Drum roll please … the moment we wait for all winter has arrived – Signature Sounds of Northampton has announced the lineup for the annual Green River Festival!
The festival, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, will be held on July 8, 9 and 10 on the grounds of Greenfield Community College, and publications like Rolling Stone and The New York Times have praised the Green River Festival and cited it as one of the best in the country. And the praise is well deserved! The festival manages to grow and get better each year without losing any of its family-friendly, laid-back vibe.
There will be nearly 40 acts on three stages, great local food, beer and wine, handmade crafts, a dance tent, all kinds of fun stuff for the kids, and we can’t forget the hot air balloons, as they are one of the things that make this festival so special.
But now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about the lineup, which, as we have come to expect, is an incredibly diverse one with about every musical style you can imagine in the mix. And if you like to dance, you are in luck, as it seems this year there are more acts than ever known for their high-energy live shows.
The first Green River Festival was held in 1986, and one of the featured bands was NRBQ. So now it makes perfect sense to bring them back to help celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary. NRBQ will be one of the bands that helps kick the festival off by performing on opening night, Friday, July 8. Keyboardist Terry Adams remains the only original member of the group (drummer Tom Ardolino died in 2012) and his version of the band continues the group’s legacy of being a dynamic live act. If the band’s set at this year’s GRF is anything like the excellent show they played at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival last summer, expect them to play a mix of old NRBQ favorites, as well as some new material.
Another incredible live act who will be making his debut at the festival is Peter Wolf, who most of you know as front man for the J. Geils Band. But what you might not know is that since that band split up, Wolf has released a series of critically acclaimed, yet often overlooked, solo albums, which are deserving of attention. Wolf’s next album, “A Cure For Loneliness,” will be released on April 8, and it’s already getting strong advance buzz. Expect Wolf and his band The Midnight Travelers to deliver a soulful, high energy set.
Also included on the Friday night lineup is sax player Charles Neville of the famed Neville Brothers and the eight-piece roots band The Dustbowl Revival. Dean’s Beans Latin music night will also return, but the artists who will perform on that stage have not been announced yet.
Then, we are on to Saturday, July 9, which is typically the most popular day of the fest (Saturday has often sold out in the past). Headlining on Saturday night is Dawes, the popular live band led by brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, who have amassed a strong following through years of touring. The group’s sound is often described as California influenced, as it’s heavily inspired by artists like Jackson Browne and Crosby, Stills and Nash. The group’s latest release, “All Your Favorite Bands,” was produced by Dave Rawlings and does a good job of capturing the band’s live sound.
Also on Saturday, it’s Shovels & Rope, the alt-country duo that consists of husband and wife, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. The rootsie sounds of the Felice Brothers, who are known for their often frenzied live shows, will make their return visit to the Green River Festival, and rounding out the lineup is Shakey Graves, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, The Suffers, Amy Helm & the Handsome Strangers, Greyhounds, Anthony D’Amato, The Soul Rebels, and Oh Pep.
There will also be some well known local acts taking the stage on Saturday, including indie-pop band And the Kids, the reggae grooves of The Alchemystics, and international star and kids favorite Mister G!
And there is something very special in store for Sunday, the final day of the festival. Last year bluesy guitarist and vocalist Susan Tedeschi and her husband guitar whiz DerekTrucks launched a successful tour called the Wheels of Soul Tour. The couple, who together as the Tedeschi Trucks Band, recently announced that they are bringing the tour back this year and will be joined by Los Angeles rockers Los Lobos, as well as the blues and rock band the North Mississippi All Stars. That tour will make a stop at the Green River Festival as part of Sunday’s lineup. That’s right, all three acts – The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos and the North Mississippi Allstars – will be part of the day’s lineup. This will be quite the triple treat for blues and rock fans.
Also performing on Sunday will be Birds of Chicago, Margo Price & The Price Tags, and Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Ashfield native Sonya Kitchell (who is currently touring in support of her new album “We Came Apart”), will also be part of the lineup, as well as the chamber-pop sounds of local stalwarts Winterpills, whose new album “Love Songs” will arrive on March 18.
So there you have it – the Green River Festival lineup so far.
More acts will be announced, so to keep informed of any changes, you can visit the festival website or its Facebook page.
So now that you have the lineup, you will want to purchase tickets, but if you want to take advantage of early bird pricing, you will have to move fast because the last day to purchase tickets at the reduced rate is Friday, March 4. After that ticket prices will increase slightly.
Early bird prices are: full weekend passes $109.99, two-day pass (Saturday and Sunday) $89.99, single-day pass (either Saturday or Sunday) $59.99. Tickets for Friday only are $29.99. Early bird tickets can only be purchased at: www.greenriverfestival.com
For the first time this year, festival camping will be available at the nearby Franklin County Fairgrounds. Even if you don’t live that far away, you might want to take advantage of this inexpensive way to get even more fun out of the festival. The fairgrounds offer more than 40 acres of flat, open camping space and includes RV electric hook-ups, multiple bathrooms with showers and a weather emergency shelter. All camping tickets include a festival ticket plus parking with free shuttle buses to and from Greenfield Community College. Early bird rates for camping are:
full weekend with camping $139.99 and full weekend with premium camping $189.99. RV passes are $99. NOTE: one night camping tickets are not available.
For more information, call (413) 341-3317 or visit the website at: www.greenriverfestival.com
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com