After a couple of weeks of nothing but snow and temps in the 20s qualifying as a heatwave, I’m sure I’m not the only one looking forward to weather that makes me want to do something outside besides shiver.

A couple of reminders of warmer days ahead arrived this week. On Friday, the crowd at Westside Bowl will have a chance to choose at least one of the acts that will perform at the year’s Federal Frenzy in downtown Youngstown.

Participating in the battle-of-the-bands-style event will be zoloft!, Doomsday Darling, Mo Turk, Brake Fluid, SJ the Artisan, and Drifting Thing and the Future Ghosts.

The music ranges from hip hop to psychedelic indie horn rock and an act that describes itself as “Magic Mike meets Tyler the Creator.”

The top vote getter is guaranteed a time slot for this year’s Federal Frenzy, which goes back to being a one-day event from 2 to 11 p.m. April 18. Carolyn Jesko, assistant director of programming for Youngstown State University Student Activities, said venues still are being determined, but this year’s event will be focused in the West Federal Street area.

The Face-Off runs 7 to 11 p.m. Friday at Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown. Admission is free, and there will be a shuttle service available between campus and the venue for YSU students.

Also announced this week was the lineup for the Ribs-N-Rock Festival at Southern Park Mall in Boardman, which technically happens before summer this year with three days of meat and music from June 11 to 13.

Frequent opening night headliner The Clarks will be back for 2026, but this time they will headline the Friday lineup on June 12. The Pittsburgh band has been regional favorites for 40 years, and its song “Better Off Without You” was prominently featured in the season two kickoff for the Emmy-winning HBO series “The Pitt.”

Local acts on Friday will be Rajma and 7% Superstar.

Opening the festival on June 11 will be Trapt, best known for the song “Headstrong,” which topped the alternative, hard rock and mainstream rock charts in 2002 and peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has more than a half billion streams on Spotify. Other mainstream rock hits include “Still Frame,” “Stand Up” and “Who’s Going Home with You Tonight?,” and lead singer / rhythm guitarist Chris Taylor Brown and bassist Pete Charell have been a part of the band since its formation. No Funk No Justice will open.

Closing the festival on June 13 will be Puddle of Mudd, a band with 15 top 40 mainstream rock hits, including five number ones — “Blurry,” “Drift & Die,” “She Hates Me,” “Away from Me” and “Psycho.” The band is fronted by Wes Scantlin, whose rap sheet may be longer than his discography. The other acts haven’t been announced yet.

Of course, music is only half of the draw. This year’s grillmasters will be Cowboys Barbeque & Rib Company from Fort Worth, Texas; Carolina Rib King from Spartanburg, S.C.; Off the Bone BBQ from Mobile, Ala.; and Chicago BBQ Company.

And outside of the Mahoning Valley, the Nelsonville Music Festival in southeast Ohio announced the first batch of acts for its event from June 18 to 20 at Snow Fork Event Center.

The initial list includes Wednesday (whose album “Bleeds” seemed to have a spot on most lists of the best albums of 2025), Geese (which is either a great indie rock band with major buzz or one of the worst musical acts in “Saturday Night Live” history), Mon Rovîa, Thee Sinseers, The Altons, Big Freedia, S.G. Goodman, Ken Pomeroy, Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, Etran de L’Aïr, The Animeros and BERTHA: Grateful Drag.

There are more acts to come, and more info is available at nelsonvillefest.org.

And there were big outdoor shows announced for those who are fans of anthemic stoner folk (Noah Kahan on July 3 at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park) or face tattoos (Post Malone and Jelly Roll on June 25 at Cleveland’s Huntington Bank Field).

And I’ll try to remember how sick I am of single-digit temperatures when I’m tempted to complain about the heat at one of those summer activities.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com.