Welcome summertime! If you are a fan of live music, then this is your favorite time of year as there’s shows happening everywhere.
Thursday is the season launch of the Coop Concerts summer music series. Now in its 15th year, the Coop Concerts have become a popular gathering spot during the warm weather months and are an integral part of downtown Greenfield. The concerts are presented by the talented group that makes up the Franklin County Musicians Cooperative, a nonprofit organization of more than 40 musicians (“Coopsters”) whose goal is to promote live music in Franklin County. The concerts, which run through August, take place every Thursday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Greenfield Energy Park, 50 Miles St. And the best part is, they’re free!
The Coop Concerts are laid-back family friendly affairs that expose listeners to all types of music created by an assortment of local musicians. From the humorous folk music of Russ Thomas, to the indie rock of The frost heaves and hales, to the guitar-picking of Joe Graveline, there’s something for everyone at the Coop Concerts. You’ll hear country, string bands, singer-songwriters, bluegrass, Americana, Celtic, humor, rock, pop and more from some of your favorite Franklin County-based musicians.
Each concert features three different acts of varying styles, and sometimes the three acts can be quite different from each other.
Thursday’s season opener will feature folk musician Jim Eagan who will be joined by steel guitarist/dobro player Dennis Avery. Also on the lineup is former Boxcar Lily Katie Clarke, who has formed a new musical project with multi-instrumentalist Larry LeBlanc. The two offer up original music and covers of bluegrass, folk, country, gospel and old time music. Rounding things out is the folk/pop duo Orlen and Gabriel. For this show, they will be joined by Avery.
Next week, look for Roland LaPierre, Joe Graveline and Nina Gross, and Pat & Tex LaMountain with Avery and White, to take the Station stage at Energy Park. Then on June 7, the Coop Concerts welcome Bruce Colgrove, Sheryl Stanton, and The Boys of the Landfill. To see the summer’s lineup in its entirety visit www.coopconcerts.org, where you can also read brief bios of the performers.
The Energy Park is a beautiful spot to enjoy live music in the great outdoors. Members of the Greenfield Garden Club and other volunteers have been working hard to spruce up the gardens and the park.
Children are very welcome at the Coop Concerts, there’s plenty of room for them to play and there’s even a play train for them to climb on. Oh, and of course picnics are strongly encouraged. If you don’t have time to pack up your own meal, you can pick up some takeout from one of the many nearby restaurants. You should also bring along a blanket or lawn chair to sit on. Besides that, all you need is an open mind to hearing some new music and a willingness to have a good time.
As we mentioned, the shows are free, but donations are always welcome to cover costs of running the concerts.
There will be no concert on July 12 as the Energy Park will host a pre-Green River Festival show. The final two dates in August will be devoted to rain date makeup shows.
When the StrangeCreek Campout rolls into Camp Kee-Wanee in Greenfield this weekend, it will mark the official start of music festival season here in the Northeast. Of course, you can tell by its name, that StrangeCreek has an emphasis on camping which is included in the ticket price. Weekend and single-day passes are available and will be sold at the gate.
StrangeCreek, now in its 16th year, presents more than 50 bands playing on three stages and two cabins. You’ll hear a wide range of sounds from reggae to rock, electronic, funk, jam and so much more. Each year, they introduce some newcomers to mix in with their returning favorites, including a strong lineup of local bands.
One of headliners this year is Melvin Seals and JGB. Seals is best known as the keyboardist for the Jerry Garcia Band. The Machine, which is the leading Pink Floyd tribute band working today, and Max Creek, the festival’s namesake who were pioneers of the jam band scene long before the term jam band was even coined, are also on the lineup.
Other headliners include Zach Deputy, who describes his music as “island-infused drum ’n’ bass gospel ninja soul,” and rootsy fusion band Donna the Buffalo.
Festival organizers pay close attention to the deep pool of talent they have to draw from here in the Pioneer Valley and they welcome many local artists to their stages. The Alchemystics, Bella’s Bartok, rice: An American Band and Rebel Alliance are a just a few of the bands who have played Wormtown events in the past and will be back for StrangeCreek. We can’t forget Llama Lasagne. This revolving collective of local musicians that puts together crazy theme-related shows have become StrangeCreek favorites.
The festival prides itself on being family friendly, and all types of fun things are lined up for children, along with some special activities geared toward teenagers. There’s also yoga, poetry workshops and a holistic village.
Before we wrap up talking about this festival, we have to mention that the folks at Wormtown work hard to give back to our community. Over the years, they have put a lot of work into their adopted home of Camp Kee-Wanee at 50 Glenbrook Dr., and with every festival, they seek to make some improvements in the facility. Some of the proceeds of StrangeCreek ticket sales go back to the camp, which is an all-inclusive camp with the emphasis on arts and self-esteem. The nonprofit organization Strangers Helping Strangers will also be on hand, hosting a food drive. Donations raised will benefit the Franklin County Community Meals Program.
Visit www.strangecreekcampout.com for detailed music schedule and more information. Advance weekend passes are $150 and can be purchased at the Wine Rack, 70 Main St. in Greenfield and Tangible Bliss, 38 3rd St. in Turners Falls. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.
Weekend passes are $160 and single-day tickets are $90. Gate open at 9 a.m. Children 15 and under are admitted for free.