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The Major Rager Announces Official 2017 Lineup January 24, 2017 09:28

Photo by Josh Timmermans: Noble Visions

Friends With Benefits Productions has revealed the lineup for The Major Rager (2017), the annual concert held in Augusta, GA on the Thursday of Master's Week.  The fourth annual concert will feature a headlining set from The Flaming Lips, as well as performances from People of the Sun (Moon Taxi performing the music of Rage Against The Machine), Eric Krasno Band, and Stop Light Observations.  Past performers at The Major Rager include Umphrey's McGee, Gov't Mule, Moon Taxi, Lettuce, The Revivalists, and Earphunk.  Early bird tickets can be purchased this Friday morning (1/27) at 10:00 AM EST.  For further details and official ticket information, visit the Friends With Benefits official website.

The Flaming Lips are an American rock band, formed in Norman, Oklahoma in 1983.  Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles", "Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading with a Suicide Bomber)" and "Yeah, I Know It's a Drag... But Wastin' Pigs Is Still Radical". They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and frontman Wayne Coyne's signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die".

The group recorded several albums and EPs on an indie label, Restless, in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a hit in 1993 with "She Don't Use Jelly". Although it has been their only hit single in the U.S., the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability through albums such as 1999's The Soft Bulletin (which was NME magazine's Album of the Year) and 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. They have had more hit singles in the UK and Europe than in the U.S. In February 2007, they were nominated for a 2007 BRIT Award in the "Best International Act" category. By 2007, the group garnered three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

On October 13, 2009 the group released their latest studio album, titled Embryonic. On December 22, 2009, the Flaming Lips released a remake of the 1973 Pink Floyd album The Dark Side Of The Moon. In 2011, the band announced plans to release new songs in every month of the year, with the entire process filmed.

Watch The Flaming Lips' music video for "Do You Realize?" here:

The members of Moon Taxi are no strangers to the stage. Hailing from Nashville, the five-piece formed in 2006 and set out to conquer the Southeast with their unforgettable live set. Nine years later, they’ve amassed over one thousand shows and released two albums, Cabaret (2012) and Mountains Beaches Cities (2013). The latter landed the band their first National late-night television appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Conan as well as multiple commercial and TV placements including BMW, Nashville, MLB, NFL and HBO Sports to name a few. With a rabid fan base under their belts, they’ve upped the ante this year to become a festival favorite with recent performances at Bonnaroo, Governor’s Ball, Wakarusa, Houston Free Press and upcoming appearances at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.   Moon Taxi will perform as People of the Sun at The Major Rager, which will consist of an entire set of Rage Against The Machine covers (as seen at Hangout Festival 2014 & 2016).

Watch Moon Taxi (People of the Sun) perform "Sleep Now In The Fire" here:

Eric Krasno is a 2x Grammy winning guitarist, musician & producer best known for his work with Soulive, Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks Band & Pretty Lights.  For nearly two decades, Eric Krasno has been an omnipresent figure in popular music. We've heard his virtuosic, innovative guitar playing with Soulive and Lettuce (both of which he co-founded), seen him onstage supporting the likes of the Rolling Stones and The Roots, watched him take home multiple GRAMMY Awards, and benefited from his deft, behind-the-scenes work as a producer and songwriter for everyone from Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks, and 50 Cent to Talib Kweli, Aaron Neville, and Allen Stone. Krasno's rousing new solo album, 'Blood From A Stone,' reveals a previously unknown and utterly compelling side of his artistry, though, inviting us to bear witness as he both literally and metaphorically finds his voice.

Watch Eric Krasno Band perform 'Curse Lifter" here:

Home-grown Charleston, SC band Stop Light Observations (a.k.a. SLO) started playing together at the age of 13 when songwriter and pianist John Keith "Cubby" Culbreth asked guitarist Louis Duffie the iconic teenager boy question, "Wanna start a band?" His response was, "Yes."  The young years were spent writing songs with captivating melodies and meaningful lyrics. The duo picked up childhood friends Luke Withers and Will Blackburn to "play dem' drums and sing dem' songs!" Over time they added Coleman Sawyer on bass and fiddle and Wyatt Garrey on lead guitar, which formulated the powerful six-piece band known today as Stop Light Observations.

SLO has been described as Southern-Retro-Electro-Rock with influences of Classic, Revival, Psychedelic, Garage, and Arena Rock, with Indie, Motown, Hip-hop and Folk flares.  They are driven by the thrill they get from performing and writing songs, but the camaraderie among these lifelong friends is what keeps them close.  SLO plans on furthering their impact on the national music fan community while having some fun and changing some lives for the good while they're at it.

Watch Stop Light Observations perform "Aquarius Apocalyptic" on Jam In The Van here: