For three days last year at Tahlequah’s Diamondhead Resort, Red Dirt music fans made the first Medicine Stone Music Festival an unexpected success. Many realized that it would attract a more than decent turnout, but the lineup brought thousands to hear the top names in the genre play fast and hard by the Illinois River. Now that the word is out, this year’s Medicine Stone Music Festival (Sept. 11-13) is expected to build further on the reputation of this very-Okie musical excursion. This year’s festival will have Jason Boland & The Stragglers and the Turnpike Troubadours (both bands founded the event) along with Cody Canada & The Departed, Shinyribs, The Great Divide, Reckless Kelly, American Aquarium, Micky & The Motorcars, Red Dirt Rangers and a host of other acts. Whether camping on the grounds or dropping in for a few hours, guests get a sense of the Red Dirt soul by virtue of the waters, cliffs and woods that make up the surroundings that are uniquely Oklahoma. Single-day passes to the festival start at $20 and $35. Three-day passes are $60 each at www.medicinestoneok.com.
