Pre-parties preview Dogfish's Analog-A-Go-Go

Dogfish Head's Analog-A-Go-Go music and beer festival may have lost one of its six acts, but the Delaware's largest craft brewery will make up for it with nearly 20 pre-festival events across the state.

Before the Milton-based beer company hosts its biggest event ever on Sept. 17 at Bellevue State Park, a wave of buzz-building happy hours, tastings and concerts are popping up like a boozy statewide game of Whac-A-Mole.

But first, the bad news for Ra Ra Riot fans: the New York-based indie rockers are no longer on the bill.

The band, which played the inaugural Firefly Music Festival in Dover in 2012, agreed to support California rock band Young the Giant on their tour, which starts Sept. 6. The North American trek includes a show at New York's Radio City Music Hall on the same day as Analog.

"The deal was fully signed on both sides and I learned a lesson about the music business – it can be rather ruthless," says Neal Stewart, Dogfish's vice president of marketing, who adds there may be a replacement act coming soon. "We are working on something that would be a nice addition. I'd love to disclose it, but I can't because I'm not even sure it's going to happen."

While Ra Ra has gone bye-bye, the core lineup for the festival remains with indie rockers Built to Spill headlining, touring this year as a trio for the first time with Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass). Other acts include New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band, hip-hop's Talib Kweli, Philly punk band Beach Slang and Newark's own Fiancé.

Tickets cost $75-$90 for the nine-hour, outdoor music and beer festival filled with guest breweries, beer and distillery gardens, food trucks and arts and craft vendors.

When Dogfish first unveiled the festival in April, officials said they were preparing for up to 10,000 people at the 328-acre state park off Carr Road in Bellevue. With the festival about five weeks away, Stewart says attendance may turn out to be closer to 5,000.

"And we're comfortable with that," he says. "The most important thing is that people walk away with a great experience."

Dogfish is flooding the state with Analog-themed events, all of which will feature the Dogfish team raffling off Analog tickets and Dogfish gear while serving a variety of Dogfish Head Brewery beers and Dogfish Head Distilling Co. cocktails.

The highlights include the official kick-off party at Wilmington's Trolley Square Oyster House on Aug. 24. It costs $10 (dogfish.ticketleap.com/kickoff) to get into the ticketed event filled with rare and seasonal Dogfish beers, keg-conditioned cocktails and a Jenga Giant tournament.

Was that Jack Nicholson in Rehoboth Beach?

On Aug. 26, Newark's Home Grown Café will host Analog-A-Go-Go Pregame featuring specialty cocktails paired with beers and sets by Wilmington rock band Tracy Chapstick and Dover indie blues duo Hoochi Coochi.

1984, the Wilmington arcade bar gets in the action Sept. 2 with Analog-A-Go-Go Prefest, which will be headlined by Newark-based Analog act Fiancé with Grace Vonderkuhn (Wilmington), Ringfinger (Newark) and The Year End (Wilmington) supporting. It costs $5 at the door and is 21-and-older only.

And if you're a real Dogfish geek, Dogfish's sales team and distributors will host a happy hour in their hotel. The Wilmington Sheraton Suites party on Sept. 16, the night before the festival, runs from 4-7 p.m.

So just how much bigger is this year's Analog-A-Go-Go compared to other major Dogfish events in the past? Stewart lets out a deep breath and chuckles before answering:  "If you look at it in terms of the number of hours that we sunk into executing this, it's probably, oh man, 50 to 100 times bigger than anything we've ever done. It's all hands on deck."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

ANALOG-A-GO-GO PRE-PARTIES, HAPPY HOURS & CONCERTS

Tuesday, Aug. 16, Bethany Blues, 18385 Del. 1, near Lewes. Happy hour, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. 

Wednesday, Aug. 17, Blackwall Hitch, 52 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach. Happy hour, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. 

Wednesday, Aug. 17, Ernest & Scott Taproom, 902 N. Market St., Wilmington. Happy hour, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Four Analog tickets raffled, free pint glasses with Dogfish purchases. All Dogfish beers will cost $4. 

Thursday, Aug. 18, Pizza by Elizabeth's, 3801 Kennett Pike, Greenville. Happy hour, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 

Aug. 20, Outlet Liquors, 19724 Del. 1, near Rehoboth Beach. Tasting, 12 p.m.-3 p.m.

Aug. 24, Trolley Square Oyster House, 1707 Delaware Ave., Wilmington. Kick-Off Party, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Tickets for the party are $10 through dogfish.ticketleap.com/kickoff. Rare and seasonal Dogfish beers will be featured, along with keg-conditioned cocktails. There will be Analog ticket raffles and giveaways. A Jenga Giant tournament will also be held on the patio. E-mail vanessa@trolleysquareoysterhouse.com to enter your team. The deadline to enter is Friday, Aug. 12.

Aug. 25, Pickled Pig Pub, 18756 Del. 1, near Rehoboth Beach. Happy hour, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

Aug. 26, Home Grown Café, 126 E. Main St, Newark. Analog-A-Go-Go Pregame, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Festival tickets and other prizes will be raffled with patrons receiving two additional tickets for every Dogfish beer and cocktail purchase. Dogfish Head Distilling Co. will offer two special cocktails: "The Turnt-table" (Dogfish’s Analog Vodka) and "The Bellevue" (Dogfish's Compelling Gin). Live music starts at 10 p.m. with Wilmington's Tracy Chapstick and Dover's Hoochi Coochi performing. 

Aug. 26, Hooked Up Ale House & Raw Bar, 38069 Town Center Drive, Millville. Happy hour, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Aug. 27, beta hi-fi Emerging Music Festival, World Cafe Live at the Queen, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington. Festival, 7 p.m. Festival attendees and performers will receive a raffle ticket to enter to win Analog-A-Go-Go tickets with an additional raffle ticket given with each Dogfish Head beer purchase. There will be other giveaways, including limited edition Analog-A-Go-Go pint glasses.

Aug. 30, Rehoboth Ale House, 15 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach. Happy hour, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

Sept. 1, The Farmer & The Chef, The Clubhouse at Baywood Greens, 32267 Clubhouse Way, Long Neck. Festival, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Sept. 2, 1984, 2511 W. Fourth St., Wilmington. Analog-A-Go-Go Prefest, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Newark-based Analog act Fiancé will headline with Grace Vonderkuhn (Wilmington), Ringfinger (Newark) and The Year End (Wilmington) supporting. The night will also include a Dogfish Head tap takeover with seven new and classic Dogfish beers on tap. There will also be Analog ticket raffles and giveaways. $5, 21-and-older.

Sept. 7, Arena's Deli & Bar, 168 E. Main St., Newark. Happy hour, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. 

Sept. 8, Restaurant 55, 2461 S. State St., Dover. Happy hour, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Sept. 10, Brews on the Bay, Cape May–Lewes Ferry's Lewes terminal, 43 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes. Festival, 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

Sept. 10, Harvest, Harmony and Hops, The Freeman Stage at Bayside, 31750 Lakeview Drive, near Selbyville. Festival, 6 p.m.

Sept. 16, Sheraton Suites Downtown, 422 Delaware Ave., Wilmington. Pre-festival happy hour, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. The hotel, which is home to Dogfish's sales team and distributors for festival weekend, will be hosting a large-scale happy hour "packed with Dogfish people" and open to the public. Two pairs of tickets will be raffled off and there will be other giveaways.

ANALOG-A-GO-GO ACTS

Built to Spill

Hometown: Boise, Idaho

Genre: Indie rock

First started: 1992

Background: The '90s indie rock band that the guy working the register at your local record store loves is only getting better with age. Doug Martsch & Co. headlined last year's Analog at Dogfish's Rehoboth Beach brewpub and the line was out the door hours before showtime. By the time the band began to unleash their 15-song attack, which included favorites like "Carry the Zero" and "Big Dipper," fans on the sidewalk had their faces up against the glass to catch a glimpse of the band that influenced the next generation of indie rockers.

Check out this song: "You Were Right" from 1999's "Keep It Like a Secret," which is jam-packed with lyrical references to songs by Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and more.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana

Genre: Jazz

First started: 1963

Background: Ever since New Orleans' iconic Preservation Hall was founded in the early '60s, the venue had its own band. And while members have come and gone over the years, one thing remains: authentic New Orleans-style jazz that is getting harder and harder to find these days. The seven-piece still performs both at home and tours the world, playing the vaunted Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado later this month with Yonder Mountain String Band and Drive-By Truckers.

Check out this song: When the seven-piece breaks out Professor Longhair's "Going to the Mardi Gras," just try to stand still. We dare you.

Talib Kweli

Hometown: New York, New York

Genre: Hip-hop

First started: 1996

Background: The Brooklyn-based rapper and social activist may not have many No. 1 singles, but the critic favorite has collaborated with everyone from Mos Def (Black Star) and Kanye West to The Roots and Anderson Paak. When he's not on stage performing and delivering his poetic rhymes, he's fighting against mass incarceration and police brutality while speaking out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Check out this song: "Move Somethin'" from 2000's "Train of Thought" -- an album released under the name Reflection Eternal, his collaboration with producer Hi-Tek. "Whether rappers or actors you still feel the gat bust/The abstract then becomes the reality/Alcoholics like to call it the moment of clarity," raps Kweli, who preaches responsibility in his music.

Beach Slang

Hometown: Philadelphia 

Genre: Indie punk rock

First started: 2013

Background: After coming up with Philly pop/punk act Weston, Beach Slang frontman James Alex formed this new act a few years back. And even with only one full-length release, 2015's "The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us," which got a Pitchfork-approved 8.0 rating, the band's punk anthems have garnered a strong fan base. With Beach Slang's follow-up, "A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings," coming out six days after Analog, those fans just might get to preview some of the new tunes live. And, as always, there may be a well-chosen cover or two thrown in there.

Check out this song: "Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas," the first single from their debut album. Imagine being under the sun in Bellevue State Park with this shimmering tune washing over you.

Fiancé

Hometown: Newark

Genre: Pop/rock

First started: 2013

Background: The only band that will have played both Firefly Music Festival and Analog-A-Go-Go, come see why this five-piece's stylized pop would fit perfectly in an episode of Netflix's "Stranger Things." Filled with hints of '80s synth and a mood to match, their melancholy jams certainly stand out in the state's bustling music scene.

Check out this song: Throw on "Climbing the Stairs" from 2014's "EP1" and sway like you're on the set of "The Breakfast Club." 

IF YOU GO

What: Dogfish Head's Analog-A-Go-Go

Acts: Built to Spill, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Talib Kweli, Beach Slang, Fiancé

When: Saturday, Sept. 17, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: Bellevue State Park, 800 Carr Rd., Bellevue

Cost: $75 (general admission) or $90 (general admission plus beer festival or distillery garden)

Information: analogagogo.com

Discount code: Go to analogagogo.com/ANALOG15 and enter ANALOG15 for a $15 discount. (Good through Wednesday, Aug. 17.)