The 38th Green River Festival took place from June 21-June 23 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, Massachusetts, and although it faced many challenges – new ownership, severe thunderstorms, and even a tornado warning – one thing shone through: it is impossible to dampen the spirits or friendliness of the plucky people of the Pioneer Valley.
In no previous year has it been clearer that the lifeblood of this festival is its 500+ volunteers who remained friendly, calm, courteous, and upbeat while communicating schedule changes, instructing festival goers where and how to shelter in place, answering myriad questions about the weather that they couldn’t possibly have the answer to, and even picking up the soggiest of trash imaginable? In this way, the festival volunteers and staff infected the audience with cheer and goodwill and germinated a sense of community that spread throughout the crowd. I can’t remember overhearing a single complaint from a single patron.
For those who have never been, Green River is a sweet little festival that has four stages (one main stage, “Greenfield Savings Bank Main Stage,” and three smaller ones, “Dean Beans Stage,” Back Porch Stage,” and “Round House Stage”). The sets are staggered, so there are never more than two bands playing at the same time. All the stages have a no-chair zone in front, and the whole festival, including the camping area, is contained in the Fairground site, which is also used as a racetrack for trotters. The facility has a back-in-time feel with signature redwood buildings and grass everywhere. The Back Porch Stage is contained inside a sawdust-floored livestock paddock, and the Round House Stage is inside a large round structure that feels like it would go up like a tinderbox with even the slightest suggestion of a flame. It is the greenest festival I have attended evidenced by the surrounding trees and mountains and by the lack of almost any non-compostable item for sale by the food vendors.
On Friday, the Green River gates open at 3:00 (earlier for on-site campers who come with trailers, elaborate tents, and armadas of wagons and kids’ bicycles), and music runs from 4-11 pm. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. At about 3:30, the Organizers announced that they were temporarily halting music at all stages and urging people to seek shelter in their cars or in one of the permanent structures designated for emergencies. Those who were sheltering in the Back Porch Stage were treated to a surprise and completely acoustic performance by Fantastic Cat, who seemed more than happy to roll with the punches until the rain on the tin roof got so loud that they couldn’t be heard. At about 5:30, the shelter-in-place order was lifted, and a modified schedule was released that was able to squeeze in every scheduled performer. Friday’s acts were Cake, The Nude Party, Cimafunk, Twisted Pine, Lawrence, Oh He Dead, Fantastic Cat, Combo Chimbita, Julia Pratt, and Bermuda Search Party.
Even with an abbreviated schedule, there were highlights galore.
Twisted Pine played two sets – one from 6-7 at the Back Porch Stage and a “secret” late night set in the Roundhouse from 11-12:30. They are a four-piece band (violin, mandolin, bass and flute) which fits perfectly in a folk-centered festival like Green River, but doesn’t fit neatly into any of its sub-genres as they have an unusual mix of folk, bluegrass, country, jazz and funk.
Kathleen Parks excels on the lead vocals and the violin duties; and she, along with master mandolinist Dan Bui, fit best into the bluegrass box. However, when you add in Chris Sartori on bass, who sneaks in funk, jazz, and country elements, along with Anh Phung, who sizzles with flute solos and vocal harmonies, the genre gets bent even further. The band played a nice mix of old, new and cover tunes over their two sets. “Right Now” and “Don’t Come Over Tonight” are two numbers from the 2020 album Right Now that help illustrate the band’s breadth and musical chops. They also unveiled a few new songs from the album they are releasing in October.
“Lone Star” starts as a fairly straightforward country/Americana tune, but the psychedelic undertones quickly engulf the song before the country breaks back through. That followed with another funky new song aptly titled “Funky People,” which shows off the jazz and funk side of their outfit. They also did a few covers, including a version of Bill Withers’ “Use Me Up,” which featured ripping solos by all four band members, including an incredible pedal-enhanced flute solo by Anh Phung; and an old John Hartman tune called “Long Hot Summer Day” which is still bouncing around my head. I’m not sure which way folk and bluegrass music are bending, but it seems certain that Twisted Pine will be at the forefront of that evolution.
Oh He Dead opened the Greenfield Savings Bank Main Stage with a rain-shortened set, but they made the most of it. Lead singer CJ Johnson’s infectious energy quickly got the crowd grooving with the band’s funky soul sound, and they ran through an upbeat set that proved they are so much more than just last Summer’s big hit, “California.”
Fantastic Cat followed up their impromptu acoustic set with a fully electric gig at 7 pm in the Round House. The five-piece band, each clad in a monochromatic suit of a different color and white patent leather lace-ups, swapped instruments, stories, and lead vocal duties for their non-stop 45-minute set, which kept the audience dancing, laughing, and singing along.
Their energy and sense of humor were on full display. They quipped that they are four individual singer-songwriters who combined as a band, so now they can make a fourth of the income they usually would. During the intro to the song “All My Fault,” Anthony D’Amato introduced the song by telling a tongue-in-cheek story of a record producer asking him to write a defining single for the album, “so I followed the advice of famous writers who say write about what you know, so I wrote about how good I am at sex.” The song includes the chorus, “It’s all my fault that you kissed me; All my fault that you liked it; All my fault that you wound up in my bed last night; It’s all my fault that no other man could ever be enough; Well it’s all my fault, oh, that you’re in love.” Their stage setup also included a “Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Eligibility” countdown clock, which made one smile every time they looked at it.
Cimafunk returned to Green River (they rocked the Main Stage in 2021), and although they have had a few lineup changes, this Cuban funk band still was able to get everyone at the Dean’s Beans Stage dancing for a full 75-minute set. The band’s dynamic frontman goes by the name Cimafunk and has the goods to keep the party rolling. But in case he has an off night, Big Happy on percussion and vocals and Hilario Cacao on Trombone and backing vocals guarantee the party won’t stop.
At the other stage, The Nude Party also had their crowd dancing, albeit to a completely different type of music. They cite a bunch of classic rock influences on their sound, so every song sounds familiar yet not derivative. Every player looks like they’re having the time of their life, percussionist Austin Brose just can’t sit still or stop smiling, and the vibe was definitely like their roots – sweaty college parties. Whether they veer old school rock or psychedelic, the songwriting is solid, and the groove is there.
Cake closed out Friday, and although they are not everyone’s cup of tea, the quirky California rock band delivered exactly what their cultish fans were waiting for, clever rock songs delivered with just enough awkwardness and skill to make you feel part of the club. John McCrea led the band through 90 minutes of their most loved songs sporting an almost aggressive attitude that seemed to be questioning why his fans liked him so much. That being said, he charismatically conducted the crowd expertly, keeping them engaged and getting them to sing along with full-throated enthusiasm. There is something alluring about a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Saturday brought about more threats of severe thunderstorms, and the attendance numbers reflected that. The gates opened at 11:00 am as planned, and the first two 12:00 bands, Love Crumbs and Prewn were able to squeeze their sets in full, although Prewn’s fans had to handle the steady rain that started about 12:30. By 1 pm, lightning and thunder brought an immediate halt to the Festival for the next 2 ½ hours.
Once again, those sheltering in the Back Porch stage got a brief unplugged performance from Tommy Prine with his bassist singing harmony at his feet. He even graciously took a request from a gal on the rail, “Ships in the Harbor”, which required a by ear retuning. The crowd was elated when the band joined them on stage, but it was just one song before they shut down the music again. The band stuck around on stage for a bit, waiting for the all-clear, but once it was clear the delay would be lengthy, Prine apologized and left the stage. He did get a chance to play a short bonus set later in the day. Trousdale and Snacktime could have lost their seats to the weather, but the festival carved out 30-minute slots for each of them.
These were the most impressive sets of Saturday:
Love Crumbs is a very talented, very young band that deserves to be heard and is fronted by two powerful female singers who don’t really play other instruments and essentially sing in the same register. Those two rich-voiced singers, Ali McTavish and Alyssa Harrison, are what give the band its power.
Talent has a way of rising to the top, and Love Crumbs blew the Back Porch Stage away. Acoustic guitarist Michael Dubuque and drummer Jacob Nunes helped fill out the vocals while Gabriel Meacham on bass, Ed Kuri on lead guitar and John Hoffman on keys add power to an outfit that produces sound you can feel on your skin. They have a little pop to them, but one can’t help hearing Fleetwood Mac and other classic rock influences. Check out “Ellipses”, “Oh My God”, “Curves To Cope” and “Cavalcades” to get an idea of their sound. They don’t tour much, but if they make it out your way, be sure to see them – they have the talent to headline festivals someday.
Local four-piece Prewn played the other opening set on the Dean’s Beans Stage and proved to be a powerhouse band full of angst and energy. Guitarist/singer Izzy Hagerup briefly introduced each of her songs, which began simply enough but then built and built up to a full frenzy of passion and guitar. While the crowd was light, it was clear that they had fans who knew every word. It’s unfortunate that the weather kept attendance light early in the day and pushed the fest-goers to the covered stages, as this band deserves to be heard.
Joy Oladokun played on the Greenfield Savings Bank Main Stage from 7 to 8:15 p.m. and put on quite the performance. By then, the festival was full, and the crowd was packed with devoted fans who knew every word to every single song. Oladokun has a wonderful stage presence, introducing each song and how it came to be. And though she professes to be an introvert, she has clearly grown comfortable being herself and being on stage.
Her band is fantastic and builds out each of her songs, but she made sure to carve out a little time to present her songs solo, including “I Miss the Birds,” about her relationship with her current hometown, Nashville, the city she moved to so she could be a singer-songwriter, not expecting to be the artist. The band rejoined her for a few more songs, including “Look Up” and closing with “We’re All Gonna Die”. But as the band left the stage, she handed off her electric guitar and picked up the acoustic and said, “I usually leave now, but I got a little more time, and introduced “Somehow,” noting that life has its ups and downs, but it’s worth sticking around….. I think.” She has words of wisdom packed into every song and it’s clear that they resonate with her fans.
Willi Carlisle entertained the audience from start to finish with his songs, stories, and charisma. In many ways, he is a throwback folk singer. His songs often feature down-and-out characters that are reminiscent of the songs of his folk predecessors. For example, he played his touching song, “Tulsa’s Last Magician,” and shortly followed it with a John Goodman tune about the Vietnam War called “The Ballad of Penny Evans,” both of which were tear-worthy. But as any good folk singer does, he sent us all off into the festival evening with an upbeat, community-inspiring sing-along called “Your Heart’s A Big Tent.”
Bonny Light Horseman displayed their utter professionalism on the Greenfield Savings Bank Main Stage during the 4:45 – 6 pm slot. The band, fronted by Anais Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman, always delivers a consistent and polished set no matter what the circumstances. Their Green River performance was no different as Mitchell’s vocals cut through the late-afternoon Massachusetts heat during “The Roving,” which sounded as clean and crisp as the recorded version of the 2020 eponymous release.
SG Goodman proved again that no matter how impatient you may be, there is no speeding up the Kentucky storyteller. Goodman wove her way through more traditional feeling country numbers like “Space And Time,” which featured her signature voice with just the right amount of warble to feel timeless and important. The band even threw in an unlikely cover of Don Henly’s “Boys of Summer,” which caused some head-scratching among the crowd. After a long story about three joints that Willie Nelson gifted her, Goodman finished up with a rocking and fitting number dedicated to all the workers at the festival called “Work Until I Die” from the 2022 release teeth Marks.
Fleet Foxes closed out the main stage as the headliner and their fans were out and knew every song. And many of the bands that preceded them made it clear they were planning to stick around for Fleet Foxes’ set. They had to start a bit early to factor in another impending thunderstorm, but their fans stuck around.
Sunday featured a slightly lighter schedule as the festival closed at 9 p.m. Although there were more threats of severe weather and even a tornado warning, those threats proved unfounded. The storms passed harmlessly by, and the day turned out to be a beautiful, albeit sweltering, one. Although Sunday’s schedule was full of lesser-known acts, there were many great performances.
Gregory Alan Isakov started the day playing an intimate, campers-only set at 10:30 in the morning at the Back Porch Stage with just him, his guitar, his violinist Jeb Bows, and a condenser microphone. Cut to 8:30 as Isakov and his full band closed out the festival to celebrating fans with a three-song encore in front of that same condenser microphone with “Silver Bell”, “Saint Valentine”, and “All Shades Of Blue” and joined by Mon Rovia who has been opening for him on tour. They started by playing their thick-bodied brand of folk that spanned many of their albums and featured the first six songs from their 2023 release, Appaloosa Bones. The young-skewing crowd packed the front of the stage to make sure they were as close to the music as possible, while the older crowd tended to hang back in the seated section. Isakov’s warm voice is a perfect accompaniment to his band’s powerful acoustic feel.
Son Rompe Pera might have been the biggest surprise of the festival. This Mexican cumbia punk (not a typo) band tore the metaphorical roof off the Dean’s Bean stage. Every year, the Dean’s Bean Stage seems to have an unspoken contest to see which international band can extract the most sweat from people dancing in the crowd. And, although Cimafunk was the odds-on favorite, it was Son Rompe Pera who took that title, hands down. Their slogan is that “cumbia is the new punk” seemed like hyperbole but proved to be true as Jesus “Kacho” Gama and Allan “Mongo” Gama smacked the hell out of the Marimba. The band has a base of traditional marimba-based cumbia music but adds in rockabilly and surf guitar, a thick bassline, psycho-billy drums and percussion, and screaming lyrics delivered pure punk-style. Their energy was infectious, and their frenetic pace seemed to keep the crowd dancing even between songs.
Josiah and the Bonnevilles played the second set at the Greenfield Savings Bank Main Stage and treated the audience to a soul-bearing acoustic performance. He spoke a lot about his days in Tennessee being essentially homeless and how that shaped his musical career. He also spoke eloquently about the artistic fire that stayed lit inside of him even when he had little faith in his own talent. That narrative came through during his song “Another Day at the Factory,” about working as a picker at Amazon, and “Six Dollar Check”, a song about his bad experience after being signed to Warner Brothers Records. He also moved the audience with a song he dedicated to his mother called “Ghost.” One might wonder if he played the whole set as a solo acoustic player; who exactly are the Bonnevilles? Just before he finished his last song, he informed us that we are the Bonnevilles as we make all this possible for him.
Again, thanks to the wonderful staff and volunteers, the festival went off beautifully considering the circumstances. It remains to be seen how the new ownership will change the festival; there were few changes in this first year. But I believe this was the first year in some time that the festival didn’t sell out – possibly due to the lineup that seemed a touch weaker at the top of the card. It will be interesting to see what changes are in store for next year – this is the last festival I regularly attend to add a VIP section. And although the VIP area was sparsely populated, that may be because more VIP types were scared away by the weather. One thing is for sure: as long as the volunteers keep coming back, Green River will continue to be a candidate for the kindest festival in the nation. You should give it a try next summer.
