Entertainment

Music

hamptons2011

The inaugural Escape to <a href="/topics/New_York_%28state%29">New York</a> Festival, which had to cancel its final day Sunday because of severe rainstorms, plans to return to the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton next year. 
Organizers say they were close to their 10,000-person capacity Saturday night and look forward to bringing the event that combined music, art, and "glamping" -- short for glamorous camping -- to <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> again. 
"I'm already looking at ways I can improve things for next year," the event's creator, Fred Fellowes, told Newsday before Sunday's cancellation. "We want it to grow organically and have this group of lovely people at its core." 
Organizers said <a href="/topics/The_Move_%28musician%29">the move</a> to cancel Sunday's events was a "difficult, but necessary, decision" made at the request of the Shinnecock Nation. 
"There are safety concerns as a result of the rain and adverse conditions that may affect the general safety of both attendees and working personnel," Frederick C. Bess, trustee for the Shinnecock, said in a statement. 
Fans were kept away from the grounds for hours while organizers and tribal leaders tried to determine whether they could continue with the show. 
Refunds for Sunday's ticket holders are available at the point of purchase, while weekend pass holders were asked to check the festival's website for refund information. 
For many, the hardest part was the waiting. Bands did sound checks and vendors readied for crowds for several hours before the decision, which disappointed both fans of headliner <a href="/topics/Of_Montreal">Of Montreal</a> and the vendors looking to serve them. 
The cancellation hurt many vendors who had been counting on three days of income. 
"We paid a lot of money for a vendor space," said Mary Wegman, owner of Ibiza Love Child, which specializes in clothes for the beach and clubbing. "To make it work, we needed to make $30 an hour for three days. Take one-third of that away and it hurts our business." 
Still, Wegman said she would definitely return to the festival next year. 
"The first two days were fantastic," she said. "The promoters were great. The Shinnecock were great. The people who came were great. It was a wonderful time."

Long Island

Suffolk

ETFEST08

E2NY ends in rainout; will return in 2012

escape - cropped

How will Escape to New York end this year? I'm gonna guess soggily. Anyway, we find out today, after yesterday's surprise-filled sunny day. You can follow the music action here all weekend and all the other activities at <a href="http://newsday.com/musicfests" target="_blank">newsday.com/musicfests</a>. Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ndmusic" target="_blank">@ndmusic</a> on Twitter for music updates and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ErinGeismar" target="_blank">@ErinGeismar</a> for other news from the grounds. Heading to the festival? Tweet us what you've discovered and join the discussion at <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23e2ny" target="_blank">#e2ny</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%40escape2ny" target="_blank">@escape2ny</a>. 
In the meantime, here are some videos of today's acts to get you primed: <object width="480" height="385"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/CB40F088337BDA0B?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed width="480" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/p/CB40F088337BDA0B?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></object> 
THE LIST 
HANK &amp; CUPCAKES, “Ain't No Love” OF MONTREAL, “Id Engager” TIGER LOVE, “Gio Gio” MATES OF STATE, “Maracas” JOLLY BOYS, “Rehab” SAVOIR ADORE, “Bodies” REPTAR, “Blast Off” ADAM FALCON, “I Wanna Be Where You Are” RICH MEDINA, “Can't Hold Back” DUSTY WRIGHT, “Secret Window”

Escape to New York Day 3 preview

etESCAPE2NY

On Day Two, the Escape to New York Festival found its groove. Between the massive <a target="_blank" href="http://long-island.newsday.com/things-to-do/music/bubbles-patti-smith-impress-at-escape-1.3080075">bubble-gun audience participation</a> that turned the White Rabbits set into something completely memorable for everyone involved and the ever-growing number of stimuli, there was a good-time atmosphere Saturday that was infectious (even after news of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/backstage-pass-1.811987/music-to-know-festival-canceled-for-next-weekend-1.3079377">the cancellation of next week's Music to Know Festival</a> in East Hampton started to filter in). 
Escape to New York spokeswoman Pam Workman described it as a “summer of love,” as she announced E2NY's plans to let Music to Know ticketholders into the Southampton festival Sunday for free if they bring a proof of purchase. There really was a lot of love in the air, as concertgoers collaborated on murals and art projects, and who could be in a foul mood after tasting a Shinnecock Indian Taco (frybread filled with ground meat, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce and doused with taco sauce)? 
There was also a lot of music in the air. Here are my top 5 moments from Escape to New York Day Two: 
1. The Vaccines, “Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”: Like the rest of the Brits' impressive set, this under-two-minutes, punk-inspired rave-up was too short. Between Justin Young's driving vocals and Freddie Cowan's raging guitar, it was a hard-driving thrill-ride, built for pogoing, that you want to ride again once it ends. Sure, “Post Break-Up Sex” is more tuneful, but The Vaccines are more about hooks and testosterone, which was also on display as members made a crash-filled exit, sending Pete Robertson's drums flying. More please! 
2. The Psychedelic Furs, “ Heartbreak Beat”: This late-'80s nugget embodied everything great about the band's energetic set, including singer Richard Butler's aerobic workout, the extension of the outro so people, including Butler, could keep dancing, and the cool saxophone work of Mars Williams. It ended, as it should have, with a smiling Butler taking a full stage bow. 
3. Edward Sharpe &amp; The Magnetic Zeroes, “Home”: The Los Angeles collective's laid-back, inventive vibe paired well with the festival and on “Home,” they teamed up with the audience for a huge sing-along that seemed incredibly sweet and genuine. 
4. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/backstage-pass-1.811987/escape-to-new-york-day-2-andy-rourke-s-dj-set-1.3080508">Andy Rourke DJ set</a>: Loads of fun – especially when Mark Ronson's version of “Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before” bled into Fun Lovin' Criminals' “Scooby Snacks.” 
5. Graffiti 6, “Free”: Jamie Scott's distinctive voice led the British band through a number of styles – from three-part-harmony folk to neo-soul – in a short set. But this pop number, where Scott's voice quivers like James Blunt, worked best. It's no wonder it will be the band's first American single in October.

Escape to New York Day 2 roundup: The Vaccines cure, the Furs party

It's always great to see one of the original members of The Smiths and bassist Andy Rourke did not disappoint with his DJ set at the Escape to New York Festival yesterday. On the other hand, Rourke may have been a bit disappointed in the sparse turnout for his set, which landed at the same time as the great bubble-gun tour and a main stage set from Au Revoir Simone. Nevertheless, he and his friends made the most of it, as he spun hits mostly drawn from the '80s and '90s, including a remake of a Smiths' classic and De La Soul's "3 Is a Magic Number" for Strong Island. 
Here's his DJ set: Roy Ayers – “We Live in Brooklyn, Baby” / Rolling Stones - “Monkey Man” / Primal Scream - “Some Velvet Morning” / The Clash - “Rock the Casbah” / Stereo MC's - “Connected” / Kool &amp; The Gang - “Jungle Boogie” / New Order - “Fine Time” / Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - “Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before” / Fun Lovin' Criminals - “Scooby Snacks” / Echo &amp; The Bunnymen - “Lips Like Sugar” / David Bowie - “Sound and Vision” / CSS - “Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” / De La Soul - “3 Is a Magic Number” / Gorillaz - “Dare” / Blondie vs. The Doors - “Rapture Riders” / Deee-Lite - “Groove Is in the Heart”

Escape to New York Day 2: Andy Rourke's DJ set

andyrourke

One minute, White Rabbits were playing their set on the Escape to New York main stage. The next, hundreds of new fans arrived carrying bubble-blowing guns, turning the field into what looked like the world's biggest bubble bath. 
It's one of the many unusual creations the three-day festival, which runs through Sunday night, has crafted in its inaugural year on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton. As any good magician will tell you, magic doesn't just happen, it starts with plenty of preparation. Saturday's bubble creation began with a special tour of the Escape to New York grounds designed by Improv Anywhere to create another shared experience. 
No one was more surprised by the bubble event than White Rabbits themselves. 
"It really helped me," said singer Stephen Patterson. "It was nice positive motivation. How can things seem bad when you're surrounded by bubbles?" 
It was just one of many possible shared moments on the festival grounds. For example, in the middle of the woods sits "Gamelatron," the world's first fully automated gamelan, an Indonesian orchestra of gongs, metallophones and other instruments. 
"It's meant to connect with the gods and foster a sense of community," said Nate Wheeler, the assistant to the exhibit's inventor, Taylor Kuffner. "At a festival like this, when there are so many sounds bumping into each other, it offers a moment of peace." 
Of course, music is at the center of Escape to New York and by late afternoon, such a crowd had gathered for '80s heroes Psychedelic Furs that it felt like a conventional rock concert, complete with hooting, beach balls and a bit of crowd surfing, egged on by singer <a href="/topics/Richard_Butler">Richard Butler</a>'s energetic performance. 
"We are part of something new," singer-songwriter Patti Smith told the crowd during her set. "Every time there is something new, there is a risk. There is always a risk of failure . . . There is also a risk of finding light, of feeling new and alive."

ETHAMP07

Bubbles, Patti Smith impress at 'Escape'

Next weekend's inaugural MTK: Music to Know Festival in East Hampton has been canceled. 
"Despite our unique vision and arranging a world-class line-up, ticket sales were not adequate to allow the event to continue," a representative for the festival said in a statement. "We wanted to let everyone know now before engaging more deeply." 
Ticket holders should check musictoknow.com this week for information on refunds. 
If you're an MTK ticketholder, you can show <a href="/topics/Proof_%28musician%29">proof</a> of purchase at Sunday's final Escape to New York festivities at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton and get in for free. 
"We just want to be courteous," Escape to New York representative Pam Workman said. "This is coming from the spirit of summer love." 
MTK was to take place Aug. 13-14 on Runway 4 at the East Hampton Airport, and feature music by <a href="/topics/Vampire_Weekend">Vampire Weekend</a> and <a href="/topics/Bright_Eyes_%28musician%29">Bright Eyes</a>, as well as shopping, which was to include a fashion line launch from <a href="/topics/Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen_%28musician%29">Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen</a> and gourmet food trucks. 
"Along with our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, business associates, colleagues and friends in the community, we too are filled with deep disappointment," a statement from Fox Greenberg Public Relations read. "We pledge to endure during this difficult time with the same integrity and professionalism displayed throughout the creation of this event." 
With Erin Geismar

ETCANC07

Music to Know fest in East Hampton canceled

Vampire Weekend - cropped

The 600 or so members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation who live on the tribe’s Southampton reservation are no strangers to hosting a large crowd in their backyard. 
Every September, the tribe holds a powwow, which draws tens of thousands through its winding roads to congregate on a central field for a celebration to honor the 565th federally recognized tribe in the United States. 
The Labor Day weekend event features traditional dances, food and regalia and celebrates the rich history of the <a href="/topics/East_%28designer%29">East</a> End tribe, which traces its roots to <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> back thousands of years. 
But this weekend, the tribe is hosting a different sort of event: the Escape to <a href="/topics/New_York_%28state%29">New York</a> festival and all the fanfare that has come to town with it. The music and arts festival was organized by <a href="/topics/Fred_%28designer%29">Fred</a> Fellowes, who saw it as an opportunity to introduce America to the experience of his popular Secret Garden parties in England. 
“It’s sort of an out-of-this-world experience,” said Kristine Goree, 26, a member of the tribe who lives on the reservation. “You come down to watch the concert and you don’t feel like you’re in your home.” 
Where the powwow features traditional Native American dress, Escape to <a href="/topics/New_York_%28state%29">New York</a>&nbsp;is use your imagination&nbsp;-- including everything from promoters wearing bunny heads and&nbsp;a performance artist in a dress made of Metrocards to a group in "Where’s Waldo?" costumes. 
Where the powwow grounds provide a stage for the drum-heavy music of the tribe, Escape to <a href="/topics/New_York_%28state%29">New York</a> erected a stage that, in addition to performers, features a yellow taxi cab, a wire-frame bed and a washing machine. Rock music emanates from the speakers as the crowd lounges on the ground or dances in the field. 
Large-scale art installations are nestled into the woods. A boxing ring was set up for spontaneous dance-offs. 
“We know the experience of having a large crowd,” Goree said, adding that many non-tribe members make attending the powwow an annual tradition. “But this is very different.” 
When the tribe agreed to lease the grounds for the Escape to <a href="/topics/New_York_%28state%29">New York</a> festival, it was also given the opportunity to have its members work at the festival. About 50 tribe members have been volunteering - collecting tickets, helping to organize and direct media, and with set up and clean up. 
“This has been a really fun experience,” said Shatahni Eleazer, 19, a tribe member who was volunteering at the festival. “I’ve never done anything like this before.” 
Tucked away behind the main performance stage is Shinnecock Village, a spot for vendor booths run by members of the tribe, where they were selling Native American jewelry, clothing and crafts, as well as food. 
Lance A. Gumbs, a former tribal chairman who currently serves as the vice president of the National <a href="/topics/U.S._Congress">Congress</a> of American Indians, was running a booth that sold goods from “the four corners of Native America,” he said. 
There were Wampum jewelry, a signature of the Shinnecocks and other North American tribes that is made from the purple interior of a clamshell; Navajo woven rugs and turquoise jewelry, and moccasins and leather goods. 
Gumbs said the festival has been a positive experience for the tribe members, which <a href="/topics/Benefit_%28designer%29">benefit</a> economically from running vendor booths and for the tribe as a whole, which has been able to educate people about the tribe. 
“This is not a powwow,” he said. “They really don’t have a clue about who we are. Some people don’t even know they are on an Indian reservation, so this has been an opportunity for us."

News

volunteers

Shinnecocks welcome festivalgoers, help with event

HLESCAPE06

Sharan Bala and Charlotte Carter-Allen were roughing it. 
Under a mid-morning sun Friday, the women, who live in Manhattan but are from Holland and London, respectively, each held on to one side of a twin-size air mattress and lugged it through a field of white teepees until they reached their own. 
The bed would be for Bala and her boyfriend, when he arrived, while Carter-Allen and another friend slept on colorful sleeping mats in the six-person teepee. A short walk away on the grounds of the Elks Lodge in Southampton were air-conditioned bathrooms, showers with hot water, a bar tent and an outpost of the New York City restaurant Fat Radish. 
This is glamping, or “glamorous camping.” The <a href="/topics/Common_%28musician%29">common</a> practice at music festivals abroad and on high-class safari trips in <a href="/topics/India">India</a> and <a href="/topics/Africa">Africa</a>, made a splash in the United States as the sold-out lodging option of choice for attendees at the Escape to New York festival in Southampton this weekend, said Maureen Baker, the glamping manager. 
“Most Americans think camping means sleeping in the dirt,” she said, and glamping is definitely not that. 
In addition to the teepees, glampers could also stay in safari tents outfitted with one to three full-size beds each. There were colorful carpets and bedding, throw pillows, snacks and drinks. 
In lieu of a campfire and s’mores, performance artists, musicians and the&nbsp;bar kept glampers entertained well through the night. 
“We were all out until 5 this morning,” said Suzanne Smallshaw, 26, of Manhattan, on Saturday morning. Smallshaw was sharing a teepee with five friends, and was attending Escape to New York with a total of 15. “So there wasn’t a lot of sleeping in the teepee.” 
Fred Fellowes, who modeled Escape to New York after his successful Secret Garden parties in the England, said the glamping stateside has lived up to its predecessors abroad. 
“It’s been absolutely brilliant,” he said, as he boarded a yellow school bus taking glampers to the festival grounds on the Shinnecock Reservation nearby. “We had a great party here last night.” Smallshaw said she came to the glamping site armed with dry shampoo and prepared for the worst, but she was pleasantly surprised. 
“There’s a bathroom, a shower,” she said. “That’s pretty glamorous, which is not always the case.” 
As glampers emerged from their tents and teepees on Saturday morning, some dressed and headed toward the lounge area, and others stammering toward the showers in pajamas or towels, glamping staff walked around delivering snacks. 
Lola Jupiter, a member of the staff, peeked into teepees, her <a href="/topics/Arms_%28musician%29">arms</a> full of popcorn and energy bars. 
“When you’re out in the wilderness,” she said as she deposited a few treats at the entrance to each teepee. “It’s important to have the basic necessities.” 
Carter-Allen, 23, said she was enjoying glamping much more than traditional camping. She said last time she camped - in England - she got trench foot, which occurs when feet are exposed to cold, damp conditions in restrictive footwear, in Carter-Allen’s case it was rainboots. 
“It was gross,” she said. “Let’s just put it that way.” 
But walking around the grassy glamping field in sandals this weekend, she said she was feeling more confident about this experience. 
“No trench foot for me this time,” she said. Then she thought again: “Well, maybe. You never know what will happen.” 
Picture: A "glamping" safari tent, which festival organizers furnished&nbsp;with a full-size bed, chair and pillows.

glampers06

Glamorous campers enjoy festival in the Hamptons

HLESCAPE04

This just in: The inaugural MTK: Music to Know Festival in East Hampton next weekend will not take place. 
A message on musictoknow.com on Saturday said: “Despite our unique vision and arranging a world-class lineup, ticket sales were not adequate to allow the event to continue. We wanted to let everyone know now before engaging more deeply.” 
Ticket holders were advised to check the MTK site next week for refund information. 
And, starting today, organizers at Escape to New York — the festival going on now at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton — say they will honor all MTK tickets for the rest of this weekend. 
Pam Workman, publicist for the festival, said anyone that shows proof of purchase for a one- or two-day ticket to the MTK festival will be granted entry to Escape to New York for the remainder of Saturday and on Sunday. 
This is not an official offer from the MTK festival organizers, who had no comment on the Escape to New York offer. 
"We just want to be courteous," Workman told our colleague Erin Geismar. "This is coming from the spirit of summer love." 
She said the decision was made shortly after the MTK festival announced its cancellation. 
"We have the room. It's a pretty large field," she said. 
"We are very sad to hear that MTK is not taking place next weekend. Anyone who is involved in one of these things knows how much energy goes into it and to see it not work out is very sad." 
So you won’t see Vampire Weekend, above, on Runway 4 at East Hampton Airport, but if you hurry you can still make it to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros tonight on the reservation. 
Stay tuned for more.

Music to Know Festival canceled

Music to Know Festival canceled for next weekend

Au Revoir Simone play at 3:15 p.m. on the main stage. 
Day Two of the Escape To New York Festival is here, following a <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/backstage-pass-1.811987/escape-to-new-york-day-1-roundup-thrilling-static-jacks-smart-patti-smith-1.3078991" target="_blank">near-perfect kickoff </a>yesterday at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton. You can follow the music action here all weekend and all the other activities at <a href="http://newsday.com/musicfests" target="_blank">newsday.com/musicfests</a>. Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ndmusic" target="_blank">@ndmusic</a> on Twitter for music updates and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ErinGeismar" target="_blank">@ErinGeismar</a> for other news from the grounds. Heading to the festival? Tweet us what you've discovered and join the discussion at <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23e2ny" target="_blank">#e2ny</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%40escape2ny" target="_blank">@escape2ny</a>. 
In the meantime, here are some videos of today's acts to get you primed: <object width="480" height="385"> <param value="http://www.youtube.com/p/D2B48E1E99A1F67F?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" name="movie"> <param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"> <param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"><embed width="480" height="385" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/p/D2B48E1E99A1F67F?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></object> 
THE LIST 
WHITE RABBITS, “The Plot” THE VACCINES, “Post Break-Up Sex” PSYCHEDELIC FURS, “Love My Way” EDWARD SHARPE &amp; THE MAGNETIC ZEROS, “Home” AU REVOIR SIMONE, “Shadows” THE SUBMARINES, “You, Me &amp; The Bourgeoisie” VHS OR BETA, “Night on Fire” GRAFFITI6, “Annie, You Save Me” 2AM CLUB, “Worry About You” ANDY ROURKE, “DJ set”

Escape to New York Day 2 preview

aurevoirsimone

Day One of the Escape to New York Festival was <a target="_blank" href="http://long-island.newsday.com/things-to-do/music/escape-festival-kicks-off-in-southampton-1.3078586">a smashing success</a> by nearly every standard except one — attendance. 
Of course, complaining about that is a double-edged sword. Bigger crowds mean longer lines at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/not-the-typical-festival-food-at-escape-to-new-york-1.3078510">the fantastic food trucks and stands</a> like Rickshaw Dumplings, Pizza Moto and the American Indian food from the Shinnecock and Wampanoag tribes. They mean less space to sit, messier bathrooms and more competition for interacting with the public art displays. But they also mean Escape to New York gets to continue. 
“Tonight, we are part of something new,” headliner Patti Smith said last night on the stage. “Every time there is something new, there is a risk. There is always a risk of failure ... There is also a risk of finding light, of feeling new and alive.” 
Right now, festival creator Fred Fellowes is happy with the results and is already making notes for what he hopes to change next year. Right now, Escape to New York is a glorious little secret club — one that can use a few more members this weekend. 
Here are my Top 5 musical moments from Day One: 
1. The Static Jacks, “Into the Sun”: Ian Devaney's impassioned howl and the rest of the Static Jacks' revved-up Replacements-y rock should turn this into an anthem for the fall, once their debut “If You're Young” arrives Aug. 30 on Fearless Records. Devaney's delivery, complete with wild-eyed waving of a sign that ready “Follow” and “Together” made it that much more memorable. 
2. Patti Smith, “Free Money”: Smith's inspiring set was an elegy of sorts, dedicating songs to the late Amy Winehouse, Jerry Garcia and Fred “Sonic” Smith. But the timeliest dedication was offering up her punk-ish ode to winning the lottery to “Obama and the United States of America,” after yesterday's historic downgrade of the nation's credit rating. “I think they need it,” she said. 
3. Chairlift, “Bruises”: Yes, they have better songs, slinkier, smarter synth-pop. But Chairlift embraces its song best-known for its use in an Apple iPod campaign (the “handstands” one) and boosted its poppiness by folding in a bit of Modern English's “I Melt With You” and then extended it for more of a dance party. 
4. Best Coast, “When I'm With You”: The dreamy song fit perfectly with the chilled-out vibe of the festival as the sun set and more fans started to arrive. 
5. The Postelles, “123 Stop”: A bit of rockabilly, a bit of The Strokes — “123 Stop” was the catchiest of a grand power-pop set drawn mainly from the Manhattan band's eponymous debut. 
Above, singer Ian Devaney of The Static Jacks performs on the main stage at the Escape to New York Festival on Aug. 5, 2011.

Escape to New York Day 1 roundup: Thrilling Static Jacks, smart Patti Smith

staticjacksian

Any doubt the <a href="/topics/Obama_Inauguration">inaugural</a> Escape to New York Festival would transform part of the Shinnecock Reservation into the "wonderland" organizers promised was erased by dudes in the bunny costumes directing traffic on Route 27 in Southampton to the gathering Friday.
Inside the festival, which runs through Sunday, it was all very "through the looking glass." Elements of Escape to New York creator Fred Fellowes' dream, two years in the making, were already blossoming -- including on the main stage, where plastic flowers were blooming on makeshift vines throughout the day, next to an abandoned yellow cab. "I'm very happy with everything," Fellowes said Friday night. "It's all running very smoothly." 
When asked how the festival was able to overcome the usual first-year event issues like late starts and food and supply shortages, he replied, "This isn't our first rodeo."
Though attendance was light Friday afternoon, the crowds grew for <a href="/topics/Patti_Smith">Patti Smith</a>'s headlining appearance. She made it quite timely by dedicating "Free Money" to <a href="/topics/Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a> and <a href="/topics/The_Rest_%28musician%29">the rest</a> of the country, hours after the historic downgrading of the nation's debt. "I think they need it," she said.
Organizers expect between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors throughout the weekend. Many attending the event, modeled after Fellowes' Secret Garden Party in England, were thrilled to be part of something new.
"It's a great vibe and that's the hardest thing for a festival to create," The Postelles singer Daniel Balk said after the band played the main stage.
"I think they're laying the groundwork to be a festival of the future," added bassist John Speyer. "Festivals like <a href="/topics/Bonnaroo_Music_Festival">Bonnaroo</a> are built on the vibe."
Escape to New York builds that vibe by making the most of its surroundings. Art exhibits are tucked into wooded nooks, with fabric panels hanging from trees and sculptures designed to mirror their surroundings. Wandering the grounds brings numerous surprises, from giant orange plastic fingers to pits filled with rose petals and stuffed pandas.
Fellowes promised more surprises, including flash mobs and a shared experimental tour, created by the troupe Improv Everywhere, guided by an MP3 concertgoers download from the festival website.

ETHAMP06

'Escape' festival kicks off in Southampton

smith - cropped

What would a music festival be without its food vendors? Pretty boring, said Sara Klepadlo, who was working at the Rickshaw Dumpling truck at the Escape to New York music festival. 
“If this whole place was a <a href="/topics/Dave_Matthews_Band">band</a>, we’d be the drummers,” she said. “We hold everything together.” 
The three-day event, being held at the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton through Sunday, was touted by organizers as an “experiential” festival and the food choices were no exception. 
Take typical festival fare - pizza, hot dogs, burgers, ice cream - and then amp it up: Pizza Moto was rolling out fresh dough for personal margherita-style pies cooked in its mobile pizza oven; a Van Leeuwen gourmet ice cream truck was dishing out flavors like ginger, earl green tea, and palm sugar; Asiadog, a popular food vendor in New York City, was serving its signature hot dogs with fresh, Asian-inspired toppings like kimchi, Japanese curry and sesame slaw. 
Rickshaw Dumplings, which has four food trucks and two storefronts in New York City, was selling four types of dumplings, including an Asian-inspired edamame dumpling, the company’s twist for the “hip, young, vegeterians,” Klepadlo said. 
There’s also Luke’s, a <a href="/topics/Maine">Maine</a>-based seafood vendor, serving lobster, crab and shrimp rolls; and plenty of Native-American fare - including frybread, a signature dish of fried dough topped with chili - sold at booths manned by the Shinnecock tribe and Sly Fox Den, a vendor selling food from the Cape-Cod based Wampanoag tribe. 
Frankie Hutchinson, an Asiadog employee, said the music is just one part of a big festival like Escape to New York, and the food stands play an important role. 
“It brings people together,” she said. “It helps them socialize.” 
Lauren Roth, 29, of Astoria, said she came to the festival with a friend because she wanted to see headliner <a href="/topics/Patti_Smith">Patti Smith</a> - but “so far, this is the most excited I’ve been,” she said as she perused the food stands. 
She said took a few laps to see what her options were before settling on a lobster roll from Luke’s. 
“It’s all amazing and unique,” she said, referring to Van Leeuwens as ice cream “haute couture.” “They rip on the typical stuff.” 
Erin Oshan, 34, of <a href="/topics/Melville%2C_NY">Melville</a>, is no stranger to music festivals. Most recently she attended the <a href="/topics/Dave_Matthews_Band">Dave Matthews Band</a> Caravan in <a href="/topics/New_Jersey%2C_NY">New Jersey</a>, and she said the food options at Escape to New York were much better than at most festivals. &nbsp; 
She compared it to food shopping in a gourmet market versus a grocery store. &nbsp; 
"It's like shopping at Wild by Nature," she said, as she tried her first Asiadog. "It's upscale, it's organic, it's fresh. There are definitely good choices."

Food05

Not the typical festival food at Escape to New York

food06

Past the concert stage where artists like <a href="/topics/Patti_Smith">Patti Smith</a> and <a href="/topics/Best_Coast">Best Coast</a> will rock out this weekend on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton, is a little gazebo with a much smaller stage and a more intimate vibe. 
Jack’s Stir Brew Acoustic Stage is the spot where 20 bands and duos will perform during the three-day Escape to New York festival. 
“The acoustic performances were a pleasant surprise,” said festival-goer Dave Olander, 52, Morristown, N.J. 
The audience members sit on picnic tables and munch on Asian-style hot dogs, gourmet ice cream and dumplings as artists croon mellow tunes. It’s a stark contrast from the electro-pop music echoing throughout the festival. The Acoustic Stage’s line-up includes artists like <a href="http://www.2amclubmusic.com/us/home">2AM Club</a> and <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/ghostwise">Ghostwise</a>. 
David Trotta of <a href="/topics/Jersey_City">Jersey City</a> runs the music for Jack’s Stir Brew, a coffee shop based in Manhattan and <a href="/topics/Amagansett%2C_NY">Amagansett</a> that hosts regular acoustic shows called “Fresh Ground Music Night. Trotto not only booked half of the bands performing on the Acoustic Stage, but he will also take the stage as part of the duo Trotta &amp; Ronstadt. 
“I think the festival is not just about music – it’s a lifestyle,” said Trotta. “It has a grass roots vibe going that Jack’s really plays well with.” 
Performers can even be caught sitting in the audience. 
Dominick Magnotta, a 25-year-old musician from Brooklyn, said the best part of the festival is “running into beautiful people, the greetings and the weather." 
Magnotta is one of the five members of the Brooklyn-born band OTiS that will take the stage. He describes the band as “new age soul.” 
“A friend of a friend recommended us for the stage when they found out a few slots were available,” said fellow OTiS member Craig Schoenbaum, 31, of Brooklyn. “We usually play electric but we had to change it down for this and we adapted to it quickly and made it happen.”

Acoustic

Bands jam in Southampton at festival's acoustic stage

Could Escape to New York have already established a breakthrough artist? 
New Jersey’s The Static Jacks, above, kicked off the festival in rocking style with a hard-driving set of songs from their upcoming debut “If You’re Young,” due out Aug. 30 on Fearless Records. 
“We’ve never played on a big stage before,” said drummer Nick Brennan. “But we would’ve played on the dirt in the field to be a part of this.” 
The band certainly brought it’s big-stage game. Think of a young Bono (singer Ian Devaney’s floppy mop of curls comes close to the U2 front man’s style circa “Boy”) fronting The Replacements, filtered through something dramatic and British -- maybe Glasvegas or Echo &amp; The Bunnymen -- and you’ll come close to the raw, but polished power of its first single, “Into the Sun.” 
“We’re a punk-rock guitar band who writes anthemic, smart rock songs,” Brennan says. “We like to use gang vocals and bang on things and we love fast-paced music and big hooky choruses and we think all of those things are in that one song.” 
And the thing is, Brennan isn’t overselling, which the lucky few at Escape to New York early on learned quickly and the rest of the world will find out soon enough. 
Above, Ian Devaney of The Static Jacks plays Friday, on opening day of the Escape to New York Festival. (Aug. 5, 2011) &nbsp;

Escape to N.Y. update: The Static Jacks

Static Jacks-CROPPED

The <a target="_blank" href="http://escape2ny.com/lineup">Escape to New York Festival</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/escape-to-new-york-fest-opens-in-southampton-1.3075850">kicks off this morning</a> at 11 a.m. on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton. It's three days of music, art, food and science lectures (!) and we'll be on-site for all of it. You can follow the music action here all weekend and all the other activities at <a target="_blank" href="http://newsday.com/musicfests">newsday.com/musicfests</a>. Follow <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/ndmusic">@ndmusic</a> on Twitter for music updates and <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/ErinGeismar">@ErinGeismar</a> for other news from the grounds. Heading to the festival? Tweet us what you've discovered and join the discussion at <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23e2ny">#e2ny</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%40escape2ny">@escape2ny</a>. 
In the meantime, here are some videos of today's acts to get you primed: 
<object width="480" height="385"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/4E2A97ECD264A36E?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/4E2A97ECD264A36E?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></object> 
THE LIST 
BEST COAST, “Our Deal” THE POSTELLES, “Sleep on the Dance Floor” CHAIRLIFT, “Bruises” PATTI SMITH, “Dancing Barefoot” LISSY TRULLIE, “Ready for the Floor” THE ETTES, “No Home” STATIC JACKS, “Girl Parts” KEVIN GARRETT, “Thomas Edison” SONIA MONTEZ, “Red Moon” WILLY JOY, “Woman Like Me”

Escape to New York Day 1 preview

ENTER TV-TINSEL 1 MCT

The experiment begins Friday. 
Thousands of fans of independent-minded music, public art and high-end food are converging on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton for the Escape to New York Festival, which runs Friday through Sunday. 
Poet-rocker <a href="/topics/Patti_Smith">Patti Smith</a>, hot up-and-comers <a href="/topics/Edward_Sharpe">Edward Sharpe</a> &amp; The Magnetic Zeros and the unpredictable collective <a href="/topics/Of_Montreal">Of Montreal</a> will headline the festival, the brainchild of organizer Freddie Fellowes, who has modeled the event after his well-respected, long-running Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire, England. 
It's the first festival of any size geared toward young people to be allowed in <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County in years -- the first to be attempted since the Field Day festival featuring <a href="/topics/Radiohead">Radiohead</a> and the <a href="/topics/Beastie_Boys_%28musician%29">Beastie Boys</a>, originally scheduled for <a href="/topics/Calverton%2C_NY">Calverton</a>, was canceled in 2003 because of security issues and community pressure. Fellowes expects between 8,000 and 10,000 concertgoers; ticket prices range from $100 daily to $275 for the weekend. (Another, larger gathering, the Music to Know Festival, is set for Aug. 13 and 14 in <a href="/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a>.) 
Fellowes, a concert promoter who has been working on Escape to New York for more than two years and says he has invested "millions" of his own money, hopes to forge a long-term partnership with the community. The festival will pay Southampton Town police for traffic control on County Road 39 at the intersections of Tuckahoe Road and Tuckahoe Lane, as well as for patrols in the camping area. 
"I think we're a very different kind of festival and the welcome rests with that," he said. "We aren't bringing <a href="/topics/Coachella_Festival">Coachella</a> [the massive California rock festival held each April] to the Hamptons. This is a very different event, one that has been rather warmly received in the neighborhood." 
Escape to New York certainly has some unusual ambitions in addition to the nearly 100 musical acts booked. Fellowes hopes to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the world's biggest brunch at an outdoor festival Sunday. He has interactive public art exhibits planned, as well as a series of lectures from Guerilla Science on such topics as "Neurological Wonders" and "How to Destroy Things With Light." The fest's food will be curated by Silkstone, which runs the Fat Radish in Manhattan and Ruschmeyer's in <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a>. 
Fellowes says the event is already a success. Spaces for "glamping" -- glamorous camping -- have already sold out and the festival hopes to bring in more local visitors by offering $30 tickets each night for people walking up after 5 p.m.

ETFEST05

Escape to New York fest opens in Southampton

liESCA05

"No Parking" signs will be erected on a dozen local roads near the <a href="/topics/Shinnecock_Indian_Reservation%2C_NY">Shinnecock Indian Reservation</a> in <a href="/topics/Shinnecock_Hills%2C_NY">Shinnecock Hills</a> Friday through Sunday to eliminate problems with overflow parking at the Escape to New York music festival being held on the reservation grounds.
Southampton Town police will also assign two police officers to control traffic on County Road 39 at the intersections of Tuckahoe Road and Tuckahoe Lane, and two other police officers will be assigned to patrol designated camping areas.
Promoters say they have the capacity to handle 5,000 people a day at the concert, although they do not have figures on the number of tickets sold. The concert features on-site camping for some attendees.
Town officials said the extra police costs will be paid for by the festival promoters. Tickets to the weekend concert are $100 a night and $275 for the three-day weekend.

TOPARK04

No parking signs posted at music fest site

America, get ready for the boutique music festival. 
Though the success of American mega-fests like <a href="/topics/Coachella_Festival">Coachella</a> and <a href="/topics/Bonnaroo_Music_Festival">Bonnaroo</a> show that massive European-styled concerts can work on this side of the Atlantic, the more-focused, more-curated versions of Euro festival life haven't quite made the transition. 
However, two separate festivals set for the first two weekends in August in the Hamptons aim to change that -- as well as the way culture is perceived on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>'s <a href="/topics/East_%28designer%29">East</a> End. 
"I've seen a lot of things go from America to England, whether it's the film industry and entertainment," says <a href="/topics/Chris_Jones_%28racing%29">Chris Jones</a>, owner of the Solé <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_%28designer%29">East</a> Hotel in <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a>, who was born in England, but has lived in America for the past 16 years and become an American citizen. "Occasionally, things come the other way." 
Jones hopes the music festival life that takes over England and <a href="/topics/The_Rest_%28musician%29">the rest</a> of Europe each summer becomes one of those things. He and screenwriter Bill Collage have teamed up to organize the first Music to Know Festival, a two-day event at the <a href="/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> Airport Aug. 13 and 14 that will feature music from <a href="/topics/Bright_Eyes_%28musician%29">Bright Eyes</a> and <a href="/topics/Vampire_Weekend">Vampire Weekend</a>, as well as shopping that includes a fashion line launch from <a href="/topics/Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen_%28musician%29">Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen</a> and booths from other top designers like <a href="/topics/Tory_Burch_%28designer%29">Tory Burch</a>, <a href="/topics/Topshop">Topshop</a> and <a href="/topics/Madewell_%28designer%29">Madewell</a>. 
"The music festival in the U.K. is now regarded in the same sentence as <a href="/topics/Wimbledon_Tennis_Championships">Wimbledon</a>, the Open in golf and <a href="/topics/Formula_One">Formula One</a>," Jones says. "It's something that most people -- and by most people, I mean families, kids, everybody from teenagers to my parents -- want to do. It was really that realization, that this hasn't really been done in the United States, let alone <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County, that started it. It was a desire to bring something neat and new to the community." 
For Freddie Fellowes -- who is bringing the Escape to New York Festival, a three-day version of his British festival The Secret Garden Party, to the Shinnecock Reservation in <a href="/topics/Southampton_FC">Southampton</a> running Aug. 5-7 -- the most important part of a festival isn't the music. It's the experience. 
"Our main focus is on the people coming to the event and their ownership of their time, rather than it being a spectator event where people are coming to view a band and sort of consume other revenue streams around that feature," Fellowes says. "The focus of the whole is not on the spectating but rather on the taking part." 
It's not that Escape to New York doesn't have first-rate musical acts, including the legendary <a href="/topics/Patti_Smith">Patti Smith</a>, up-and-comers <a href="/topics/Best_Coast">Best Coast</a> and <a href="/topics/Edward_Sharpe">Edward Sharpe</a> and the Magnetic Zeros, and the unpredictable <a href="/topics/Of_Montreal">Of Montreal</a>. But the festival will also feature art installations, food curated by Silkstone, which runs The Fat Radish in Manhattan and Ruschmeyer's in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a>, and scientific lectures by Guerilla Science, a hip group of Brits who make science fun. His festival will also attempt to break the <a href="/topics/Guinness">Guinness</a> Book of World Records mark for the world's largest brunch at a live event. 
"The music is a way of getting people interacting -- a point of interest that allows people to break down inhibitions and barriers," Fellowes says. "The booking was framed around the idea of what we would like to hear while having a good time with our mates rather than 'What band would I most like to see in the world?' " 
Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of industry trade magazine <a href="/topics/Pollstar">Pollstar</a>, doesn't expect Americans to be doing the festival circuit every weekend the way many Europeans do anytime soon. "In Europe, it's all about the festival because for years the only way to play to large crowds was to do it outdoors," he says. "In America, we have plenty of large amphitheaters and air-conditioned indoor arenas to handle those kind of crowds. . . . In America, festivals appeal to people living a certain lifestyle and have a willingness to camp out. Here, that's more a young person's game. In England, they're fine with <a href="/topics/Rain_%28entertainer%29">rain</a>, mud and humidity. Here, we're a bit spoiled." 
That said, Bongiovanni says there is a growing market for American festivals, as sold-out runs for <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Coachella_Festival">Coachella</a>, <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bonnaroo_Music_Festival">Bonnaroo</a> and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami this year have shown. Boutique festivals, like Escape to New York and Music to Know, also have a chance to succeed, he says. "There's a lot of different things you can do to attract people to a 10,000-capacity festival," he says. "The key to their success will be in how well they serve their audience." 
Both Jones and Fellowes say that serving their audiences and their communities will be an important part of their events. "I think on a humanitarian level, if you're going to invite people to spend three days in a field, you should make sure they eat and drink well," Fellowes says with a laugh. "I think it's vaguely inhumane to only serve them hot dogs and flat <a href="/topics/Budweiser">Budweiser</a>." 
He adds that he will consider Escape to New York a success if "people go away having had fun" and plans to make it an annual event that grows organically the way his well-respected Secret Garden Party has in England. 
The stakes are a bit higher for Jones and the Music to Know Festival, which drew some early opposition in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County over traffic and noise concerns. By working with officials from the Town of <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a>, Music to Know was able to secure permits that other high-profile festivals in the past have been denied, which, in some ways, is already a victory. 
"We really wanted to start out being sensible," Jones says, adding that the festival is seeing sales increase steadily as the event draws closer and one-day tickets for the first day have already sold out. "We wanted to keep it to what we thought we could realistically handle in the community." 
As a sign of how much the community means to the festival, it has already donated $100,000 of its proceeds to <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a>-area charities. As a sign of how much the fans mean to the festival, Jones says he has worked to book musical acts that should have broad appeal. 
"I'm a big fan of both headliners , but I really think people who have never heard of them would really like and enjoy them," he says. "They really are Music to Know. Like <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Vampire_Weekend">Vampire Weekend</a> has a lot of elements in their music that resonate with <a href="/topics/Paul_Simon">Paul Simon</a>, who has a lot of great connections to people on the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_%28designer%29">East</a> End. It's my hope that we really do expose people to music that they've never heard of before, but will really like." 
For Jones, success will be measured in "whether it was an enjoyable event and if everyone arrives and gets home safely." He says he is already thinking about next year's Music to Know and adds that he will judge the event not by how much money it made, but "how well we delivered what we promised to deliver." 
"We want to give people a festival experience that's intimate and well-curated, rather than just big," Jones says. "We want to show that it's not anything to be fearful of, and we hope that maybe some of the people who expressed concern early on will see that it was unfounded. We want to give people something special." 
&nbsp; 
<h3>Escape to New York</h3> 
&nbsp; 
The three-day festival of music, art, food and shopping runs Aug. 5-7 at the Shinnecock Reservation in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton_FC">Southampton</a>. 
THE IDEA "We have, for thousands of years, gathered to celebrate our vitality, creativity and the very fact we are alive. These celebrations have endured through our history under many names: festivals, carnivals, fairs, fiestas and parties. They are the <a href="/topics/Proof_%28musician%29">proof</a> of our progress from the trees and the caves." -- Escape to New York founder Freddie Fellowes 
THE LINEUP 
Aug. 5 (11 a.m.-10 p.m.) 
HEADLINER Patti <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Patti_Smith">Smith</a>, the poet and rock priestess behind the classic "Horses" album and powerful anthems like "People Have the Power" 
DON'T MISS <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Best_Coast">Best Coast</a>, the indie-pop band from Los Angeles that became critics' darlings with their debut "Crazy for You," filled with fuzzy guitars and sweet vocals from Bethany Cosentino 
ALSO <a href="/topics/Chairlift_%28musician%29">Chairlift</a>, Lissy Trulie, <a href="/topics/The_Ettes">The Ettes</a>, The Postelles, The Static Jacks 
Aug. 6 (11 a.m.-10 p.m.) 
HEADLINER <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Edward_Sharpe">Edward Sharpe</a> and the Magnetic Zeros, the Los Angeles collective, led by Alex Ebert, that brings indie style to folk rock 
DON'T MISS The Vaccines, the British sensations, whose debut, "What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?," mixes revved-up classic Jesus and Mary Chain with the more contemporary <a href="/topics/Glasvegas_%28musician%29">Glasvegas</a> 
ALSO <a href="/topics/The_Psychedelic_Furs_%28musician%29">The Psychedelic Furs</a>, White Rabbits, <a href="/topics/Au_Revoir_Simone">Au Revoir Simone</a>, The Submarines, Graffiti 6 
Aug. 7 (11 a.m.-9 p.m.) 
HEADLINER <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Of_Montreal">Of Montreal</a>, the ever-changing Athens, Ga., collective led by Kevin Barnes, is hard to pin down, zooming from twee pop to Princely funk depending on their moods. 
DON'T MISS Mates of State, the charming synth-pop duo, who are readying their new "Mountaintops" album for release in September 
ALSO The Jolly Boys, Reptar, Hank &amp; Cupcakes, Tiger Love, <a href="/topics/Savoir_Adore">Savoir Adore</a> 
Other activities 
Organizers plan to challenge the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Guinness">Guinness</a> Book of World Records' mark for the World's Biggest Brunch at a live music event next Sunday at 11 a.m. The festival's food component will be curated by Silkstone, who run The Fat Radish in Manhattan and Ruschmeyer's in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a>, and include such rare festival foods as lobster and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. There will also be art installations curated by Winkel &amp; Baltick and hip scientific lectures from Guerilla Science, a group of Brits who make science fun. 
WHAT The Escape to New York Festival 
WHEN|WHERE Noon Aug. 5 through 9 p.m. Aug. 7, enter at <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton_FC">Southampton</a> Elks Lodge, 605 County Rd. 39, Southampton 
INFO $100 daily; $275 for weekend; 877-435-9849; escape2ny.com 
&nbsp; 
<h3>Music to Know</h3> 
&nbsp; 
The two-day festival of music, food and fashion starts Aug. 13 at the East Hampton Airport. 
THE IDEA " has historically been called 'The End' by folks. But anyone who knows the real Montauk will tell you that Montauk is The Beginning. And for a culture that's lately been so trapped in the past, 'The Beginning' started to feel really good to us." -- Music to Know's Runway 4 blog 
THE LINEUP 
Aug. 13 (10 a.m.-10 p.m.) 
HEADLINER <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Vampire_Weekend">Vampire Weekend</a>, the <a href="/topics/Ivy_League">Ivy League</a> indie rockers who landed their first No. 1 album with last year's "Contra," will return to performing after spending much of 2011 off the road. 
DON'T MISS Tom Tom Club will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their legendary "Genius of Love" single, as well as their world-beat-influenced funk. 
ALSO <a href="/topics/Matt_%26_Kim">Matt &amp; Kim</a>, <a href="/topics/Ellie_Goulding">Ellie Goulding</a>, Tame Impala, <a href="/topics/M._Ward_%28musician%29">M. Ward</a>, We Are Scientists, <a href="/topics/Francis_and_the_Lights">Francis and the Lights</a>, Suddyn, Nicos Gun 
Aug. 14 (10 a.m.-10 p.m.) 
HEADLINER <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bright_Eyes_%28musician%29">Bright Eyes</a>, the indie rock outfit led by <a href="/topics/Conor_Oberst">Conor Oberst</a>, will focus on this year's impressive album, "The People's Key," which is built for big-crowd sing-alongs 
DON'T MISS Fitz and the Tantrums, the L.A.-based old-school soul group that had a breakout year thanks to its funky single "Money Grabber" 
ALSO Cold War Kids, Chromeo, <a href="/topics/Ra_Ra_Riot">Ra Ra Riot</a>, <a href="/topics/Dawes">Dawes</a>, The Naked and Famous, The Limousines, Young Empires 
OTHER ACTIVITIES 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen_%28musician%29">Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen</a> will unveil their new StyleMint website and clothes from their Elizabeth &amp; James line at the festival, leading a list of specialized retailers that include <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Tory_Burch_%28designer%29">Tory Burch</a>, <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Topshop">Topshop</a>, <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Madewell_%28designer%29">Madewell</a> and DuMonde. The festival will also include gourmet food trucks, a kids area and space for charities, including The East End Hospice, the East Hampton Public Library and the Surfrider Foundation. 
GETTING HOME 
MTK organizers have teamed up with the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> to offer "The Official Music to Know Festival Train," leaving the East Hampton train stop at 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, heading westbound on the Montauk Branch. The schedule gives fans a chance to catch the last band on both nights and still make the special train. 
WHAT The Music to Know Festival 
WHEN|WHERE 10 a.m. Aug. 13 through 10 p.m. Aug. 14, Runway 4, East Hampton Airport 
INFO $110 daily; $195 for weekend; 888-512-7469; musictoknow.com

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Stretches of forest are turning into lifeless tree trunks, known as ghost forests, as salt water intrusion destroys the soil. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie has more.

Climate change creating ‘ghost forests’ on Long Island 

NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano tries a Hyrox fitness class at Black Bear Athletics in West Babylon.

Why Hyrox is trending on Long Island

Matthew Smith sentenced to up to 22 years in prison for drunken-driving crash that killed Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie has more.

Man who drove drunk and killed Nassau police officer gets up to 22 years in prison

From pizza to clams, Newsday food writer Andi Berlin visits two restaurants that are on the way to Northwell at Jones Beach Theater.

Eats en route to Jones Beach

Former Holy Trinity lineman Lance Swift spoke with Newsday high school sports reporter Jared Valluzzi after the Titans suspended their football program.

Former Holy Trinity lineman reflects on football program suspension

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Seth Kurpiel, who suffered a broken neck in 2025, reconnected with the medical professionals who helped him get back on his feet. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger has more.

'The impossible is possible'

The end of the program could send thousands back to Haiti, which has been severely afflicted with gang violence, political instability and displacement. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'They can't survive'

Wednesday commemmorated the 100th anniversary of Babe Ruth catching a baseball dropped from a plane at Mitchel Field in Uniondale. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa has more.

'I wish I was around here to see it'

Bay Shore residents voice concern over plan to turn former Monfort Missionaries seminary into an Islamic boarding school. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'You're in the middle of a residential area'

'Nothing is going to bring my wife back'

There is a new push to look into the effect of screen time in classrooms. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn spoke to Newsday state reporter Keshia Clukey and other experts on the topic.

'I don't advocate for one blanket policy'

Two months into the state's "bell-to-bell" ban on electronic devices in schools, some districts are reporting positive changes in the classroom. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'Students are much more talkative to one another'

NewsdayTV's Jasmine Anderson and Newsday education reporter Dandan Zou talk to Long Island school administrators about how the school cellphone ban is going so far.

'Kids are outside. They're playing. They're laughing together.'

Homeowners say their taxes make it almost unaffordable to live on Long Island. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa sat down with Newsday towns reporter Sam Kmack to learn more about residents who are taking action.

'Homeowners are under real financial pressure'

Following two days of hazy skies from the Canadian wildfire smoke, NewsdayTV meteorologist Geoff Bansen has a look at what the weekend weather will look like.

Long Island weather: Expect bluer skies this afternoon

An arbitrator detailed ex-officer George Trimigliozzi's poor job performance before his high-profile criminal case. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie and Newsday investigative reporter Jim Baumbach has more.

'He really wasn't being a police officer'

NewsdayTV goes behind the scenes of the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced for the Gilgo killings.

'A million years isn't enough'

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Music - megaslot

Long Island concerts from Jones Beach to the UBS Arena, plus Long Island bands playing the local music scene.

Hamptons music festivals 2011

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