Wednesday Happy Hour gives Wanee attendees more music

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Melvin Seals & JGB are among the artists who have signed on to get the party started at the 2015 Wanee Music Festival during the Wanee Wednesday Grateful Happy Hour April 15.

The annual festival, which this year features headlining sets April 17 and 18 (Friday and Saturday) by Widespread Panic, will showcase the talents of Gregg Allman, Gov’t Mule, Earth, Wind & Fire, Cheap Trick and dozens of other artists. Allman’s iconic Allman Brothers Band hosted Wanee for its first 10 years before the band ended its touring schedule at the end of 2014.

But the Wanee Wednesday Grateful Happy Hour, a new element of the 11-year festival that started two years ago, allows early arrivers to enjoy a day of music at no extra cost. Joining Seals & JGB for this year’s Happy Hour are Crazyfingers, Cope, Juke, The Parker Urban Band and Bonnie Blue.

Music kicks off at 3 p.m. on the Mushroom Stage at the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park.

Also performing at the April 16-18 festival are Jaimoe’s Jassz Band, Butch Trucks & Very Special Friends, The Word (featuring Robert Randolph, John Medeski, Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew), Hot Tuna Electric, JJ Grey & Mofro, Galactic, Zappa Plays Zappa, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstafunk and former Black Crowes’ guitarist Rich Robonson with Doyle Bramhall II.

Other artists who are part of the lineup include Raw Oyster Cult, Dragon Smoke, The Revivalists, Home at Last, The Nth Power Performs Steely Dan, Tea Leaf Green, Bobby Lee Rogers Trio, Pink Talking Fish, Eric Lindell & Co., Royal Southern Brotherhood, Natural Child, Twiddle, the Jacob Jeffries Band and Juke.

Tickets, which are on sale through Tickets Today and at www.waneefestival.com, include all four days of music plus primitive camping on the Spirit of Suwanee Music Park grounds. Additional information and updates are available at the waneefestival.com website.