Credit: A.E. Landes Photography

Northwest String Summit returns to Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, OR this weekend (the festival will stream live for free via the Relix Channel). Trampled By Turtles will appear on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Here the group’s Dave Simonett suggests five other artists to check out at this year’s event.

1.  Kind Country – You may think that this is because this band is also from Minnesota but that’s not entirely true.  They’re also an extremely talented group of musicians and they’re from Minnesota. I’ve seen them grow here at home and am excited for everyone else out there to catch on.

2. Ayla Nereo –  Hey I like banjos as much as the next guy but in a sea of them as vast as String Summit, seeing someone from a different musical cloth may be a good enough reason alone to see Ayla Nereo.  That being said, I’d be just as excited to catch her ethereal and hypnotic songs live just about anywhere.

3.  Daniel Rodriguez – We used to play with Daniel’s old band, Elephant Revival, fairly often.  I’m excited to see what this guy is up to on his own.

4. Ley Line – I don’t know much about this band but I heard their single, To the Sky, this past spring and then I went and listened to everything else they’ve made. 

5. Dark Star Orchestra – I can’t help it.  I fucking love the Grateful Dead.