via Post and Courier
Canines and concerts, pups and pulses, barks and beats.
Dog and music lovers alike can join in for this inaugural event at Brittlebank Park. In tune with the 50th anniversary of the popular Woodstock Festival, which rocked New York in 1969 with acts like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Janis Joplin, “Woofstock” is coming to Charleston.
The all-day kid-friendly and dog-friendly music festival, presented by Lowcountry Dog Magazine, 105.5 The Bridge, 98 Rock and the Charleston Parks Conservancy, will include 7 bands, 6 local dog rescue groups and a variety of food trucks on March 23.
Tyler Ramsey, formerly of Band of Horses, will headline the show. He’s joined by Southeast musicians Tyler Boone, Gaslight Street, Greg West, Hans Wenzel & the Eighty Sixers, Finnegan Bell and Sunflowers & Sin.
Ramsey, who just released single “Firewood” from his upcoming April album “For the Morning,” split from Band of Horses two years ago and has since been pursuing a solo career.
“It had been a decade and we had done a lot of great things together as a band, but I think it had run its course for me,” Ramsey says. “I felt like I wasn’t necessarily able to spend any time on what was super close to my heart, which was music that feels like it’s all me.”
Now residing in the mountains in Asheville, Ramsey talks about how nature has played a role in sparking his creativity, whether it’s North Carolina’s Blue Ridge or Edisto’s beachfront tree boneyard.
“I get a similar feeling when I’m close to the mountains or the ocean,” he says. “There’s a wildness to it, and I feel like I can keep walking forever if I want to.”
It’s during some of those walks in nature, with his 9-year-old Windhound, Clementine, that his song lyrics tend to surface. Clementine is pictured with him on the cover of his new album.
“I love dogs,” Ramsey says. “When we were on tour in Chicago, we stayed with friends who had a dog, and I remember noticing how calming it is to have a dog when you’re touring. It just brings you down to earth.”
It’s fitting he’s playing Woofstock and will be surrounded by some pups and good vibes.
For the dog side of the festival, to entertain those four-legged friends and their owners, there will be training demos with Affordable Dog Training, free dental consults with Sweetgrass Animal Hospital, “Ask a Vet” with Veterinary Specialty Care and more pup-tastic happenings.
“Music and dogs are my biggest passions and combining the two only made sense,” says Lowcountry Dog Magazine Publisher and Woofstock organizer Brian Foster. “Most festivals are not dog-friendly, and hopefully this event will be a success and become a new annual event in the Lowcountry.”
Lowcountry Dog Magazine’s other yearly festivities include Eat, Drink & Rescue in January, the May the Dogs Be With You Festival in May, a Magnolia Plantation adoption event in September and the Dia De Los Perros Festival in November.
Featured food trucks and vendors at Woofstock will be Roti Rolls, Kickin’ Chicken, Immortal Lobster, Dave N Dubs Hot Dogs, Dave’s Barnyard BBQ, Holy City Waffles, King of Pops, Kona Ice, Poppy’s Lemonade and All About That Bean.
There also will be alcoholic beverages for sale from Tito’s Vodka, Boone’s Bourbon, PBR, Lagunitas, Palmetto Brewery and Southern Barrel Brewery.
Gates for Woofstock open at 11 a.m. and the party continues through 7 p.m. Tickets are $26 in advance and $30 at the gate, with kids 12 and under getting in for free. Lawn chairs and blankets are allowed, but no coolers or outside food and drinks. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.lowcountrydog.com/woofstock.
Proceeds from Woofstock will benefit local rescue groups Valiant Animal Rescue, Eunoia Rescue, Pet Helpers, Bullies 2 The Rescue, Greyhound Pets of America and Waters Edge Great Dane Rescue, as well as the Charleston Parks Conservancy.