The countdown is on! We are a couple of weeks away from one of the most anticipated events of the summer — The Green River Festival.
Now in its 35th year, the festival will be held the weekend of June 24-26 at its new home, the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield. This year, some of the acts performing include Lake Street Dive, Father John Misty, Guster, Ripe, Waxahatchee, Galactic, the Dip, Allison Russell, Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. In addition, as with previous years, there are plenty of local acts like the Young at Heart Chorus, Parsonsfield, Gaslight Tinkers, Love Crumbs, StompBoxTrio, and more. And we can’t forget all the fine local food and beer, the handmade crafts at the Makers Market and all the fun activities for the kids.
What do you need to get ready for the big event? The most obvious answer to that question is that you need tickets. Hopefully, you have purchased them as last year’s festival sold out. If you haven’t already bought your tickets, I would move fast on this one. You can purchase single day and weekend passes at greenriverfestival.com. Parking passes and on -site camping passes have already been snapped up. It also makes sense to check and make sure you have a good water bottle, sunscreen, a folding chair, and any other necessities you will need come festival time.
There is a lot of music at the Green River Festival, over 30 bands on three stages so to get a taste of what you’ll hear, check out the festival’s playlist that is available on Spotify. The schedule of who is playing when and on what stage has been posted at greenriverfestival.com. There will not be an app this year, instead text the word GREEN to 855-660-2468 to get festival updates straight to your phone. These updates will include notification of surprises sets at the Green House Stage.
There are a couple of pre- festival shows coming up that will help get you in the mood for the upcoming weekend. Lulu and the Broadsides will be at Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Friday, June 10, at 7 p.m.
This free show which will mark two weeks to the festival is all about getting pumped for the big event. You may have never heard of Lulu and the Broadsides, but there is a good chance you know “Lulu” as she is the alter ego of singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz. Kurtz has performed in the Valley for many years, Her music is a blend of jazz, folk, pop, and blues. She sings in a rich, expressive voice that cuts to the core of emotion in every song she performs.
A few years back, Kurtz moved to New Orleans and became involved with the city’s blues dance scene. This inspired her to pull together some top-notch musicians from the city’s vibrant music scene and form Lulu and the Broadsides.. The band plays plenty of vintage R&B, soul, blues, and even some swing. It’s passionate, gritty music that is very danceable.
The band already has played big festivals like the French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and they are now coming to Greenfield to host this pre-festival dance party that is guaranteed to get everyone primed for the Green River Festival.
And remember, the show is free.
On June 23, The night before the official start of the festival, Hawks and Reed will host an official kick-off party with Jamaican dance hall DJ and singer Sister Nancy. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as a “dominating female voice for over two decades” on the dancehall scene. She is best known for the song “Bam Bam.”
Advance Tickets available at hawksandreed.com
We’ve been talking a lot about summer concert series as we’ve welcomed the opening of the 1794 Meetinghouse in New Salem and the Coop Concerts in Greenfield. Both series are up and running and going strong. Another popular summer concert spot is the West Whately Chapel, the home of the Watermelon Wednesday summer concerts. Each summer, series organizer Paul Newlin brings in amazing artists from all over who play all types of music in the tiny church that is so intimate that it’s almost like hearing music in your living room. But, of course, the best part about the Watermelon Wednesday series, besides the excellent musical offerings, has to be that the ticket price includes watermelon during intermission. Shows are at 7:30 p.m, and double check the schedule, because not every show falls on a Wednesday.
The series launches its 23 summer season on Wednesday, June 15 with a show featuring gypsy jazz violinist Tim Kilphuis with LA guitarist Jimmy Grant. According to organizers, when these two team up they will turn the West Whately Chapel into a little hot club of Paris.
A couple of notes on Watermelon Wednesdays 2022 season, they are hosting a couple of special shows that are special celebrations for the town of Whately’s 250th anniversary, and these will be held at the Whately Town Hall. The first of these features Zara Bode (the Sweetback Sisters) and her Little Big Band and is on June 22. The next one is the bluegrass band, Poor Monroe featuring fiddler/guitarist Eric Lee on June 23. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale for these two shows on June 15 at watermelonwednesdays.com.
Tickets for the shows scheduled, including a July 6 show with Celtic sounds of House of Hamill on July 6, are available at watermelonwednesdays.com. You’ll find the full schedule and information, including directions to the West Whately Chapel on the website.
The Mohawk Trail Concerts are a traditional part of summer in Franklin County, and their 2022 summer concert season will run from June 18 through July 24. The concerts occur at three different locations: The Montague Common Hall, Shelburne Falls Band Shell, and the Federated Church in Charlemont.
The series begins on Saturday, June 18, at noon with the Adaskin String Trio with Pascal Archer, Clarinet. There will be a reprise of this concert on Saturday, June 18, at 5 p.m. at the band shell in Shelburne Falls.
There is only one other concert on the Montague Common and that will take place on Saturday, July 9, at noon and feature the Elqui Trio.
There will be four concerts at the band shell in Shelburne Falls. In addition to the June 18th performance by the Adaskin String Trio. They will host theAtlantic Brass Quintet on Saturday July 2, at 5 p.m.; the Swing Set Jazz Vocal Ensemble on Monday, July 4, at 4 p.m.; and the Elqui Trio on Saturday July 9, at 5 p.m. Audience members should bring chairs for shows this venue.
Four concerts will take place at the traditional home of Mohawk Trail Concerts, the Federated Church in Charlemont. On Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m., reader Court Dorsey will collaborate with improvising cellist Eugene Friesen in a presentation of poetry of Billy Collins and others. On Sunday, July 10, at 5 p.m., the renowned Telegraph String Quartet will perform. Sunday, July 17, at 5 p.m. will see a return of the ever-popular voice-and-piano, husband-and-wife duo of Amy Burton and John Musto performing jewels from the American songbook. The season-closing concert on Sunday, July 24, at 7 p.m. will feature MasakoYanagita, violin, Adriana Contino, cello, and Estela Olevsky, piano, performing works of Chopin, Mendelssohn, and our own local maestra Alice Parker.
Concerts are free but donations are welcome.
For more information on concert locations, program details, and the artists, visit: mohawktrailconcerts.org.
Please be sure and visit all the concert websites for information on COVID protocols.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.