By: Cam Elkins
The Werks are back, and they are returning with a bang.
The Werks are back, and they are returning with a bang.
Leading up to The Werk Out 2019, The Werks announced that following the festival, they would be taking a hiatus. Those final Werks’ sets at The Werk Out this past year were honestly some of my favorite I’ve ever seen, and I’m definitely glad to see that they’re back for Winter Werk Out 2020. They played their hearts out, leaving all of us Werks fans wanting more. With The Werks headlining the Winter Werk Out’s unbelievable lineup, this years Winter Werk Out is set to be the absolute perfect first Jam festival of 2020.
Featuring two nights of The Werks, will be showcasing a great array of music, including nationally touring jam bands, unreal electronic acts, live electronica bands, and some of Ohio’s own most legendary rock ‘n roll bands.
The Werks will be headlining, along with Eoto and Ekoostik Hookah. Eoto, featuring members of The String Cheese Incident, is made up of the multi-instrumentalist Michael Travis, as well as the percussionist/vocalist, Jason Hann. After having paved a whole new lane in the electronic dance community with their 100% improvised, mind-blowing approach, Eoto has become a must-see act in the experimental electronic music world. Jason Hann will also be performing at The Winter Werk Out Pre-Party on February 6th at The Summit Music Hall, where he will be showcasing his other electronic side project, Prophet Massive.
Joining Eoto and The Werks as headliners, is Ekoostik Hookah, which is a band that has just about as much of a history as any that’s ever come from Ohio. This iconic band has held their annual festival, Hookahville, in Ohio for over 25 years. Even members of The Grateful Dead have played on stage with Ekoostik Hookah. They are definitely a great addition to this already stacked lineup.
One act that I am especially excited for is DIZGO. Their sets were very impressive at Summer Camp, Resonance, and The Werk Out this past year. After seeing them absolutely crush it opening for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong this past November, they became for me one of my favorite up and coming bands. The live electronica trio from Indiana is red-hot, and their set might just be one of the most fire sets of the weekend.
Lespecial is another band that you cannot miss at The Winter Werk Out. Their sound ranges “from hip-hop to metal, prog to house, pensive indie-rock to apocalyptic dub, leaving room for head banging and hip swaying alike, while still presenting a unified sound and vision.” Nikki Glaspie of Nth Power has dubbed Lespecial “Trap-metal,” and even Space Jesus is on record saying that Lespecial is his favorite band. Lespecial, as well as DIZGO, are two on-the-rise bands that are going into 2020 with just about as much momentum as any. When you add Litz into the equation, the awesome jams really start overflowin’ out of the jar for Winter Werk Out 2020.
Another act on this lineup that I’m specifically excited for is Thriftworks. Thriftworks is an electronic music producer who has been mentioned as one of the finest up and coming experimental EDM artists. I’ve only seen Thriftworks once, but it was at this past year’s Electric Forest, and he totally lived up to the hype. There will be plenty of other great regional EDM acts there as well, including Alejo, Harok, Fear and Lowe, Shatter, and Entel, as well as a Dewmba B2B S. Moss set.
Already featuring two heaping handfuls of some of the best Ohio-bred music, Zoo Trippin’, Mike Perkins, Barefuzz, and Dustin Smith & The Daydreamers, will be rounding out the WWO lineup. Make your plans now, and reserve tickets at thewerkoutfestival.com. We’ll see you at The Summit Music Hall on February 6th, and at The Bluestone on February 7th and 8th!
