For a 7th summer, Beachstock rocks Margate

In name, Margate's Beachstock, happening all day Saturday, recalls a much wilder musical gathering in the late 1960s. Yet the free, family-friendly festival, now going seven years strong, has a kinetic verve all its own.

"The neat thing about this event is that it really exposes you to the day-into-night-on-the-beach effect," said Anna Maria Courter, the Margate Business Association's executive director.

From athletic activities in the early morning - yoga, volleyball, and paddle-boarding are on the agenda - to a beachside bonfire and film screening (The Peanuts Movie) in the evening, Beachstock's rhythm never slows. Sandwiched in between are kids' activities, such as an animal show and an eco-friendly treasure hunt, line dancing - this year's fest has a country theme - and, of course, live music.

The musical roster, consisting solely of local performers, includes Nikki Briar and the Sweet Briar Band - the line-dancing folks - StoneBaby (metal-inflected folk Americana), '60s pop/rock tribute band British Invasion, and rockers Bootleg and Drive the Bus.

The last two acts were chosen to perform after they racked up the most online votes in the preliminary rounds of Beachstock's Battle by the Beach competition. The qualifying bouts were held June 15 and 16 at the Golden Nugget's Deck bar in Atlantic City. Winners were awarded $250 and studio time with Buck London Productions. Suggested by festival radio sponsor 100.7 WZXL, the battle component has been a Beachstock tradition since 2011.

Bootleg, based in Cape May Court House, formed just last December. Beachstock will be the band's second show.

Drummer Pat Haigh, 20, described the group as "laid-back dudes looking to play some music." Haigh's breezy description of Bootleg's ethos reflects the youth of its four members, ages 18 to 21.

The band's influences are motley, encompassing Led Zeppelin and Grand Funk Railroad. For the preliminary bout at the Golden Nugget, they covered Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" and Black Sabbath's "Behind the Walls of Sleep." Battle participants had to play a mix of original and cover songs.

Bootleg has one single out now, the rollicking, nautical-themed "Poseidon's Trap," which you can hear online at bootlegband.org/music. It plans to use its Buck London studio sessions to record an album.

The more established Drive the Bus, a bluesy rock group from Belleplain, Cape May County, is the project of former "hobby" musician Michael Lagana. When Lagana's wife died in 2012 after a 19-month battle with mesothelioma (a form of cancer caused by asbestos), he took her advice to sell his landscaping business and pursue his passion for music.

Drive the Bus, named for Lagana's maroon VW Vanagon, began with jam sessions. Then came original tunes. Playing and writing songs helped him process his grief. After he met with entertainment lawyer Ronald Bienstock in Hackensack to discuss musical copyrights, this "bus" was officially on the road.

Lagana likens Drive the Bus to The Partridge Family, since the band includes his son, Samuel Lagana, 17, and two other young musicians, bassist Dean Dunlevy, 20, and guitarist Dan Senico, 18.

"I'm the band daddy," joked Michael Lagana, 53, who noted that his bandmates "are all old souls, to the point where it's almost unbelievable. I grew up in the '60s and '70s and listened to everything from the Beatles to the Stones, Hendrix. . . . [The younger members] were up at the Dead [& Company] show in Camden the other night."

For the Battle by the Beach prelims, Drive the Bus played Ted Nugent's "Great White Buffalo." It has performed at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, as well as at Belleplain's Belle Fest, which it organized.

With an EP out now and a full-length album expected in late August or September, Drive the Bus is tenacious. Check out drivethebusband.com/music to hear the single "It's Alright Out of Sight."

"If you can outwork any other band, you can make it today," Michael Lagana said. "You can go out there and make it yourself."

Beachstock runs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday at Huntington Avenue Beach (8100 Atlantic Ave.), Margate. Admission is free (food and beverages are available for purchase). For a complete schedule, see margatehasmore.com.

Contact Zoe Miller at 856-779-3813 or zmiller@philly.com