The Outermost Blues & Roots Festival returns October 11 and 12 to Nauset Beach in Orleans, Massachusetts. The event, now in its seventh year, boasts an eclectic lineup that appropriately reflects its curator: G Love.
It was 2018 when the acclaimed genre-bending musician launched what was then known as the Cape Cod Roots and Blues Festival.
“That was just a dream, to be able to get to curate a lineup,” G Love recalls while chatting with The Pier, adding that getting into the festival game came naturally thanks to his many connections with other musicians. “From doing all the destination festivals and the regular festivals and the cruises, you get to meet other artists, because that’s the best thing about festivals and stuff… It’s kind of like a summit meeting where a lot of collaborations come out of that. So yeah, let’s do a festival and call up the homies!”
A distinctive location, perched on the outskirts of Cape Cod, gives the Outermost Blues Festival a vibe unlike any other event. “There’s a huge reggae support scene and there’s a huge love for the blues up here,” G Love notes, while also emphasizing how the modest size of Outtermost exudes an intimate feeling. Add in the event’s affordability – two day general admission passes run around $200 – and you’ve got a recipe for one of America’s true festival gems.
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Who Is Playing Outermost 2025?
This year’s lineup features an eclectic array of artists, and G Love’s energy is palpable as he discusses the talent that will be on display.
“I don’t want it to just be one thing,” the singer-songwriter explains. ”When we look at the lineup for this year: Saturday, we wanted to do more of a hip-hop and reggae kind of vibe. So we have, Bumpin’ Uglies, Mihali and Little Stranger. And then my bigger band.”
The close relationships between fellow artists also enables Outermost to have collaborations unseen anywhere else.
“On my set, Brandon from the Bumpin’ Uglies will jump up, and Kevin and John will jump up from Little Stranger, and Mihali will jump up,” G Love details, predicting what will happen this year. “So we’ll have like this big huge jam with a lot of MCs and stuff like that.”
“And then, the Sunday vibe is more the blues side of things,” G Love continues. “Because we got Cedric Burnside, who’s the grandson of the late Hill Country blues legend, R. L. Burnside. Ron Artis, who is a Hawaiian, he’s born and raised on the North Shore of Hawaii, and he just kind of defies all labels as well. He could be Jimi Hendrix one day, and then the next day he could be singing a really heartfelt singer-songwriter tune.”
Also joining on Sunday, Steel Pulse, who G Love describes as “iconic.” “How many hits does Steel Pulse have?” the singer chuckles, thinking about the Sunday headliner.
In an era of festival oversaturation, Outermost’s authenticity stands out. “This is an independent, mom and pop festival,” G Love notes. “This festival has no backing from big corporations or big money guys. This is all about the support of the fans.”
With its DIY ethos and genre-defying lineup, Outermost continues to represent its founder well.
“I want to touch on all the music that I love,” G Love explains. “So I don’t want it to just be one thing, in the same sense that [my music is] not one thing.”
