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Green River Fest continued .. This quartet is comprised of four musicians from all over the U.S. who were students at Boston’s New England Conservatory. Founded in 2006, this jazz inspired band is led by award-winning vocalist Rachael Price. Not only is she absolutely adorable, but she’s got a set of pipes that will leave you in awe. Over on the Yonder Stage I found four time Grammy nominated fiddler, singer, songwriter, and most importantly accordionist, Cedric Watson and his band Bijou Creole. Originally from Texas, the talented Cedric moved to Louisiana, immersed himself in Creole, and has since performed in 17 countries, and put out seven albums. Next to take the stage was a very interesting band, to say the least. The Spirit Family Reunion is a six-person hippie band that describes their genre as “homegrown American music”. They started performing together on street corners, at farmers markets, and in subway stations of New York City. They have a very communal feel to their music and enjoy audience participation.
The most original band that I was to find at all of the Green River Festival was internationally acclaimed Bombino, all the way from Niger. This band has just begun touring in the United States and is getting a lot of attention. They just released their second album, Nomad, back in April, and it was produced by Dan Auerback of The Black Keys. NPR’s Music has chosen this album on the “25 Favorite Albums of the Year” list for 2013, and Bob Boilen describes Bombino as, “undeniably hypnotic, trance-guitar music.” In a featured article in “New York” magazine by Justin Davidson, lead guitarist of Bombino, Omara Moctar said, “Music has no borders. So many cultures have gotten mixed together and each generation brings a new cultural evolution…There are two kinds of music in the desert. If it makes you want to listen to it, it’s the blues. If it makes you want to move, it’s rock.” Bombino has certainly mastered both of these elements. They are incredibly intriguing, which makes you want to listen, and incredibly talented, which makes you
want to dance. You could almost see the music moving through Moctar’s body as he was performing, almost like an outer body experience. I’ve never seen someone so connected to the feeling of their music. It’s definitely worth checking out a live show of this band to fully understand their talents. Each night concluded with some sort of hot air balloon excitement. Saturday night, as the moon was rising through a breathtaking sunset, and The Ryan Montbleau Band was rocking The Yonder Stage, seven hot air balloons were illuminated. On Sunday, the hot air balloons were launching for a fly through the Mass sky during Brandi Carlile. “I can’t even believe this is happening right now,” she said, “It’s so inspiring!” And that it was. Everyone was in awe of the beauty around them; it was almost hard to believe! I highly recommend that everyone try to check out this festival. A nice mix of famous, up and coming, and local talent; decently priced; centrally located; clean, organized, and family-friendly; and it’s all in our backyard of picturesque Mass. Not a bad way to support local and have a great time.
Ra fr M A M
www.cidermag.com
VT and NH’s ENTERTAINMENT AUTHORITY