Friday, June 10, 2016

Green River Festival 2016 Must See Acts

Now that we're just a month out, the Green River Festival has announced their schedule for 2016. It's a doozy of a line up, and with any all day festival with three stages, some major decisions will need to be made. Luckily for you, we're here to help you along and pick some of the must see acts of Green River 2016. (Note: We're only going to make it for Saturday and Sunday, so those are the two days we'll focus on.) Also, if past history with festivals are any indication, these plans could be completely scrapped once the music actually starts. Tickets are still available for the Green River Festival. You can get yours, and see the entire line up and schedule here.

Lula Wiles
The three members of Lula Wiles met at Maine Fiddle Camp, which apparently is a thing. They honed their talents at Berklee College of Music, and are now this beautiful traditional Americana group. While most Americana groups tend to be either a throw back or progressive, they really bridge the gap between the two and play traditional folk with a modern pop sensibility. 
Lula Wiles are playing two sets on Saturday. The first is a quickie to open the day on the main stage from 12:40-1:00. They play a longer set from 3:20-4:05 on The Parlor Room Stage.

And the Kids
I first caught And the Kids opening for Sallie Ford. Ok, well maybe I just caught maybe 3 songs of theirs. But it was a great three songs, and I've been obsessed ever since. At Green River, I'll finally get a chance to see a full set of their weirdo dance folk. They have a unique, fun sound, and are just about perfect to be what starts to pull the crowd out of their early afternoon music haze to get moving.
And the Kids are playing the Main Stage Saturday from 3:30-4:20.

Shovels & Rope
This one get a bit personal for me. I had fully meant to check out Shovels & Rope both of the years they played the Newport Folk Festival, but I got completely sidetracked by bands that played opposite them. Since those artists were Frank Turner and Benjamin Booker, it's nothing personal. Each time I caught the very end of their set, and I've been determined to catch a full set of their fiery country/garage rock/rockabilly set. This year I finally (hopefully) will.
Shovels & Rope play the Main Stage Saturday from 4:40-5:50

The Suffers, The Felice Brothers, and Oh Pep!
I can't believe that these three bands are all playing at literally the same time. The Suffers and The Felice Brothers were a huge draw for me once the line up was announced, and Oh Pep! are my big discovery as I checked out the rest of the line up. Deciding will be next to impossible, but here is what I plan on doing, and this might just work for me. I've seen The Felice Brothers do their rowdy folk rock thing, plus they're playing at Prescott Park in August, so I might have to miss them. I've never seen The Suffers and their amazing soul, so I have to see them. But I can't miss Oh Pep!'s fun, dance party folk, so... I guess half of The Suffers and then half of Oh Pep!? Maybe since Oh Pep! are from New Zealand I should catch just a bit more of them? Like I said, this is the most frustrating decision of the entire festival.
The Suffers are playing the Main Stage Saturday from 6:15-7:15. The Felice Brothers are playing the Four Rivers Stage from 6:25-7:40. Oh Pep! is on The Parlor Room Stage from 6:35-7:25. Good luck!

Shakey Graves
I almost debated putting Shakey Graves on this list, because you know you're going to see him. How could you not? His live show surpassed buzzed about and has pretty much landed on religious pilgrimage. Yet, he's somehow someone I've always missed at other festivals. This year I'm ready to have my life changed, even though he broke up Julie and Matt.
Shakey Graves plays the Main Stage Saturday from 7:35-8:45.

Winterpills
After an entire day of music on Saturday, you might want to sleep in a little, maybe go out to brunch to chill out a bit, and get to the festival later in the afternoon. But then you'd miss Winterpills. You're going to want to check them out. There are a ton of bands doing the folky indie rock thing these days, but Winterpills do it really, really well. Just check out their release from earlier this year, Love Songs, and you'll be dragging yourself to the campus early on Sunday to check them out.
Winterpills play the Four Rivers Stage Sunday from 1:10-1:55.

Mal Devisa
For Green River to place an artist like Mal Devisa on the Main Stage is pretty bad ass. She's folk, but not really. She takes the most traditional of all American music and completely throws it off kilter, including elements of hip hop without percussion. It's bizarre and absolutely perfect. 
Mal Devisa plays the Main Stage Saturday from 2:10-2:40.

Margo Price
I can not wait to see Margot Price live. Her debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, came out earlier this year and has generated the best kind of buzz. Everyone seems to genuinely love her 70s era style take on country, and really legitimately, too. It's buzz by fans, not false buzz from record companies. Plus, add in her already nearly legendary performance on SNL, and Price might be the runaway hit of the entire shebang this year.
Margo Price is playing Sunday from 3:35-4:35 on the Four Rivers Stage.

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