Nateva Festival prepares for inaugural event with Flaming Lips, Derek Trucks

In a year marked by the unexpected shuttering of several national festivals, another summer event has risen to fill the void just as unexpectedly.

Though early details about the Nateva Music & Camping Festival surfaced with little prior warning near the end of January, the three-day event already promises a bevy of big name acts for its inaugural lineup. While an official announcement is still forthcoming, Nateva has confirmed performances by festival favorite the Flaming Lips, as well as the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band.

The three-day event will take over the Oxford County Fairgrounds in Oxford, ME, from July 2-4. Interestingly, Nateva has claimed the same weekend previously booked by the now-defunct Rothbury in Michigan.

In addition to the scheduling similarities, Nateva organizers also seem intent on cornering the same market as Rothbury, just with a different geographical base. The official festival Web site coins Nateva as "New England’s premiere Jam based music festival," and aims to book jam performers from a cross-section of music genres.

The festival's founders were unavailable to comment on their nascent event. Additional lineup announcements are expected in the near future, including details about a special "early bird" performance on the night of July 1.

A limited number of deeply discounted weekend passes are available for the first ever Nateva Festival. A regular weekend pass is currently offered for $159, discounted from $229, while weekend passes plus camping are set at $179, marked down from $249. Individuals planning to attend the festival's late-night events must have a camping pass, as the regular weekend passes do not allow 24-hour access to the grounds.