caveman Music Festival is a place for dreamers, fun havers, campers, fishermen, musicians, squatch lovers, alien abductees, and music fans from all walks of life,” he said in the press release, “It’s a festival that you can recommend to the entire family reunion.”
This year’s lineup is once again fantastic and goes super deep. This year’s headliners are JJ Grey & Mofro, Shane Smith & the Saints, and Dawes. I will never have enough good things to say about Shane Smith & the Saints’ live shows. I could see them a million times and never get tired of it. Everyone’s energy is so infectious, they all play their instruments and perform like there’s no tomorrow, and their songs all hit like a bag of bricks live.
Dawes are equally as great live but have a completely different vibe. While Smith & the Saints are much more in the Red Dirt and Texas Country lane, Dawes tend to skew more towards indie rock and soft rock but still have Americana roots. However, their shows recently have also been leaning in different directions, almost becoming a jam band with how often they switch up their setlists and how every song is given time to have an extended intro, outro, or bridge for the band to noodle around. It’s a vibe that I think will be perfect for the mountain setting the festival is in. It’s such relaxing and chill music and I think it’s going to be a slam dunk for Caveman. JJ Grey & Mofro is an artist and band that I’m not too familiar with but everything I read says their shows are great, soul-affirming, and hard to have a bad time at.
The rest of the lineup continues to have a ton of gems. Brent Cobb and The Steel Woods both bring a dose of Southern soul in two different flavors. Cobb is more in the singer-songwriter lane typically with more stripped-down and rootsier production while The Steel Woods’ style is in your face Southern rock. Both Cobb and Steel Woods singer Wes Bayliss’s voices are fantastic and they both write killer songs as well. Cobb is fresh off the road from a run as the opening act on Luke Combs’ stadium tour that kicked off this spring. Kolton Moore & the Clever Few fit somewhere in between both. Moore is a great songwriter and he and his band’s songs bring just as much grit as The Steel Woods. There’s bit more of a sadboi angle to Moore’s music as well which gives him a completely different angle of appeal.
Pony Bradshaw and The Droptines are Blue Light staples. Bradshaw has been having a breakout year with the release of his album North Georgia Rounder released this January. Bradshaw is another sharp writer on this lineup that’s finally starting to get some of the recognition he deserves landing opening spots with Flatland Cavalry and Turnpike Troubadours this year as well as performances at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits this summer and fall, respectively. The Droptines are starting to bubble up as well. Frontman Conner Arthur has a really unique voice that kind of gives me shades of Nathaniel Rateliff but singing rock and western songs rather than soul and americana. While I’ve yet to see them, I’ve been told many times that The Droptines absolutely bring it live. Hopefully, I don’t lead anyone astray.
However, if I’m able to attend, there’s no one I’d be more excited to catch than Uncle Lucius. Back on the road after a five year hiatus, the Austin band was always one of the most unique in the Texas Country scene. They brought a lot of swampy and cajun influence to their music and drew in a pretty hardcore fanbase. I got to see them this May and I’m so happy they’re back and that they’re playing shows again. The band killed it and seeing frontman Kevin Galloway in such high spirits really added to the positive vibes of the set as well.
So I’ve done all this talking and hopefully, if I did my job right, you have a little bit of interest of going and want to know some more info on how to attend. Well guess what? You’re in luck! We’re currently doing a giveaway on our Instagram to win a Caveman Package, including a campsite and two three-day passes for the fest. You can check that out right here!
Additionally, tickets and set times are available at https://cavemanmusicfestival.com/. The full lineup is posted below:
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