For music lovers, Musikfest is where you find your next favorite artist before anyone else does.
Before the festival officially kicks off, we skipped past headliners like The Verve Pipe and Ryan Cabrera to find the acts worth building your day around.
To help map out the picks, we caught up with Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest’s Chief Programming Officer and a 25-year Musikfest veteran. Here are his top picks for new, bold, and genre-bending acts to catch this year:
- John Hollier & the Rêverie - Louisiana-bred indie rock driven by deep, growling vocals.
- Nicole Atkins - Classic American singer-songwriter with soaring vocals.
- Tabitha Meeks - Making her Musikfest debut, this Nashville artist serves up a sound reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra meets Norah Jones.
- Amelia Day - Pure West Coast indie-rock energy.
- Blair Crimmins & the Hookers - An Atlanta crew delivering a high-energy stage performance that blends classic Dixieland brass with a modern edge.
- Insun Park & Generals - Wild, gorgeous costume changes meet high-octane rock and punk. Korean-language lyrics haven't slowed down American rock fans from connecting with her sound.
With 417 artists spread across 15 stages, Brogan admits Musikfest can be just as overwhelming to book as it is to navigate. Year-round scouting is a team effort: the ArtsQuest crew swaps video clips and gathers at their screens for virtual, Tiny Desk–style listening sessions, treating their workstations as the testing ground for next year’s roster.
“We’re always looking for a great live show, that performance is everything for us,” Brogan says. “Use the app, use the website, do a little homework, but ultimately? Follow your ears.”
His final pro tip for the fest? “I’m a stickler for keeping a dry pair of socks in my car at all times. You never know what Mother Nature is going to throw at you.”