Shaky Knees Music Festival returns on May 3-5, 2019 to Atlanta’s Central Park, and they have already released their seventh year’s daily lineup featuring headliners Beck, Incubus (both Friday), Cage the Elephant (Saturday), and Tame Impala closing the festival on Sunday. Looking through the 2019 lineup, there is plenty to be excited for and our initial reaction saw some immediate wins for SK19:

Location: This will be the second year in a row that Shaky Knees has taken place at Central Park in Midtown Atlanta, and third overall (2015, also the 1st time Tame Impala played Shaky Knees). Perhaps they have found a permanent home? Shaky Knees’ initial year in the intimate setting of Masquerade Music Park in Old Fourth Ward will never be forgotten, Atlantic Station and Centennial Park each had their advantages and disadvantages, but last year’s set up at Central Park just felt right for SK, ya know? Central isn’t perfect (the dusty fields at times), but it’s got plenty to like: from lots of places to grab some shade (and the Ponce Stage being in a tent), views of the city, a stage in the trees (Criminal Records), views of the Peachtree Stage from hills, and plenty of overall space where the festival never feels too crowded.

The Black Lips @ SK15. Photo by Jamie Platus

Atlanta: Look we consider it a blessing to even have a festival we love like Shaky Knees in our city; it’s diverse, but focused. The festival knows who it is – it’s indie, it’s rock ‘n’ roll, folk, and alt-pop; it’s more instruments in the traditional sense overall. Shaky Knees is a curated lineup (as much as a festival of this size can be at least) that isn’t necessarily meant for everyone’s musical preference (maybe Shaky Beats is more your speed?). The prevailing thought is that if you see something you like on a Shaky lineup, then you will probably find plenty more to like at the festival. That focus has enabled SK to keep building it’s brand, not only in the Southeast, but nationally – and it seems every year there are more and more people from across the country coming to Atlanta for the festival. Add in the Late Night Shows (announcements still to come on those) occurring each night after the fest at venues around the city, simply put Shaky Knees is good for Atlanta in general.

Manchester Orchestra @ SK18. Photo by Mike Gerry

Then there is the Atlanta music scene…. Atlanta is known as the hip hop capital of the world, and while that’s true, Atlanta has been hoarding talent for years beyond the hip hop scene, including PLENTY of artists that would be perfect for a Shaky Knees stage. If you factor in the hotbed of talent that has always existed in Athens, Georgia, well then SK, has plenty of local talent to pull from also. Not including enough homegrown talent has always been a complaint locally, and will continue to be, but the 2019 version will have some strong Atlanta talent to show off.

Atlanta indie legends Deerhunter is an immediate win. With the release of their eighth studio album, Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared, out January 18th via 4AD, Deerhunter will be a must catch set for fans across the country. Bradford Cox will no doubt make for an entertaining set on the Shaky Knees stage. Then there is Atlanta garage punks The Black Lips. Remember when they played Shaky Knees 2015 and like, the whole place was crowd surfing during their set? Then there is Bad Books, a collaboration between Brooklyn’s Kevin Divine and Atlanta’s Andy Hull, backed by Hull’s Manchester Orchestra members. Another Atlanta highlight will be the Soul and Garage Rock from Curtis Harding, who’s local shows seem few and far between due to Harding’s constant touring nationally and internationally. Plus there is also Athens indie rockers Walden who have made festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Slossfest and more.

Phosphorescent @ SK16. Photo cred: Mike Gerry

Further on the Athens connection, Phosphorescent returns to the Shaky Knees stage behind their latest album C’est La Vie, released October 5th via Dead Oceans. Matthew Houck actually started the band back in 2001 living in Athens. Now back at Shaky with their sixth album and new songs like “New Birth in New England”, which has some Grateful Dead influences, Phosphorescent should once again be a highlight at SK19.

Sure we’d like to see more Atlanta artists, maybe a hot up and comer (see Omni, Lunar Vacation, Neighbor Lady etc., etc., etc.), but the ones that will be there repping Atlanta and the surrounding areas are strong. Plus there will be other artists performing with close ties to our city (does Stranger Things being filmed here count? Hello Calpurnia and Finn himself). Hopefully having such a prominent rock ‘n’ roll music festival based here in Atlanta will have a positive effect in the local rock scene.

The Daily Wins

Shaky Knees 2019 has plenty of talented artists throughout this year’s lineup, both in the small print and large. There is plenty to be excited about each day. Now all that’s left is for the festival to announce the Late Night Shows, and the actual schedule for each day. Then we will see where the real conflicts lie. For now though, we take a look at the biggest wins on each day of the lineup:

Biggest Wins on Shaky Knees 2019 Upcoming Day 1? HERE

Biggest Wins on Shaky Knees 2019 Upcoming Day 2? HERE

Biggest Wins on Shaky Knees 2019 Upcoming Day 3? HERE

Tickets for Shaky Knees Music Festival 2019 are on sale now. 3-Day General Admission tickets are $189, while 1-Day General Admission tickets are $99. Purchase tickets here.

Check out our photos, reviews, interviews, and more from Shaky Knees 2018 here.