Bret Michaels, Michael Ray headlining Ocoee Music Festival

Whether you’re Team Rock, Team Country or a little bit of both, this weekend’s Ocoee Music Festival will feature performances that align with your musical tastes. The 30th annual festival brings rock music to the crowd Friday night with headliner Bret Michaels, Los Lonely Boys and Layla Brisbois Band, as well as country performances Saturday with headliner Michael Ray, Cooper Alan, Dion Pride – A Tribute to Charley Pride, John Ashley and the Swamp Bandits and Tom Jackson Band.

The former Ocoee Founders’ Day Festival is dedicated to celebrating Ocoee’s small-town traditions with music, community, small businesses and fun. Besides great live musical performances, this year’s fun also includes carnival rides for children, festival eats at 20 food trucks, a unique marketplace and a beer garden. Guests are asked not to take pets, coolers or backpacks.

SET TO PERFORM

Work on Ocoee’s two-day music festival begins at least eight months prior to the event, said Mark Johnson, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. The city works with a promoter who brings to the committee a list of entertainers from various music labels.

“We discuss what are we looking for, what kind of night do we want (on Friday) — classic rock night?” Johnson said. “Country is a staple for Saturday night. (The promoter) gives us a list of who’s available. We go through and look at them all. … We have a budget … and we make sure the dates work for them. Are they available? … We want to make sure their tour dates match us.”

Johnson said the city has been lucky with its festival lineup each year.

“We’ve hit really big with a lot of our acts; we’ve gotten them before they got crazy,” he said. “Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Jason Aldean — we wouldn’t be able to get them now. They were all big, but now they are stadium acts.”

Expect two great evenings of music with the following entertainers:

BRET MICHAELS

Bret Michaels was the front man of glam rock band Poison, which has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States. The band has charted 10 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including “Talk Dirty to Me,” “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and a No. 1 single, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”

Michaels has charted several solo albums, including the soundtrack album to the film “A Letter from Death Row” in which Michaels starred, wrote and directed; and a rock album, “Songs of Life.” Michaels has appeared in several films and TV shows, including as a judge on the talent show “Nashville Star,” as well as numerous reality television programs, including “The Masked Singer.”

He starred in the VH1 reality show “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels” and its sequels, which inspired his successful solo album, Rock My World. He was the winning contestant on NBC’s reality show “Celebrity Apprentice 3” and was featured in his own reality docuseries, “Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It,” which inspired his highest-charting album as a solo artist, Custom Built. He is also is known for hosting on the Travel Channel.

“Rock of Love,” “Life as I Know It” and “Rock My RV” are streaming on multiple media channels.

LAYLA BRISBOIS BAND

Layla Brisbois is a West Orange County-based singer-songwriter. She prides herself on writing from her real-life experiences and connecting with her audience through her stories in her songs. She has placed top three in Orlando Weekly’s Best of Orlando Singer/Songwriter category for multiple years in a row.

LOS LONELY BOYS

Family has always been at the center of life for Los Lonely Boys. Brothers Henry, Jojo and Ringo Garza have been playing and touring together since they were teenagers. Three years ago, they decided to take a break to focus on their own growing families. But summer 2022 saw them back at it again, returning to life on the road alongside The Who. The men have been making music together for nearly 20 years.

The three Garza brothers rode their bluesy “Texican rock’n’roll” sound from San Angelo, Texas, to worldwide fame when they formed a band, got signed to a major label and had a hit single that propelled them to stardom. They sold 2.5 million records, won a Grammy and received five more Grammy nominations in the span of their career.

The sons of Enrique “Ringo” Garza Sr. are a second-generation sibling band; their dad and his brothers played conjunto as the Falcones before the elder Garza formed a band with his sons. Their big break came when they began playing Austin clubs in the early 2000s.

One day, Willie Nelson’s nephew heard some demos. Next thing they knew, Nelson showed up at a gig. Then he showcased them at Farm Aid and guested on their album.

Los Lonely Boys got picked up by Epic. Their No. 1 single, “Heaven,” sold more than 2 million copies, spent 76 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and earned them a Grammy.

Carlos Santana invited them to guest on his 2005 album, All That I Am, and their father and Nelson joined them on the album Sacred.

Their rise was chronicled in the documentary “Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads.”

JOHN ASHLEY AND THE SWAMP BANDITS

John Ashley, a West Orlando native, has cultivated his musical talents since his high school days, honing his skills through years of performance. Following a successful touring stint with Paramore, he opted to return to his roots, drawing from his extensive road experience to craft his own musical endeavors. His debut performance at the 2023 Ocoee Music Festival garnered a resounding reception, affirming his decision to embark on creating original content. Anticipate the release of his music slated for later in 2024 as he ventures into his solo career.

MICHAEL RAY

Michael Ray was raised in the heart of Central Florida and country music was always playing.

Ray liked Southern rock, pop and what his peers were listening to on the radio — but when you factor in a grandfather who worked hard but lived to get cleaned up and go out where the music was, as well as a father who put together a band who played anywhere people came to dance, drink, celebrate or forget — it was only a matter of time before he was playing the Sunshine Opry and Froggers, turning up the country.

Four No. 1 songs later — including “Whiskey and Rain” and “Think a Little Less” — Ray was at a crossroads. He followed this notion deep inside of what country music was: hard-hitting, honest, real. Dive Bars & Broken Hearts is the distillation of all the things Michael Ray believes country music to be.

In a world of dialed-in perfection, Ray said he recognizes the best kind of country has some sweat and dirt on it.

COOPER ALAN

A rising star with the spirit of a true entertainer, a penchant for outside-the-box thinking and a growing, self-built audience, Cooper Alan is an artist willing to take country a step further – and fans love him for it. He has created a fanbase with both deeply personal, step-by-step romantic sagas and off-the-wall party anthems.

“An audience can tell when you’re not being authentic to yourself,” the North Carolina native said. “So, for me, I’ve got to be willing to always go with my gut musically, wherever that takes me.”

The independent artist has racked up more than 100 million Spotify streams, a massive social media presence with more than 8 million TikTok followers and a large touring footprint.

Alan formed his first band in the eighth grade. His anything-goes approach pulled as much from Kenny Chesney and Kid Rock as AC/DC and Afroman, but his deep, resonate vocal and love of country values pulled him toward the country format.

To Alan, what was true and authentic included topical standouts like his 2019 breakout, “Climate Change,” and the tender “New Normal,” which came out in 2020 as the pandemic raged.

He kept it going in 2023, letting loose on the haters with tracks like “This Ain’t Country.”

DION PRIDE

Dion Pride is a dynamic and captivating singer who effortlessly connects with diverse crowds, leaving a lasting impression on audiences of all ages. As the son of legendary Country Music Hall of Famer Charley Pride, Dion Pride carries on his family’s musical legacy while forging his own path.

Dion displayed his musical prowess at age 14. His songwriting abilities were showcased when his father recorded Dion’s composition, “I Miss My Home,” which featured on Charley Pride’s “Choices” album in 2011. Initially, Dion played lead guitar and keyboards for his father’s performances, opening his shows for five years. However, as he began incorporating his own material into the sets, the audience’s enthusiastic response fueled his decision to venture out on his own musical journey.

Dion has entertained crowds all over the globe. Despite his growing success, Dion remains humble, grateful and committed to giving his fans the performance of a lifetime.

Dion continues to leave a lasting mark on the country music scene, captivating audiences with his soulful voice, authentic performances and passion for his craft.

TOM JACKSON BAND

Tom Jackson’s brand of music is a new driving, aggressive country likened to a combination of Jason Aldean meets Charlie Daniels. He debuted his first album, “Southern Thang,” in 2007.

His lyrics are really stories in song that talk about everything country fans like. Jackson is a hunter and avid outdoorsman, and when not on stage, he is in the woods or on the lake fishing.

Jackson has worked with hit song writers and has shared the stage with Nashville recording artists such as Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Eric Church, Alan Jackson and Randy Travis.

He has appeared on and had his music on several television shows. He also is in the works of making his new outdoors television show.