If It's Too Loud...

Rubblebucket Photo by Ken Sears Green River Festival is something I've been meaning to get to for years now and just haven't gotten around to. This year, I finally made it to the festival on Saturday, and I doubt I'll be missing it ever again. In its 29th year, it's quietly become western MA's prestige festival, drawing national and local acts. The festival is insanely well run, with a wide variety of food trucks numbering in the dozens, free water stations, and alternate activities besides just music. They had an arts and crafts area for kids, shuttle buses to bring festival goers to a swimming area, and hot air balloon rides. Saturday was sold out, but at no point did the grounds feel claustrophobic at all. There was still even room in the fields for frisbee games and kids to run around. It was also the only festival I've ever been to where beer wasn't just limited to a cramped tent way off in the corner. Beer was allowed everywhere you were. It's ...

The Green River Festival is now less than 4 weeks away, and they've announced their daily schedule, and as always, there are some decisions to be made. While I love the multiple stages of festivals, and I love having options for when there's an artist on I can't get into, I hate  having to decide between two favorite artists. The biggest for me is deciding between J Mascis and Lydia Loveless. J Mascis is a decades long favorite of mine, and Lydia Loveless is a year long absolute obsession. I've seen Mascis solo a handful of times, and I've never seen Loveless, so you'd think this would be an easy choice. But this is J Mascis  we're talking about. Luckily, they only have a 15 minute overlap so it'll just have to be a last minute decision on what to miss.  Of course, there's also the overlap between Polaris and Langhorne Slim & The Law, which is almost a complete time for time overlap. I discovered The Adventures of Pete and Pete  in my 30s, ...

The Green River Festival has long been one of the most beloved, if almost secret, annual New England music festivals. It was long run by the Greenfield, MA Chamber of Commerce and because of that always seemed to be geared towards an older audience. That started to change back in 2013 with the inclusion of Gogol Bordello to the festival, and last year it started being presented by Signature Sounds , the fantastic Northampton, MA based record label. The festival sold out in advance last year, and this year will be an even quicker sell out for its 29th year. Saturday is just ridiculous with Tune-Yards, Wood Brothers, western MA rock god J Mascis, Booker T. Jones, Milk Carton Kids, Langhorne Slim & the Law, blog favorite Lydia Loveless, Polaris (aka the band from The Adventures of Pete & Pete !), and more. Sunday is also solid with Steve Earle & the Dukes, Punch Brothers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Valerie June, Elephant Revival, Joe Pug, and more. Besides music, the festi...