Last year, Far Out Nashville’s organizers joined the throng of live-event organizers making a pivot to the web in the wake of COVID-19. Far Out Free Fest, their wide-ranging online celebration of psychedelic music and other artistic expression, was the most engaging and smoothest-running online festival we saw all year — as contributor Charlie Zaillian pointed out when we crowned it Best Streaming Festival in our Best of Nashville Issue. Word has come that the Free Fest will be on the web once again this year, just ahead of the summer solstice. The event will be called Far Out Free Fest from here on out, and is planned as an online-only happening.
Nashville-area Far Out veterans like heavy-rock heroes Kings of the Fucking Sea and fuzzy punx Mouth Reader, as well as Atlanta sitar specialist Arjun Kulharya’s project Naan Violence, are among the highlights of the bill. Some exciting new additions for this year include Nashville Ambient Ensemble and Boston psych-punks The Prefab Messiahs (long-running in their second wave after a nearly 30-year hiatus). You’ll get to see audiovisual work from folks like Far Out chief Kari Ames, Far Out Film Fest curator John Warren, Mike Kluge’s MKAV and Matt Levin’s Translove Airwaves (in collaboration with Spacemen 3’s Will Carruthers). Some stellar internationally recognized poets who will be familiar to some Nashvillians will also be participating: Don’t miss out on contributions from Adrian Matekja or Janaka Stucky, who’s performing with Adam Glasseye Beckley.
There’s much more to tune into, and as the name of the event suggests, it’s all free. However, merch sales and donations will benefit Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!), the nonprofit that brings you programs like Southern Girls Rock Camp. All of the performances will stream June 18-19, the weekend preceding the summer solstice, via faroutfreefest.com. Visit the site for some special limited-edition merch offers and more info, and keep an eye on the Facebook event page for updates.
