The 15th annual Montauk Music Festival, featuring some 100 acts at 40 venues throughout the hamlet, will kick off Thursday evening at 6:15 with an opening party at the Westlake Fish House. The music continues through Sunday.
At Thursday's celebration, 21 of the festival bands will perform sneak previews of their weekend shows on two stages. In addition to over four hours of live music, the event includes appetizers and free sponsor drinks. Tickets are $65.
A highlight of the weekend will be a two-hour show by Zebra, a 1970s hard rock band founded in 1975 in New Orleans, on Saturday evening at 7, also at the Westlake Fish House. Since moving to Long Island, Zebra has become one of the region’s top rock bands, inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012. Some of the band’s early performances were recorded by WBAB-FM, and one of their songs was included on the “WBAB Homegrown Album,” which was released in 1981 and included songs by Twisted Sister, the Good Rats, and others.
Only 200 tickets will be sold for this event. The price is $100, and food and drinks will be available for purchase.
With the exception of the opening party, the Zebra performance, and the Main Stage shows, which will happen on the green in the center of town on Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 5, all the other performances are free. They take place in nearly every corner of Montauk, from as far west as Gurney’s Resort on the Old Highway to Gin Beach Cafe on East Lake Drive. There will be music at seven venues in the dock area and Star Island, at Duryea’s and the Montauket on Fort Pond Bay, and more than a dozen spots downtown.
A two-day pass for the Main Stage shows calls for a $20 donation. Beach chairs and blankets have been recommended, and beer, wine, and soda will be available for purchase at the sponsor tent. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit Lucia’s Angels and the East End Coalition for Women’s Cancers.
Ask the Experts, a free industry workshop, is set for Friday at 11 a.m. at Shagwong Tavern. A panel discussion titled “Maximizing Your Potential as a Musician,” will cover how artists today are building long-term careers without relying on the traditional music industry playbook. Panel members include an artist manager, a distributor, a publicist, a booking agent, and a musician making a living as a D.I.Y. artist. The program will run till 2 p.m., with a break for lunch at 12:15.
Shows will take place Thursday from 6:30 to 10:45, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday from 10 to 8. The festival’s website is the place to visit for the lineup of performers, participating venues, the schedule, and other information.
