National headliners will converge with top local and regional acts at 80/35 presented by U.S. Cellular on July 3 and 4 in downtown Des Moines’ Western Gateway Park. 80/35, the second annual summer music festival organized by the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC), announced 11 of the more than 40 acts scheduled to appear over 4th of July weekend.

Acclaimed national acts Ben Harper and Relentless7, Public Enemy, Matisyahu, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Girl In A Coma will celebrate their Independence Day weekend at the epicenter of Interstates 80 and 35 (80/35). House of Large Sizes, The Josh Davis Band, Beati Paoli, Cleo’s Apartment, and Floodplane are among the Iowa-homegrown bands announced. Additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Last years’ 80/35 drew an estimated 30,000 people to see more than 40 acts on four stages, including The Flaming Lips, The Roots, Andrew Bird, Black Francis, and Drive By Truckers. The 2009 80/35 will again feature more than 40 acts over the two-days. The festival will include acts in both free and paid areas of the event. Both areas will house interactive art, activities, vendors, resting places, food and beverage sales, and plenty more. A fireworks display is planned for Saturday, July 4.

“Since the inaugural 80/35, Des Moines has seen a surge of promoters bringing new and exciting music to the city,” says Amedeo Rossi, DMMC project manager. “The goal of the DMMC is to grow the city’s music scene and we see a lot of activity out of our local bands with new records and tours. This year’s event will continue to expand the growing base of music fans and provide an even higher profile for the Des Moines music scene.”

Advance tickets are on sale now at IowaTix.com: $70 two-day pass, $35 Friday single day pass, and $45 Saturday single day pass. There will be a limited number of advance single day passes available. VIP passes to the festival have sold out.

Friday, July 3
Public Enemy
Matisyahu
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks

Saturday, July 4
Ben Harper and Relentless7
G. Love & Special Sauce
Girl In A Coma

Performance date TBA
House of Large Sizes
The Josh Davis Band
Beati Paoli
Cleo’s Apartment
Floodplane

80/35 is made possible by U.S. Cellular, Meredith Corporation, Olde Main Brewing Co., Greater Des Moines Partnership, WHO-TV, Des Moines Metromix, and Clear Channel. 80/35 was founded in 2008 by a grant from the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation.

The Greater Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and collaborative movement committed to building a stronger and more diverse live music economy in greater Des Moines. For more information visit desmoinesmc.com