PREVIEW: Sunset Strip Music Festival 2012

Two things that Southern California loves are sunshine and live music, and they’ll come together again this year on August 16th-18th at the fifth annual Sunset Strip Music Festival. This year’s street fest will feature headliners Marilyn Manson, Bad Religion, The Offspring, and lots more playing outdoor stages right on Sunset Blvd. At the Owl Mag, we’re just as excited to catch some of the best up-and-coming bands like JJAMZ, Family of the Year, and Das Racist playing inside the Sunset Strip’s legendary clubs, including the Whiskey A Go-Go, The Roxy, and the House of Blues.

In addition to the street fest, the SSMF will present shows on Thursday, August 16th and Friday, August 17th at venues on the Sunset Strip, including X with special guest Ray Manzarek of The Doors at The Roxy, the Wu-Tang Clan‘s RZA at the Key Club, and Robby Krieger of The Doors and Rich Robinson at the Viper Room. This year’s festival will celebrate the music of LA legends The Doors, so will Manzarek and Krieger share a stage? Who knows? We do know that the SSMF will feature more than 70 artists along with food trucks, art installations, and great weather. We hope to see you there!

Tickets, both for the street festival itself and 3-day VIP passes are available at www.ticketweb.com/ssmf, while www.SunsetStripMusicFestival.com has lots of great info, including the full lineup, set times, directions, and more.

Here are some highlights from last year’s festival: