When I posted my Langerado preview I mentioned that another Florida music festival would be causing some friendly competition. That “other” festival, Harvest of Hope (HOH) Fest, has finally released more information about artist line-ups and ticket pricing. I have been on the fence for a while about which of these festivals to attend. They both take place during the first weekend of March, with Langerado in Miami and HOH in St. Augustine. I made up my mind as soon as I saw HOH’s line-up. It looks like I’ll be spending a few days in St. Augustine.

Most of the bands playing the festival fit into variations of rock, indie or folk genre categories. Here’s a short list of who I’m pumped to see:

Against Me!, The National, Propagandhi, Bad Brains, Girl Talk, The Bouncing Souls, Less Than Jake, The Night Marchers, The Faint, Tim Barry, Kevin Seconds, Ninja Gun, Cheap Girls, Austin Lucas, O Pioneers!!!, Josh Small, Bomb the Music Industry!, Fake Problems, The Takers, Bridge and Tunnel, Look Mexico, and imadethismistake.

Yes, that’s the short list.

The biggest attraction for me is the abundance of folk acts. The big trend these days seems to find veteran punk rock musicians (Tim Barry, Kevin Seconds, Austin Lucas) trading their electric guitars for banjos, acoustics and harmonicas. Somehow, for the most part, they are still able to channel punk rock’s aggressiveness even while stripping down their instrumentation.

I was already sold when I saw the line-up. I was even more excited when I saw the price. Three day passes, if purchased before January 31, are only $29.50. The weekend passes jump to $39.50 during the month of February, and then $49.50 if purchased the weekend of the festival. Single day passes are also available for anyone unwilling to commit to an entire weekend of fun.

So even if I slack on getting my pass for HOH it will still be a hell of a lot cheaper than the $150 Langerado pass. As if that wasn’t enough to reel me in HOH also has an onsite camping area, which means I won’t have to worry about stumbling finding my way back to an overpriced hotel.

Good music, cheap tickets…and camping. Sign me up. It seems like HOH chose to include a whole lot of great, somewhat underground artists rather than a handful of hugely popular acts. Sort of like an anti-Langerado. Being able to support so many talented musicians, many of them not nearly as popular as they deserve to be, means even more to me than seeing the big guns playing at Langerado.