LAVA Fest names ’16 acts

Published 9:52 pm Monday, January 25, 2016

Robert DeLong entertains during the inaugural 2015 LAVA Festival at the Suffolk Executive Airport. The list of acts for this year’s event was released Monday.

Robert DeLong entertains during the inaugural 2015 LAVA Festival at the Suffolk Executive Airport. The list of acts for this year’s event was released Monday.

Organizers for the LAVA Music Festival on Tuesday announced a 14-band lineup for the second-annual event, which will take place May 27 and 28 at the Suffolk Executive Airport and, for the first time, will include camping options.

Of the 12 bands announced in a press release Tuesday, only one — Norfolk-based Major and the Monbacks — returns from the successful inaugural festival in 2015.

The festival will feature more than 15 hours of live music; the return of the popular Lava Lounge, which boasted a bar and retro arcade games; outdoor games, including human foosball, giant beer pong and cornhole; and a variety of vendors selling food, along with craft beer, wine and cider.

Email newsletter signup

This year, the festival will add a silent disco to the mix, and it will take advantage of its airport location by offering skydiving and camping.

“We are excited about the addition of the second day and camping,” LAVA producer Justin Billcheck stated in the release.

“With the support of live music fans in Hampton Roads and the region, we hope to make this a Memorial Day tradition and something unique for the region. We hope we can become an alternative or another festival to attend for those that enjoy or want to enjoy a music and camping festival experience.”

Festival attendees will have the choice of joining the experience for Friday or Saturday only, of camping just Saturday night after the music or of arriving early on Friday. There will be no Friday-only camping passes.

There will be camping options for tents, recreational vehicles and “glamping” packages from Solid Ground Shelters for those looking for the high-end camping experience. There will also be a quiet/family camping area.

Bands announced on Tuesday include the following:

  • The Front Bottoms, an indie rock band that originated in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.;
  • Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, bringing a world-renowned soul sound;
  • Dan Deacon, a composer and electronic musician based in Baltimore;
  • JR JR, an indie-pop band from Detroit;
  • Matthew E. White, a songwriter, producer, arranger and founder of Spacebomb Records in Richmond;
  • Natalie Prass, a singer-songwriter from Richmond;
  • The No BS! Brass Band, from Richmond, putting a fresh spin on the New Orleans sound;
  • Major and the Monbacks, a Norfolk band specializing in rock and roll and psychedelic soul;
  • The Will Overman Band, bringing its amped-up, folk-rock sound from Charlottesville;
  • Foxing, a rock band from St. Louis, Mo.;
  • Ladada, a Norfolk band describing its sound as “soda pop”;
  • And Lucy Dacus, a Richmond-based singer-songwriter.

Two final bands are to be announced soon, organizers said.

Tickets are on sale at lavafestival.com.

Day passes for the two-day event are $50 in advance and $60 at the gate, with discounts for those wishing to attend only one of the days.

A camping and festival pass for both days runs $75 in advance and $90 at the gate, with discounts for those wishing to camp only on Saturday.

There are VIP packages, which accord access to a VIP concert area, the VIP lounge and air-conditioned restrooms.

The Solid Ground Shelter glamping pass starts at $300 and includes a yurt with either a bed or cots, along with a table and chairs and lots of extra space.

Children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.