Swamp Stomp

Swamp Stomp is truly a homegrown party, a superindependent minifestival that has steadily grown since its inception in 2007. The first edition was pretty much a house party in some UM kids’ back yard, and students from the U are still behind this event. But with some 500 attendees last year, it has outgrown its original digs and moved to the only-in-Florida environs of Jimbo’s, on Virginia Key. Festival organizers tout it as a “badass, rockenest [sic], craziest, funkadelic hell-of-a-good time,” and if that sounds a little jammy, you’re right. This is a feel-good, outdoorsy kind of vibe, with the musical sounds taking a world trip over a rock foundation. Opening will be the Brazil-obsessed global pop of Cleaveland Jones, followed by the groovy, bluesy up-and-coming band Juke. Next will be the lo-fi, quirk-pop perfection of local star Rachel Goodrich and the electro-inflected good times of Afrobeta. Rounding off the night’s later sets will be the roots reggae riders of Jahfe and the Southern funk rockers (and UM students) of Tavern. Extracurricular activities will abound as well. There’ll be sunset yoga, stand-up comedy, and a tug of war billed as a battle between hipsters and “wookies”; judging by the promo pictures, we think the word might be code for “bearded hippie.” That alone is worth the low, low, low admission price of five or ten dollars (the latter, advance price comes with a souvenir T-shirt).