Deep in the heartland of the United States rests a valley, north of sprawling cornfields but south of the intersections that connect the country’s four quadrants. For 11 months and 3 weeks, it is just a grassy hilly field. But for three days in August, it transforms into Hinterland.
Hinterland began in 2015 as a small two-day festival meant to bring medium rock bands of notoriety to an area of the country that doesn’t always get the most tour stops. As the years have passed, the festival has grown, as have the attendees and the popularity of the headliners.
But one thing remains consistent about the festival bookers: They seem to always be ahead of the game. Over the past six years, the festival organizers have constantly booked artists at the bottom of their lineup who have grown to headliners over several years or, in some cases, a few months later.
In 2018, it was country star Tyler Childers. Listed 4th from the bottom of an 18 band lineup, Tyler played in the middle of the day on Saturday. 3 years later on a Saturday night, Childers was the headliner.
In 2021, after Tanya Tucker became ill, Hinterland organizers put in a call to a young country artist named Zach Bryan to fill an open afternoon slot. A very sparse crowd started the set, but it grew as Bryan claimed it was one of his first festivals ever. 2 years later, Bryan headlined Saturday night with the biggest crowd of the entire weekend.
Last year, on that same night Orville Peck had to pull out last minute, creating a large hole for a sub headliner. Fortunately for Hinterland they had someone booked a few spots earlier named Noah Kahan. When the lineup had come out 7 months before, Kahan was the indiest kid you know’s favorite folk artist. But in mid 2023, all that had changed, and fortunate enough, they had someone they could bump up.
Now a year later, Kahan is back, way more popular, and headlining Sunday night. But the artist they booked to be 4th billed that day might be growing to be more popular than Kahan. That artist is Chappell Roan.
The self proclaimed Midwestern Princess will be not too far from home as she continues to ride the momentous wave of stardom that has fallen upon her in 2024. From opening up for Olivia Rodrigo and seeing her streams spike to her acclaimed performances at Coachella and Bonnaroo, Roan has seen her notoriety explode. In June she became the fastest artist to hit 100 million streams on Spotify. She has received admiration from Elton John, Lady Gaga and recently gave a guest lecture at Harvard University. The biggest claim to Roan’s fame may be searching Google, when searchers are prompted with a “Did You Mean: your favorite artist’s favorite artist”.
Roan will lead a Sunday lineup that is definitely the highlight of the festival. Resale tickets are actually more expensive for Sunday passes than they are for the full 3 days. Roan is billed behind Noah Kahan, Mt. Joy and Ethel Cain. Rounding it out are other up and comers including The Japanese House, Flipturn, Katy Kirby, Odie Leigh and more.
Sunday alone is a testament to the booking talent of Hinterland as there are 5 solid candidates that could be festival headliners in the coming years.
Friday and Saturday are no slouch either as Hozier headlines Friday, and Vampire Weekend Saturday. There is a solid undercard those days featuring Lizzy McAlpine, Orville Peck, Charley Crockett, Hippo Campus, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Red Clay Strays and more.
But who knows at the bottom of the lineup may be the talk of the music world in a few years?
Tickets are still available for Saturday passes. The festival begins August 2 and runs through August 4th in St Charles, Iowa.
