Hippo Campus is set to fire up the main stage at the second annual Rootfire At The Park festival at Riverfront Park in Cocoa, FL. The Minnesota based rockers have been captivating audiences with their distinctive brand of indie rock. After releasing their first full- length album earlier this year, Hippo is back with a fresh EP entitled warm glow. Rootfire caught up with guitarist Nathan Stocker for a brief chat about their latest release and what fans should expect at this year’s Rootfire At The Park.

Rootfire: Rootfire At The Park is an event designed around the American reggae scene, however, we are offering a more diverse line up featuring acts like Hippo Campus. What crossovers do you see between indie pop and the American reggae scene?

Nathan Stocker: Don’t know a lot about reggae, but the initial similarities seem to be found in backbeats, soukous-esque guitar playing and marijuana-fused synth pads. We’re no experts in either field.

RF: You guys just released a new EP, warm glow. What was the inspiration behind this body of work? How does the new EP differ from previous releases?

NS: Where Landmark was a more of a response to external influences, warm glow developed from internal influences between the four of us as a band. The songs were written during the process for Landmark, but had different energies that ended up fitting well together for this new EP.

RF: What should Rootfire at the Park attendees expect from Hippo Campus? How would you guys describe your live show?

NS: There’s some country vibes that we were able to capitalize on, working at Pachyderm Studio in Minnesota. Ben Lester on the pedal steel added something fresh that we’re ready to explore as we continue recording in the future. We like to play hard and allow the songs to speak for themselves.

Hippo Campus appears Friday Nov 10 at the second annual Rootfire At The Park in Cocoa, FL. VIP passes and single day tickets are available HERE.

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