Chris Bell’s Antemesaris Rock ‘n’ Roll People’s Party. It’s the festival that’s not a festival, the gathering of friends that means you meet a lot of new friends, a massive party in the middle of nowhere with great bands from around the region, tons of beer, free barbeque, primitive campsites and a vibe that’s on the right side of hippy, the better side of locals-only, and soaked in rock ‘n’ roll.
UPDATE (corrected location): For 2011, Antemesaris is out in an orange grove – literally – near Center Hill and the Lake/Sumter County border; here are your directions :
- From Orlando take Highway 50 West through Groveland. Take highway 469 North towards Center Hill. Go about 5 miles to county rd 716 turn right (there will be markers). Follow road to orange groves turn right into the fifth row.
Here’s the most current, confirmed lineup:
- Big Fish
- Downshifters
- New Lows
- Tug
- Beebs and her Money Makers
- Shak Nasti
- PubWreckers
- Large Marge
- Crater Tater
- FunkUs
- Have Gun Will Travel
- Gladezmen
- Jug Brothers
- Big Jef Special
- Unkempt
- Soul2Earth
- The Ludes
- Brownote
- Thomas Wynn and the Believers
- Legendary JC’s
- Pablito Sway
- Chopper Stepe
- Ted Lukas and the Misled
- BlessEd and the divine Derelicts
- Mowdown
- Atomic Playground
- M.R.S.
Holy cow, right? Right. Antemesaris goes down the weekend of February 18.
This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2011.