nother birthday for America is upon us: Cue the fireworks. Unfortunately I have none of my own this year (nothing a quick trip to New Hampshire can’t solve). Usually I stock up on my way home from Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee, but this year I decided to give that festival a break. The premiere this weekend of the Nateva Music and Camping Festival in Oxford, Maine, has a lot to do with this. Why travel 18 hours to sweat with 80,000 people when I can relax with 15,000 only two and a half hours north of Boston? At the end of the day, the musical experiences will be plenty and positive, no matter how many heads are in the crowd. But this time around I’ll be able to take it in without pushing my body to its limits. (Of course, there’s no guarantee that this won’t happen anyway.)

Nateva is all about intimacy. The festival has a world-class lineup, and you’ll be able to see every band without throwing elbows to get between stages. Here’s a list of shows where you should be able to find me, though I’ll always be on the move. I’m convinced that everyone should have an ADD mentality when at a music festival. Check out Nateva’s full schedule here. Tickets are still available for each day, as are two-day and three-day passes.

Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck: Friday, 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Port City Music Hall Stage)

Bow Thayer has connections within the Boston music scene; he used to play with Sean Staples in the Benders. But his influences extend far beyond the Bean, in both time and place, settling somewhere between the Band and shared acoustics around the campfire with friends. Americana gets things going early at Nateva, and expect Thayer’s voice to make an early statement.

Jackie Greene: Friday, 5:50 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. (Main Stage 2)

Jackie Greene has had no problem making friends. It's certainly helped that founding Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh snagged the young west coaster to sing Jerry’s parts on his tours. Greene did the fallen legend more justice than most could even dream of, but in his own skin Greene revives the classic, country-rock swagger guys like Chris Robinson and Warren Haynes also strive to emulate.

Passion Pit: Friday, 7 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. (Main Stage 1)

You can’t deny Passion Pit’s music: It’s what the kids are listening to these days. They’re also, for better of for worse, the biggest band to come out of Boston in a long time. I hate to say it, but there’s nothing like a MacBook friendly dance party to take you into the twilight hours.

Ghostland Observatory: Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. (Main Stage 2)

Ghostland Observatory is one of those bands that will catch festival goes off guard. “This is a band that probably nobody has heard of, and they probably won't sell us any tickets,” says Nateva CEO and founder Frank Chandler. “But if the jam-band kids give them five minutes they’ll be blown away. They’re going to say ‘I can’t believe I never saw these guys before.'”

moe.: Friday, 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (Main Stage 1)

moe. has an impressive resume. More than 20 years after forming at University of Buffalo, the jam band (juiced up on rock) still routinely sells out theaters and clubs in just about every state. They’ve opened for the Who, Allman Brothers, and Robert Plant. They even host their own festival in upstate New York every labor day weekend. A headlining spot at Nateva is a cementing of moe.’s ahcivements and an affirmation that they’re in it for the whole strange trip.

Felice Brothers: Saturday (Friday late night) 12:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. (Port City Music Hall Stage)

Empty whiskey bottles, crowded ashtrays, long nights; The Felice Brothers capture it all in their music. It’s like the tape never stops rolling. They sound like the town house band, playing for drinks and leftovers, in Woodstock, New York around the time Dylan made it his hideout. They also play during the day on Saturday (1:10 p.m. to 2:10 on Main Stage 2), but the shelter of darkness and the welcome sloppiness that comes after midnight seems more appropriate.

Reggae for breakfast on Saturday

Reggae is a loose theme early on Saturday with Rustic Overtones, Roots of Creation, and John Brown’s Body. My suggestion is to jump back and forth between the three. If the Weather Channel is right, it should be close to 80 degrees. Too bad there's not a beach nearby, but the music will make it feel close enough. The Rustic Overtones rely more on ska and punk, Roots of Creation will make you think of Sublime, and John Brown’s Body blends everything under the sun.

Drive-by Truckers: Saturday, 4:20 p.m. to 5:40 p.m. (Main Stage 1)

The Athens, Georgia-based group (whose Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood are pictured at top) call their latest single “This Fucking Job.” So you know you can already relate to them. They’ve lived a bit, and the long road has molded them into frontrunners in the new generation of guitar-fueled throwback rock. They love Skynyrd and sometimes sound like Crazy Horse. Their set comes right around Nateva’s halfway point, so look for them to beat your ass into shape, taking you all the way to the finish.

The Indobox: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Port City Music Hall Stage)

Their plenty of local representation at Nateva, but the Indobox get the longest and latest set of any band making the short trip up from Boston to Oxford. It’s well deserved too. They’ll fit right in.

STS9: Saturday, 8:35 to 10:05 p.m. (Main Stage 2)

This Southern Cal-via-Georgia jam act plays trance-heavy beats that’ll make computers jealous. Instruments and the human hand still carry some weight in the world of machines, I guess. The festival-friendly band is one of the most successful touring acts out there. Its shows are a mix between danceable club-friendly grooves and intricate space-jazz explorations. Higher ground is the destination, which is a perfect journey for any festival. They’ll be playing at sunset on Saturday. Now if only they’d get an after-hours set to bring us to sunrise.

The Flaming Lips: Saturday, 10:15 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (Main Stage 1)

I’m not even going to bother to describe what comes with Flaming Lips show. Here’s a list of words instead: confetti, laser pointers, man-sized plastic bubble, Teletubbies, optimistic minds, fake blood, UFOs, zoo animals, furries, inflatable sun, etc. Here’s visual proof:

You Can Be a Wesley: Sunday, Noon to 12:30 p.m. (Main Stage 2)

Straight out of Allston, You Can Be a Wesley mixes elements of Michael Stipe’s playful sincerity with the wider sound of present-day indie. This is probably the youngest band on the bill, and least known, but that should change after this weekend.

Nate Wilson Group: Sunday, 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Port City Music Hall Stage)

To be honest, I’ll be happy to finally see this group in a room larger than Lizard Lounge. My ears still haven’t recovered from their June residency. It’s loud, but it’s a righteous cocktail of torned-and-frayed guitar-driven rock and out-of-body callings.

Zappa Plays Zappa: Sunday, 3:55 p.m. to 4:55 p.m. (Main Stage 2)

“Like father, like son” would be the appropriate line here. Dweezil Zappa has studied father Frank’s every move, not only to pay tribute to the late freak’s music, but to take it to new places. He’s even joined by the players who first brought the tunes to the planet.

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band: Sunday, 6:20 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. (Main Stage 2)

A lot of people can play guitar at Nateva. But when it comes to ability and spiritual calling, no one should ever be mentioned in the same sentence as Derek Trucks. The current Allman Brother will even make it a family affair, sharing the stage with righteous blues singer and wife Susan Tedeschi.

George Clinton: Sunday, 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. (Main Stage 1)

There still ain’t nothing like the P-Funk party. George Clinton is the cool grandfather who can still hold his own at the grandkid’s after party. If only P-Funk could play all night like they usually do during their marathon shows. The festival may be coming to a close by the time P-Funk brings the funk, but they’ll make you beg for overtime.

Further: Sunday, 8 p.m. to midnight (Main Stage 1)

I invite you to make a list of the greatest bands of all time. Now make a list of the greatest American bands of all time. It’s not as easy as you thought. The Grateful Dead should make the second list (at the very least) and are easily the definitive touring act in the history of popular music. It’s only appropriate that, on a day when America is king, founding members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir will give their songs the best treatment they’ve gotten since Jerry died in ’95. Further may be greased up with skillful hands able to make the Dead sound new again, but there’s plenty of artists already at Nateva who have the chops to join in the tribute. On that note, I hope Jackie Greene sticks around for the weekend.

Side Notes

If you’re not leaving town this weekend, you can always catch Sea Monsters Sunday (July 4) at Precinct. With the holiday falling on a Sunday, Christian McNeill, Jesse Dee and company will treat this an opportunity to deliver a little bit extra.

Heading to the Cape or islands? Check out Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard nightlife secrets at the new MySecretCapeCod.com and MySecretMarthasVineyard.com