Apache Lake Music Festival Announces Its 2016 Lineup

Had enough of the summertime scorch? Yeah, us too.

The good news is that it won’t be sticking around forever. Around two months from now, give or take a week or two, temperatures will subside and Valley residents will be able to step outside without unleashing a string of expletives and will actually enjoy activities in the great outdoors again.

One of the many activities they’ll be engaging in is attending any of the fall music festivals happening throughout the Valley and elsewhere around the state. That includes the Apache Lake Music Festival, the annual two-day showcase of Arizona musicians and bands that’s been around since 2009 that takes place during October in the midst of a particularly picturesque stretch of high desert terrain east of Phoenix.

As the name of the event portends, the event happens right next to Apache Lake, with dozens of local acts performing each year at what’s considered one of Arizona’s more unique music festivals. And, as of today, we’ve got an idea of who’s headed to the lake to perform at the seventh edition of the event, which is scheduled for Friday, October 21, and Saturday, October 22.

Festival organizers Brannon Kleinlein and Paul “PC” Cardone have released the lineup for this year’s festival, which includes plenty of ALMF regulars (Haymarket Squares, Japhy’s Descent, Decker., and Captain Squeegee) and newbies alike.

According to Kleinlein, the acts that will be playing the festival for the first time include Black Bottom Lighters, Blacktop Chalk, Brothers Gow, Luna Aura, Dreams and Doorways, Ebinezer, Taylor Upsahl, and Dr. Delicious.

Two bands will also stage their first-ever performances at this year’s ALMF: Gate and Wilderness (a duo consisting of Mergence’s Adam Bruce and James Mulhern of defunct rock act What Laura Says) and Dirty Dre's Random Raunchy Revue, a newly formed group launched by Andria Bunnell of Hot Birds & The Chili Sauce.

Tickets for ALMF 2016 are currently on sale and cost $25 for each day or $40 for both. In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of who’s playing and when:

Friday, October 21

Outdoor Stage: Spafford, Banana Gun, Decker., Black Bottom Lighters, Japhy's Descent, Blacktop Chalk, and Ruca. 

Indoor Stage: Brothers Gow, Luna Aura, 2 Tone Lizard Kings, Endoplasmic, Dreams and Doorways, Sinister 7, and Ebinezer

Saturday, October 22

Outdoor Stage: Sara Robinson, Captain Squeegee, Bear Ghost, Dry River Yacht Club, The Haymarket Squares, Gate and Wilderness, The Sugar Thieves, Lilith Sleeps, and Taylor Upsahl

Indoor Stage: Wyves, Dirty Dre's Random Raunchy Revue, Harper and The Moths, The Copper States, Dr. Delicious, The Brothers Collective, The Woodworks