Celebrating its 17th anniversary, the Great South Bay Music Festival 2025 will take place over four days from July 24 to 27 at Shorefront Park in Patchogue Village. Having hosted an impressive array of headliners over the years, including B.B. King, The Doobie Brothers, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos, and Blues Traveler, this year’s bill is equally wide-ranging and eclectic.
Day 1
Taking Back Sunday
The pride of Amityville, Taking Back Sunday (TBS), are emo elder statesmen currently down to three members (John Nolan, Adam Lazzara, and Shaun Cooper) following the departure of longtime drummer Mark O’Connell back in January. With guitarist Nathan Cogan helping out with the heavy lifting, expect the band to be leaning heavily into its last album, 2023’s 152.
Say Anything
While the L.A. outfit may have broken up in 2018, shortly before the release of their 2019 album Oliver Appropriate, the sextet reunited in 2022. With a lineup led by founding member/vocalist Max Bemis and including former TBS guitarist/co-lead vocalist Fred Mascherino, the comeback continued with the release of last year’s …Is Committed.
Gym Class Heroes
Fresh off being inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, the rap-rock crew out of Geneva, NY are continuing their return from a four-year hiatus that ended in 2023 with rapper/vocalist Travie McCoy front and center.
Head Automatica
Glassjaw vocalist Daryl Palumbo brings his hip-hop/Britpop-inspired side project to the Great South Bay Stage following a decade-plus dormant stage that ended in 2023. With last year’s single Bear the Cross being the first new Head Automatica material released since 2006, festival attendees might just get more of the band’s current second phase.
Five Towns College Stage:
These People, Imposters, Flycatcher, Nonstop to Cairo
Day 2
Damian-Stephen Marley
Half-brothers headline the Rock-Reggae-Ska Beach Party segment of the Festival. Older brother Stephen has won a pair of Grammys serving as a producer for little brother Damian’s Halfway Tree and Welcome to Jamrock albums. Bob’s youngest son, Damian, has not only won four Grammys of his own but has also collaborated with hip-hop superstar Nas (2010’s Distant Relatives) and was a member of the one-off project SuperHeavy alongside Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, and A.R. Rahman.
The Elovaters
Six-piece reggae-rock band out of Boston are festival favorites who’ve toured with Slightly Stoopid, Pepper, Ziggy Marley and the Easy Star All-Stars and their most current outing is 2023’s Endless Summer.
J Boog
Proving that reggae’s influence stretches far beyond Jamaica, the man born Jerry Fealofani Afemata grew up in Compton as one of six siblings in a Samoan American family. Since dropping his 2007 debut Hear Me Roar, J Boog has landed three Top 10 albums on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart with his most recent release being 2023’s Pennies From Heaven.
Project Vibe
Playing a unique blend of reggae and Latin music, the five-piece is fronted by multi-lingual singer-songwriter Ed “Panama” Arguello. Influenced by Steel Pulse, Bob Marley, Manu Chao, and Rubén Blades, Project Vibe are three albums into their journey, with the most recent album being 2017’s Life Goes On.
Five Towns College Stage:
Bunktown Falls, Nikki Silva, Big Happy, and Oogee Wawa.
Jambalaya Stage:
Reggaelar People, Halfbreeds, Roots Fo8undatin, and Chris Ruben Band.
Day 3
moe.
Still dominating the jam-rock scene since forming at the University of Buffalo back in 1989, the six-piece has accrued quite the live music résumé. Among the band’s most notable gigs have been opening for The Who and The Allman Brothers, playing the Bonnaroo Festival five times, appearing at Woodstock ’99 and playing two New Year’s Eve shows at Radio City Music Hall. And with the newly released Circle of Giants, moe. has new material to shower on fans, young and old.
Umphrey’s McGee
While this South Bend, IND quintet falls under the jam band umbrella, ingredients that go into the band’s secret sound sauce are rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and folk nuances. UM’s most recent release is 2022’s Asking For a Friend.
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
While the idea of fowl wielding paddles sans opposable thumbs boggles the mind, it hasn’t stopped this funk four-piece from accruing quite a following since coming out of Baltimore in 2009. They’ve since released seven albums, with the most recent being last year’s Day in Time.
Eggy
Founded in 2019, this four-piece has regularly opened for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and had its most recent album, last year’s Waiting Game, co-produced by White Denim’s James Petralli.
Kerry Kearney New Or-Lin’s Gumbo
Breezy Point legend and storied slide guitarist puts a Crescent City spin on his blend of Delta Blues and psychedelia sounds.
Five Towns College Stage:
Escaper, Soundswell, Robinson Treacher, The OM-EN, and Orchyd.
Jambalaya Stage:
Almost Brothers Band, Sailin’ Shoes, The Ripple Allstars, Miles To Dayton, Circus Mind, and Phil Firetog.
Day 4
Men At Work
Essentially, founding member Colin Hay with a bunch of hired musical hands, this incarnation of Men at Work is headlining the Rock the Bay-80’s Beach Party portion of the festival. Hits a-plenty— Who Can It Be Now?, Down Under, Be Good Johnny, Overkill, and It’s a Mistake will be delivered with the expected Aussie cheer.
Yacht Rock Revue
A genre that spawned the HBO film, Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary, also gave way to this 10-piece outfit out of Atlanta. The YRR plies its audience with the sun-kissed ‘70s AM sounds of Steely Dan, Toto, Hall & Oates, Christopher Cross, and Michael McDonald to name a few.
Naked Eyes
What started as a New Wave duo (Rob Fisher passed away in August 1999) is now just Pete Byrne. And while the latter put out the group’s fourth album in 2021 (Disguise the Limit), folks will be coming for the hits Always Something There to Remind Me, Promises, Promises, When the Lights Go Out, and (What) in the Name of Love.
Ambrosia
With three original members left over from the original 1970 four-piece, Ambrosia moved beyond its origins to become soft rock gods thanks to a string of hits including How Much I Feel, Biggest Part of Me, You’re the Only Woman (You & I), and Holdin’ on to Yesterday.
Strangelove
The premier Depeche Mode tribute band, this L.A. five-piece plays a set that spans the canon of one of New Wave’s cornerstone groups.
Five Towns College Stage:
Gamblers, Azwel, Pam Betti, Rob Bruey, and Playin English.
Jambalaya Stage:
Funkin A, Chris Milo, Rob Eberle, and WEHM Band Winners.
The Great South Bay Music Festival will be held from July 24-27 at Shorefront Park, Patchogue. Visit www.greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com for more information.
