Festival Preview: September Edition

I'm a huge supporter of early fall festivals. It's still warm enough to comfortably spend the day outside, but you most likely won't be profusely sweating all day. There tend to be less obligations on the weekends than there are in the summer. Considering how many festivals are packing the weekends this September, organizers are finally agreeing with me. Here are festivals we're curious about coming up next month!

River Roads Festival

September 7

Millside Park, Easthampton, MA

Western Massachusetts has been a favorite festival destination for me from back in the Warped Tour days in Northampton. River Roads takes place in a park in Easthampton and boasts an amazing folk/singer-songwriter oriented line up. You get well established artists like Dar Williams, Iris Dement, Jill Sobule, and Paula Cole along with favorite up and comers like Haley Heynderickx and Sunny War. Listening to amazing artists in a park on the side of a river is one of our favorite things to do, and River Roads provides exactly that.

https://riverroadsfestival.com/

JP Music Fest

September 7

Pinebank Baseball Field, Jamaica Plain, MA

If you've been reading If It's Too Loud... for any length of time, you'll know that we love free concerts and local music. The twelfth JP Music Fest provides both of those things, taking over Pinebank Baseball Field for a day of killer local music! The fest is two stages and packs in as many bands as possible for a full day of music. The 2024 edition includes Merrie Amsterburg, 2024 Rock & Roll Rumble winners The Ghouls, TELL, Travels With Brindle, MAMADOU, and many more. It's a favorite event around here, and is a perfect way to introduce younger kids to live music.

https://www.jpmusicfestival.com/

Meadowlark

September 13-15

Stone Ridge Orchard, Stone Ridge, NY

This one might be all the way in the Hudson River Valley, but I can't imagine a better place to watch bands play in September than an orchard. Meadowlark has the mission of "supporting Hudson Valley farmers through music." This year's line up is stellar, and includes Fruit Bats, Deer Tick, Blonde Redhead, Slaughter Beach, Dog, Laura Stevenson, Ryan Lee Crosby, Nicolette & The Nobodies, and more. It's a folk and roots based festival that isn't afraid to reach out and push the boundaries of that definition. Plus, it's for a good cause, and involves great music in a perfect location.

https://meadowlarkfest.org/

Moon Over Salem

September 14

Downtown Salem, MA

We've already covered Moon Over Salem when the initial line up was announced, but we certainly don't want anyone to forget about it. It's a music festival focused on the Boston scene taking place in multiple venues in downtown Salem, just before it gets too crazy but firmly in spooky season. Since we first posted about it, they added a Prince Daddy & The Hyena as headliners along with Hell Beach. The rest of the line up includes If It's Too Loud... favorites like Actor Observer, One Fall, Oldsoul, Radio Compass, Dropbear, Molly O'Leary, The Freqs, and many, many more!

https://www.instagram.com/moon_over_salem/

Freshgrass

September 20-22

MASSMoCA, North Adams, MA

One of our absolute favorite festivals of the year, Freshgrass has been moving away from being purely about traditional bluegrass while keeping their aesthetic rooted in Americana. 2024 lets them branch out even more with artists like Shakey Graves, Adia Victoria, festival favorites The Devil Makes Three, Drive-By Truckers, Steel Pulse, The Harlem Gospel Travelers, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, New Dangerfield, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and more! Plus, if you need a break from the music you can wander into the museum and see the ever changing and always amazing modern art on exhibit.

https://freshgrass.com/

Woodsist Festival

September 21-22

Arrowwood Farms, Accord, NY

Another Upstate New York festival, Woodsist sounds like it would be a folk and roots music destination, but the vibe is much more indie rock. Included in the line up are veterans Yo La Tengo, Real Estate, Jessica Pratt, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Messthetics, Rosali, and more. Seeing indie rock legends on a farm away from a city sounds like an absolute dream come true, and Woodsist promises just that. Plus, it's a gorgeous area, and you'll be there at just about the perfect time.

https://www.woodsistfestival.com/