There’s nothing like enjoying music in the great outdoors. The experience of dancing on the grass with like-minded individuals while listening to both old favorites and new music makes music festivals like the Green River Festival special. The annual festival, now in its 35th year, is more than a big concert; it’s a joyful experience we share with others.
This year’s festival takes place this weekend, June 24-26, at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield. There will be four stages with over 40 bands, a Maker’s Market, local food, beer and wine, and all kinds of activities for the kids. The move from Greenfield Community College to the fairgrounds launches a new festival era that includes onsite RV and tent camping, more entertainment offerings, VIP options, and of course the same fantastic music that has made it the crown jewel of Valley festivals all these years.
Fortunately, the threat of COVID-19 doesn’t loom as large as it did the previous two years. In 2020, Signature Sounds of Northampton, who produce the festival, had to cancel the event due to COVID. Last year, they were forced to reduce ticket sales and find a new location as the campus of Greenfield Community College, where the festival took place since its inception in 1986, was closed.
They moved the 2021 sold-out festival to the Franklin County Fairgrounds, as Signature Sounds had used the site for camping since 2016. The fairgrounds, which offered more space and a vastly improved infrastructure, proved a more functional site for the growing festival so they have returned this year.
The festival, which draws in people from all over the country, has grown in size from its early days as a combined music and balloon festival. In 2015 the festival received a flurry of favorable press from publications like the New York Times and Rolling Stone, further bolstering attendance.
In addition to being larger and allowing space for on-site camping, the fairgrounds have ample running water and electricity, buildings to use, and bathrooms. The flat terrain makes it more accessible, and there are plenty of places to find shade.
“It was a grand experiment last year and overall went pretty well,” said Jim Olsen, president of Signature Sounds and festival director. “There were a lot of advantages, and having that year’s experience, we are going to make it better this year.”
One of the most significant improvements is that they have resolved the sound bleed between the stages, which was an issue last year.
“Last year, because of COVID, we kept things really minimal, but now we are building out the site more. We are having more food and craft vendors, more kids stuff and bringing back the tiny Green House stage,” said Olsen of the improvements they are making this year. The Green House stage will offer pop-up concerts throughout the event.
With the change of location, the festival is not able to continue the tradition of having hot air balloons as the new site cannot accommodate them. “We will miss the era of the balloons, but as the festival grew, they were getting harder for us to do,” said Olsen who added he hoped that festival- goers will be pleased with all the additions they were making.
All of these changes make for a more comfortable experience for festival attendees.
Assembling the lineup is always a lengthy, challenging process as the festival field is a crowded, competitive one. Still, Signature Sounds always brings us a great mix of returning favorites, newcomers, and a healthy dose of local talent. This year you’ll hear plenty of roots/Americana, country, bluegrass, folk, zydeco, funk, and rock.
“We try to find those performers who aren’t as tour heavy as the others; last year it was Jon Batiste who despite his success didn’t tour much,” said Olsen who’s been responsible for booking the lineup since the beginning. “We like to get artists who are making their first Valley appearance and Father John Misty (Sunday) falls into that category. Guster (Friday) also hasn’t played the area in years.”
The goal is to make the lineup unique and stand out from all the other festivals out there.
This year, a couple of the Main stage acts have deep ties to Signature Sounds Recordings, of which Olsen is the president. One of these is the soul/pop group Lake Street Dive, who make their second appearance as headliners at the festival. The group formed in Boston in 2004 and got their big break when Olsen signed them to Signature Sounds after seeing them perform at the Rendezvous in Turners Falls.
They released their first album for the label in 2010, and their career took off when a video of them singing the Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” went viral. Led by the incredible vocalist Rachael Price, the band will close the festival on Saturday night, being the second act (Michael Franti is the other) to have this honor twice.
“Western Mass has always had a special place in our hearts. We were born in Boston but cut a lot of our teeth in the Pioneer Valley. This area is beautiful, historic and has great venues,” said the band’s drummer Mike Calabrese. He added that the support they have received from Olsen and their manager, Emily Lichter, who is based in the Valley, add to their strong connection to this area and this event.
“This is all to say that returning to Green River Fest to headline for a second time is more than just another stop on a tour. It’s a homecoming,” he added. “We only hope we can return some of the joy to this place that we have received from it all these years.”
Look for Lake Street Dive to pop up for an acoustic set on the Green House stage on Saturday. (To find out who is playing when on the Green House stage, text Green to 855-660-2468)
The other artist with ties to the local label is Allison Russell, who last performed at the festival in 2018 as part of the band Birds of Chicago. That group, including her husband JT Nero, released two albums for Signature Sounds before going on hiatus so Russell could release the solo album “Unknown Child.” That album chronicles her experience as an abused child. It is a powerful work that has won massive accolades, including three Grammy nominations. She will play on the Main Stage on Sunday.
“It was great to watch her success, we knew what a special talent she was and that it was just a mater of time before other people discovered her,” said Olsen of Russell, adding that her solo shows are getting rave reviews.
Some other acts you will want to catch are the western swing duo, Asleep at the Wheel, singer-songwriter Waxahatchee (Sunday), who recently released a song with Wynonna Judd and Galactic (Friday), who are bringing the funk directly from New Orleans.
The Green River Festival is about discovering new talent, and there’s always some artist waiting to be discovered, so I had to ask Olsen who that might be this year?
“The one who I think is really going to knock people out is Katie Pruitt (Saturday), a fairly young singer-songwriter,” said Olsen. “I saw her at a festival in Virginia and it was like seeing a young Brandi Carlile.” Cha Wa (Saturday), a Mardi Gras Indian brass band from New Orleans who are playing on are also on his list of recommendations.
Then there is all the local talent that ranges from the Celtic meets world beats sound of the Gaslight Tinkers to the bluegrass music of Poor Monroe. The biggest surprise this year is the appearance of the Young at Heart Chorus, who play the Main Stage on Sunday. The group of singing seniors from Northampton has been together since 1982 and performs popular rock songs.
“It’s been a long time goal to get Young At Heart to Green River Festival. In the past when we’ve discussed it with their managers, the logistics seemed a bit daunting,” said Olsen. “It’s not easy to present an ensemble of 35 or more octogenarians in a festival setting, but we’ve worked out a plan for this year and I can’t wait for their performance. It’s always magical.”
Musician Rosemary Caine of Greenfield, a longtime practitioner of the Irish arts, is a member of the Young at Heart Chorus and the only member from Greenfield. She has been attending the festival for over 25 years and looks forward to being on the stage this year. “Like so many other musicians, Young at Heart has been off stage for two and a half years,” wrote Caine in a recent email. “This marks a huge milestone in the chorus’s history, their first time in Green River Festival.”
There’s plenty of music geared just toward the kids including Latin Grammy winner Mister G and the Global Citizen Ensemble, a multi-cultural group that celebrates music as a universal language. Mr G (Ben Gundersheimer), from Whately, makes music enjoyed by kids of all ages and has been a part of previous Green River festivals and will play on Saturday.
There are all kinds of activities for kids, who are admitted for free if they are 10 and under.
There are art projects, the annual Mardi Gras parade, and for the first time ever — Delilah the whale! Delilah is a life-sized inflatable North Atlantic right whale that will be at the festival courtesy of the conservation group, Whales.org, on Saturday and Sunday.
“We think the kids are going to love called Delilah; it’s an actual 3D experience because you can actually go inside the whale,” said Olsen “We love having the family experience being part of it all.”
There are still single day and weekend pass tickets left including the VIP option (festival faithful) which is new this year. It includes certain benefits like early admission, premium parking and access to the roundhouse, which is being converted to an air-conditioned VIP lounge with exclusive performances and more. Ticket prices are Weekend Pass $170, Friday Pass $55, Saturday pass, $75, Sunday pass $75 and student weekend pass, $95. Festival Faithful VIP bundle (includes 2 admission tickets), $700. Kids 10 and under free. Ticket prices increase on Wednesday.
Tickets can be purchased at www.greenriverfestival.com (no ticket fees) and the gate if available.
On-site parking passes are sold out, but shuttle buses will run from downtown. The town of Greenfield is waiving parking fees on Saturday.