Festival Preview: September Edition

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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/

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Photo via Facebook When you're a rock band from Salem, MA, you have to have at least one song about witchcraft. The Freqs have fulfilled their obligation with a banger of a song. "Witch" is this giant monster of a song, filled with fuzz and strained, screaming vocals. This is the type of song that doesn't usually exist in this century. It's giving me some serious 90's flashbacks, like if Hum got aggressive or Alice in Chains decided to do some damage on the college charts. As great as the vocals are in "Witch," what's really drawing me in is the instrumental break down that takes over about halfway through. This is the kind of song to make the hipsters and the headbangers equally excited. You can listen to "Witch" below. For more on The Freqs, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . The Freqs · Witch
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