Green River Music Festival Defies All Obstacles With Bonny Light Horseman, Valerie June, Antibalas & More (FESTIVAL REVIEW/PHOTOS)

You’d think that a global Covid pandemic, a 13-month postponement, a change of venue with a whole new setup, and a “microburst-like” storm hitting for the first 45 minutes of the festival would be too much for a small, local, volunteer-run music festival to overcome; but Green River triumphed on August 28th and 29th, making its case to be considered the best local music festival in the US.

Somehow this three-stage festival in Greenfield, MA is able to attract a diverse blend of national acts with up-and-coming local talent that makes festival-goers have to make tough choices even though the stages are only a 3-minute walk from each other. The great and friendly vibe filters down from the organizers to the musicians to the campers to the crowd and even to the vendors.

Valerie June

Green River is a great family festival as kids under 10 are free, an entire kids arts and crafts area, morning acts just for kids, and even a BMX demonstration. It offers family camping areas that allow you to come a day early and stay a day late. It is hard to walk 2 minutes without passing kids playing together in a way that would make even the grumpiest New Englander smile. There is also a great variety of food and crafts on site which guaranteed something special for everybody. The sound was good and the festival went so well that it seems petty to list the two criticisms that this reviewer noticed – there was significant sound bleed, particularly on the mostly acoustic Artifact Cider Stage, and some of the bigger acts started significantly late as soundcheck seemed to be a challenge. 

Friday is technically a half-day of music as the festival starts at 4, but it feels full with 11 acts. Shakey Graves closed out the main stage as the headliner and was a huge attraction, but the sets elsewhere were phenomenal. Sammy Rae & The Friends kicked off the main Greenfield Savings Bank stage and although there were a few faithful fans who got the energetic performance they expected, most were surprised to be introduced to the solid vocals, tight horn section, and positive energy that Sammy and her band put forth. It would be surprising if you didn’t hear the influence of Lake Street Dive in their music.

Cimafunk

Another standout was Twisted Pine, who played the main stage at 5:30 and the late-night camping show as well. A top-notch band rooted in folk and bluegrass, but touches on jazz, Americana, and funk, they can be described as the folk and bluegrass band even for people who don’t like folk and bluegrass. Their original members: Chris Sartori on bass, Kathleen Parks on fiddle and vocals, Dan Bui on Mandolin, all came out of the Berklee College of Music. Soon after they added Anh Phung on flute and vocals that helped make their sound even more unique. As usual, they played two professional sets that demanded 100% of the audience’s attention – I can’t recall a main-stage act at any festival that stopped most side conversations for the full 60 minutes. The crowd devoured each song, with an extra appreciation for “Don’t Come Over Tonight”, their mesmerizing rendition of “Lucy in The Shy with Diamonds” and a spectacular “Long Hot Summer Days” which they reprised at the John Hartford tribute. They were joined on the main stage by Ethan Robbins on guitar which further filled out their already multi-textured songs. Don’t miss them next time they come your way.

The evening slots at Green River tend to be filled with high-energy, rocking acts and Friday was no exception. New England’s own, Deer Tick, brought their emotional brand of delicious, sloppy rock and roll to the main stage which had the crowd singing along and dancing for their 75-minute set. Front man, John McCauley led the band through a solid sample of their catalog including “Rocket in My Pocket”, “The Rock”, “Twenty Miles” and “Miss K.” that sounds like folk-inspired rock, but feels more like punk. They closed off their set with “Marge” and “Jumpstarting” which left the crowd screaming for more. If there was ever an heir apparent to the Replacements, Deer Tick is it.

JD McPherson

However, the most inspired set of the weekend may have come from Antibalas who closed out the Dean’s Beans stage. It was their first time playing live since Covid hit and it seems like all the energy that was stored up over the last 18 months came pouring out. The band was at the very top of their game and the entire crowd felt the release too as they danced with the energy more suited to an EDM festival for Antibalas’s entire 105 minute set. The music was full of funky Afrobeat rhythms and every member of the band seem to be having the time of their life on stage. Kudos for them staying so sharp and kudos to the Green River festival for booking them. 

Saturday brought a full schedule of 22 acts to the three-stage festival. One of the acts that stood out was 20-year-old Bella White. Bella played as a trio – guitar, fiddle and bass – and filled the stage with her voice and sad songs which felt like they stepped right out of a coal mine in West Virginia. 

Another singer/songwriter that stood out was Taylor Ashton. Taylor played a mix of new and old songs that told great stories with creative rhymes. He explained that every one of his songs has a piece of autobiographical fact woven with a piece of fiction. As is common at Green River, the audience listened attentively to every word. Charlie Parr also turned in a solid performance at the Artifact Cider Stage. He played his resonator guitar beautifully and delivered lyrics that were dripping with honesty. He is someone worth giving a full listen to next time he tours this way.

But the three best sets of the day were Cimafunk, Jon Batiste, and Vapors of Morphine. Cimafunk took to the Greenfield Savings Bank main stage at 3:15. They continued to play their Cuban interpretation of funk music for the full 90 minute set. They are a high-energy 9-piece band that includes a lead male singer joined by two talented backup singers who also comprise the horn section. 

Sierra Ferrell

Jon Batiste closed out Saturday with a performance worthy of a stadium show. His musical talent, passion and showmanship dominated the performance. His vocal range is incredible as is the number of instruments he played – piano, sax, guitar, drums, and melodica at some point during the show. He seemed to be close to tears the entire night sharing the message of love and acceptance for everyone. His band was incredible, stopping and starting on a dime, changing gears with a wave of John’s hand and even serving as extra stagehands at times. No review of the show would be complete without mention of the three incredible backup singers who were worth the price of admission themselves. Hurry and see him before he starts playing arenas as he has the goods to be as big he wants to be.

As good as John Batiste’s show was, you had to leave if you wanted to check out Vapors of Morphine which closed out the Dean’s Beans stage. Dana Colley fronted this trio along with Tom Arey on drums and Jeremy Lyons on various guitars and basses. The band played a mix of old Morphine tunes and new Vapors of Morphine material. They kept the whole stage rocking with their low muddy rock sound that Morphine was famous for. Dana played the baritone and tenor saxophones expertly using a series of pedals that produces a sound that only he has mastered. During one song, he played both saxes simultaneously. Jeremy Lyons held his end up as well. His vocals don’t have the grit of original singer, Mark Sandman, but his voice led admirably to the band’s sound. He was particularly fluent as he switched among many bass and electric guitars, including a 2 string, slide bass that was first used by Sandman. Lyons explained that Sandman removed the two low strings from the bass, tuned the strings to a chord, and allowed the slide to fill in the musical space above Dana’s low end. The show was great as it didn’t try just to relive the days of Morphine, but to present solid new material as well. Catch their new album out next month.

Vapors of Morphine

Sunday at the festival has a normal start time, but the last note of music is played no later than 8pm. Even with that limitation, Green River still managed to squeeze in 17 acts. Sunday probably had the best top-to-bottom quality of all three days which led to some tough decisions for attendees.  There were solid performances by Rachel Baiman – new folk, Sierra Ferrell -stunning country voice, Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) – great harmonies, Beau Sasser Trio – organ-based funk, Son Little – soul & blues, John More blues-folk, and a packed collaborative tribute by many of the musicians to the music of John Hartford. However, the strongest sets were turned in by Bonny Light Horseman, Ani DiFranco, the Drive-By Truckers, and Ali McGuirk.

Bonny Light Horseman is billed as a folk supergroup consisting of Anais Mitchell, Josh Kaufman (the National, Hiss Golden Messinger & Josh Ritter) and Eric Johnson (The Fruit Bats & The Shins) and it lived up to its billing. A few weeks removed from their appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, they put on a 75 minute show full of harmonies and intertwined musical textures. Anais and Josh have very different voices, but somehow, when the sing together, they blend perfectly. They present new interpretations of very old traditional folk songs that are as refreshing as the first gleams of sunlight streaming through the windows of a lazy Sunday morning.

Ani DiFranco

Ani DiFranco produced an empowering and uplifting set of upbeat folk. Providing her usual energy-packed performance, she looked as though the was born to be on stage. At one point she said to the crowd that she realized that she has been performing for 30 years and her relationship with her fans has been the most stable relationship she has ever had. She was backed by a pair of professional musicians from New Orleans with Todd Sickafoose on bass and Terrence Higgins on drums. She is an electric performer who wears her heart on her sleeve and delivers important political messages in the lyrics of almost all of her songs. One example was the song “Play God” which makes a straightforward case for a woman’s right to choose and which every young person should be encouraged to listen to. It was a joy seeing so much strength coming out of her small frame.

Drive-By Truckers closed out the night on the Greenfield Savings Bank main stage. They started the night off with slower-country-infused songs, but as night fell they built the crowd into a frenzy with some of their more raucous numbers like “Let There Be Rock”, “Marry Me”, and “Hell No I Ain’t Happy”. The crowd would have rocked out for another 2 hours, but only having one song left, they finished with “Shut Up and Get On the Plane”. Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley traded vocals and guitar riffs throughout the set, but they really kicked it into gear when the organ player from Son Little’s band joined them on stage and tore up a few solo, which also freed up Jay Gonzalez to focus on guitar. If you like kick-ass southern rock with a positive message, you should catch them on this tour.

Drive-By Truckers

As good as the Truckers were, the most outstanding performance of the day came from the up-and-coming Ali McGuirk. Ali filled the Dean’s Beans stage with powerfully stunning vocals and was backed by a band of local all-stars including Kris Delmhorst, Beau Sasser, Moses, and a few others. Her voice was deep, strong and confident and she definitely leans heavily on the soul and rock side of folk. She covered “That’s The Way I Feel About Cha” which is song written by Bobby Womack and performed by Aretha Franklin and did it justice, which might be the best complement one can give to a singer. The crowd ate up every minute of her performance and was sent off with many wondering how they hey had never heard of her before.

All in all, Green River proved its worth as the best local festival in the US. Many thanks to all the volunteers, staff and musicians who pulled off the herculean effort of putting a festival of this quality on during Covid times.

Related Content

5 Responses

  1. Very accurate summary, I completely concur, especially as it pertains to the venue (how can they do it anywhere else from now on?) and the sets by Antibalas and Vapors of Morphine. Unfortunately I did not see Ali McGuirk, but was pleasantly surprised by Watchhouse (I’m late by the party on them) and felt Underground System was a revelation. Looking forward to seeing them again soon, hopefully.

  2. Missed Underground System – will have to see them out. As for the location, I feel it can work either place. Fairgrounds is more compact, but the campus has less soundbleed between stages.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter