From Bamboozle to Coachella to the KROQ Weenie Roast, you might think there were more than enough summer festivals to make everybody happy. You would be wrong. The announcement of The New American Music Festival's very first lineup, chosen by Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has made many people very happy indeed.


[The Raconteurs' Jack White performs at Coachella on April 25;
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The New American Music Festival is, as its name suggests, brand-new, and it's being brought in with a bang. Jack White's The Raconteurs, The Roots and Bob Dylan are headlining, along with Gnarls Barkley and Spoon. According to a press release, the lineup is Kiedis' answer to a question he asked himself: "If you could go to any concert in the world, what would it be?"

Also slated to perform are The Black Keys, Black Mountain, The Duke Spirit, NASA and Tiny Masters of Today.

While the headliners are perhaps the perfect response to that question, the real innovation of the festival lies with the bands rounding out the lineup. Along with a few other indie mainstays, 15 bands from colleges around the country will have the chance of a lifetime. Not only will they be performing for the thousands of people the headliners will draw, they will also be competing to win recording time in Los Angeles.

According to Kathy Swift of American Eagle Outfitters, which is sponsoring the festival, that idea came about to give up-and-coming acts the chance to reach a wide audience and experience playing with national acts. Additionally, tickets for the festival willbe heavily discounted for students so that they can afford to attend.

The New American Music Festival will take place August 8-9 at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh. Tickets are available starting tomorrow and run $25 for students. General admission tickets will set you back $49.50. That's a small price to pay for the headliners alone, not to mention some potential future favorites. As Kiedis said, it's going to be "the most rocking block party of the summer."

College bands slated to perform at the New American Music Festival:

Bears (Kent State University)
Flying Machines (The New School)
Gospel Gossip (Carleton College)
Magic Bullets (University of California Berkley)
Math the Band (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)
My Dear Disco (University of Michigan)
Nothing Unexpected (Robert Morris University)
The Black Fortys (University of Southern Illinois)
The Company Kang (Whitman College)
The Delicious (Indiana University)
The Depreciation Guild (New York University)
The Elizabethan Report (Brigham Young University)
The French Horn Rebellion (Northwestern University)
The Royal Bangs (University of Tennessee)
The Steps (University of Texas Austin)