Summertime in Franklin County has much to offer, no matter your compass point. Head off in any direction and you’ll find places of interest and of fun.
This weekend, the compass point should lead to Greenfield and the campus of Greenfield Community College, where the 30th annual Green River Festival will provide three days of discovery and enjoyment for any music lover.
Beginning Friday night and running through Sunday evening, those attending the Green River Festival have a chance to hear musicians and bands covering a wide spectrum of types and styles in one setting.
In essence, the Green River allows people to meander down several musical paths where there may be a surprise behind the next bend or off on a side track.
Some of the names will be familiar. For example, Peter Wolf, lead vocalist for more than a decade with the J. Geils Band, is scheduled to take the stage Friday night. On Sunday’s performance list is Los Lobos, the Chicano rock band from East L.A. that climbed to the top of record charts with the cover of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba.”
The festival brings together acts from just a few towns over, like Sonya Kitchell of Ashfield or Northampton’s Winterpills, to bands and musicians from farther away like the North Mississippi Allstars or New Orleans’ Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
And yet for every familiar performer, there will be many on the stages who may be flying under the radar for many in the crowd. Playing the Green River provides an opportunity for these bands or musicians to reach an appreciative and enthusiastic audience while concert goers may be introduced to incredible music that has been missing from their personal collections.
For instance, this could be the year that you hear for the first time Ola Fresca, a band that combines traditional and modern Cuban dance music with other beats. Perhaps it will be the Colorado-based Railsplitters and their take on bluegrass.
All of this has placed the Green River Festival on a number of maps when it comes to summer music events, getting the attention of such national publications like Rolling Stone Magazine, the New York Times and USA Today.
Admittedly, the festival today has evolved since it got started 30 years ago, when WRSI used its own anniversary to bring three acts, including NRBQ, which also is on Friday night’s bill, to the GCC campus, an event that was a week after a hot air balloon festival. Since then, the Green River Festival has seen the number of acts increase, as well as changes in the number of stages, days for performances and the right combination of vendors to make the experience enjoyable for everyone.
But as much as things change — this year there is camping at the Franklin County Fairgrounds — the emphasis on the music has remained a constant and the reason why people return year after year.
Rain or shine, the Green River Festival promises to provide plenty of music and fun here in Franklin County. Why not make it a date?