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The 28th annual Green River Festival took place July 20th & 21st in the beautiful northwestern town of Greenfield, Massachusetts. This family-friendly event is held on the campus of the Greenfield Community College, complete with some truly amazing musical talent, local food and craft vendors, and of course, hot air balloons. With 35 bands, including headlining acts Gogol Bordello and Brandi Carlile, this festival certainly drew an incredible crowd. Three stages of jam-packed musical entertainment certainly kept festival-goers busy. From the Main Stage, past the sea of lawn chairs and umbrellas, to the Yonder Stage, and back across the field to the Local Hero Stage, to catch a glimpse of the next great act. It seemed as if they kept getting better and better! When we first arrived we headed straight for the Yonder Stage to check out a band from Mansfield, Connecticut that calls themselves Poor Old Shine. It was just the right way to start off our Green River Festival experience. This string-quartet was actually formed in 2010 by mishap! These four fellas went to the University of Connecticut and regularly attended late night jams as apart of the college’s Folk Music Society. After an “accidental booking” at a local venue, they became a legitimate band. One of the highlights
Cider sends guest writer and “festie” extraordinaire Caitlyn to Green River Music Festival
of their set was when banjo player, Chris Freeman played the handsaw with a bow. Next we went over to the WRSI Local Hero Stage. This tent was almost like a hidden gem of the festival, full of lots of energy and talent. The first band we heard consisted of three chicks from North Hampton, Massachusetts, called The Dire Honeys. These pretty ladies’ music had sassy lyrics and stellar harmonies. After their set was one of my personal local favorites, Rusty Belle, from Amherst, Massachusetts. Brother and sister Kate and Matt Lorenz and friend Zak Trojano founded the band in 2006 while living together. Their music is described as “folk punk to down home porch tunes,” with very clever lyrics, handmade percussion instruments, and incredible stage presence. With Matt’s voice being comparable to that of Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers, Kate beating on the washboard, sporting her ever so adorable dimples, and Zak’s licks on the bass, you’re sure to find this band enjoyable. Their sixth full-length album, Common Courtesy, is due out in September. Meanwhile, the rock and roll band originally from Oklahoma, JD McPherson was jamming out on the Main Stage. The bass player was quite the performer, clearly fueled by the energy of the audience. Afterwards, the original Jamaican Ska band, The Ska-talites, took the stage. The energy from their brass instruments coupled with the bass player made for a jazzy reggae feel. Next, the Vermont born, The Devil Makes Three trio, took the stage. They put
on an inspiring performance for those local hometown bands trying to make it big. Back over on the Yonder Stage, The Bernie Worrell Orchestra, was getting their funk on. One of the founding members of the funkadelic sound, had members of the Ryan Montbleau Band busting out some of their best dance moves, after their always awesome performance on this stage. Saturday ended with an incredibly high-energy performance by the eight person, New York based, headlining band, Gogol Bordello. They describe themselves as gypsy punk music. Front man Eugene Hutz explains, “our theatre is chaotic and spontaneous and because of that it’s alarming and response provoking.” He couldn’t have been any more spot on. Chaotic and spontaneous they were, which the crowd went wild for. Sunday afternoon started off with a trip to the Local Stage in search of more hidden talents. We found southwestern Massachusetts’ very own, The Boxcar Lilies. This trio of women has a clear passion for three-part harmonies. They performed a stunning acapella version of a James Taylor song. Another local favorite, The Gaslight
by Caitlyn Coleman