The 14th annual Rock, Ribs, and Ridges returns to Augusta, New Jersey this year for another three days of music and barbeque!
This year’s festival is headlined by Blackberry Smoke, New Jersey’s own Southside Johnny, and Larkin Poe, who is performing at Sea.Hear.Now later this year.
Friday:
The festival begins Friday, June 28th, and runs through the whole weekend. Day one starts later than the other days, but it’s a fun kickoff for the festival. Doors open at 6:00 pm, followed by two sets in the evening: one from Sugar Mountain, and one from Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.
Sugar Mountain hits the stage at 7:15 pm, bringing you your favorite songs by Neil Young. The local Jersey band is full of experienced members in the music scene, and try to replicate Neil Young’s illustrious career.
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, New Jersey’s favorite group to many, headline the Optimum Main Stage at 8:30 pm. There shouldn’t be much of an explanation for readers looking at a New Jersey news outlet, but in short, it’ll be a fun, upbeat, rock n’ roll set from New Jersey legends.
Friday Schedule:
6:00 pm – Doors
7:15 pm – Sugar Mountain
8:30 pm – Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes
Saturday
If Southside Johnny isn’t enough for you in New Jersey, there’s two more days, and they last the entire afternoon and into the evening.
Doors open at noon on Saturday, and the day is headlined by Blackberry Smoke. The group has a raw sound and is perfect for a festival like this. It’s a set that could be unexpectedly good for fans who may have never heard of them.
Before Blackberry Smoke, you can catch Matt Coffy & his band open the festival at 1:00 pm. The band has been at it for over 20 years, so experience is not an issue for them. Coffy knows how to do a festival set, especially in the heart of New Jersey.
You can also catch Molly Hatchet at 5:30 pm, one of the most experienced bands at the festival. The southern-rock group released their first record in 1978, and reached platinum status, while touring with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. It’s a can’t miss set.
Saturday Schedule:
12:00 pm – Doors
1:00 pm – Matt Coffy Band
2:15 pm – Sharp Dressed Band
3:45 pm – Hannah Wicklund
5:30 pm – Molly Hatchet
7:30 pm – Blackberry Smoke
Sunday:
The festival concludes with a day of four bands, and your last chance to grab as much BBQ and drinks as you can.
Six Gun Sally opens the day at 1:00 pm, paying homage to many classic rock bands from the ’70s.
You can catch The Outlaws subheadlining the day. They’ve been at it for 40 years, and don’t look like they’re slowing down. The band has nearly 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with their biggest song ‘Green Grass & High Tides’ at around 40,000,000 streams. And remember, that song is from 1975, so think about the listens before the era of streaming.
Larkin Poe is closing down the entire festival at 6:30 pm. The two multi-instrumentals are coming together for one of a couple sets in New Jersey this year, the other being at the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in Asbury Park this September.
With all of the old, experienced southern rock bands, it’s a great twist to have a newer group closing the festival. The Nashville natives were nominated for a GRAMMY in 2018.
Sunday Schedule:
12:00 pm – Doors
1:00 pm – Six Gun Sally
2:30 pm – Artimus Pyle Band
4:30 pm – The Outlaws
6:30 pm – Larkin Poe
The festival should be a fun one once again! Last minute tickets are available for as low as $45.
NJ Music Festivals 