Levitate Music Festival platforms local musicians and big name stars alike at the Marshfield Fairgrounds - Cambridge

**The Americana-influenced rock of Caamp thrilled Sunday’s crowd. (Photo: Red Schomburg)**

The music and arts jamboree born out of a surf and skate shop stretched out like a sleepy golden retriever for two days in the middle of July at the Marshfield Fairgrounds. It’s Levitate Music Festival, where all of your reggae and rock/pop dreams come true.

Cloudy skies and showers greeted the Saturday crowd, which enjoyed the throwback alt-’90s glory of headliner Alanis Morissette in slightly soggy conditions. But the skies cleared up for Sunday’s headliner, Caamp, an alt-folk outfit that’s made a strong return to touring since internal beefing reportedly led to a self-imposed timeout in 2023.

Aside from the headliner acts, this year’s edition was bolstered by the usual slew of reggae and surf rock acts. Ziggy Marley was the biggest name of the bunch. Crowds turned up in droves for local dub and reggae band The Elovators, which mixed a groove-forward rhythm with a horn section and the electric lyrical schemes of frontman Jackson Wetherbee. San Diego’s Pepper, South Carolina’s The Movement and former locals Surfer Girl, who performed a ditty called “Chestnut Hill,” made the festival feel like a day at the beach.

**The Elovators laying down a bass line. (Photo: Red Schomburg)**

Speaking of locals, the “Soul” stage at Levitate (to be distinguished from the other two stages, “Stoke” and “Style”) was devoted entirely to showcasing acts from the area. Laney Powers, nominated a Plymouth “Whiz kid of the week” in 2011, sparkled with a solo acoustic set that include the single “Ripe.” Boston’s Hey I’m Outside mashed up indie, country and rock into novel combos. Rhode Island’s Casey Rivers kicked off her shoes to front a folk trio. And Morrissey Blvd., three siblings from New Bedford, won the unofficial award for bringing the most enthusiastic hometown crowd.

**Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country brought southern flair. (Photo: Red Schomburg)**

The surprise standout of the festival might have been Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, which wowed audiences with a mix of blues, psych rock and Southern attitude. When Donato and the superlative keyboardist leaned into their solos, the musical space took flight in the way you hardly hear outside of jam elites such as Phish or the Allman Brothers. The notion of “cosmic country” has calcified quickly into a genre-branding gimmick – naming your band after it feels a bit cringe. But if the music hits right, what else matters?

More than music, Levitate tries to offer the full sensory and aesthetic experience. That includes a lot of shell art, misting tents, booths dedicated to varieties of corporate shilling and $18 cheeseburgers. Par for the course at the modern music festival.

Occasionally, though, you experience magical, left-of-center moments such as the crowd that gathered around an impromptu TV setup to watch the final match of the World Cup. As Pepper played the “Style” stage in the background, soccer fans cheered on their team as Spain slogged its way to a tense 1-0 win. Even the frontman from Pepper had to doff his proverbial hat to winners when the final buzzer sounded.

¡Viva España! and adios to Levitate Music Festival until next year.