Green River Festival 2021, Sunday

Well it was time for Sunday at the GRF, and it was probably about time for a more mellow day.  I'd seen 10 bands Friday and 15 on Saturday, so perhaps this was the day to just stay at our seats at the main stage and let the music come to me instead of me going to it.  Maybe.

Sarah got me up at 8:00 rather than at 7:00, but we got our stuff together in record time and were out of there by 9:20 or so.  We were checking out that morning, and so the car was packed with all kinds of disorganized stuff (including the table, which had been excellent), but we had it together.

Got to the parking lot and in line by about 15 minutes before they opened the gates, which was pretty impressive.  We were farther back in the FF line, with about 50 people in front of us, but when we got in we hustled to the sound tent and got our best seats of the weekend, go figure!

We had run into our old friend, EJ, at the GRF a few years before and had been trying to get together at the Festival ever since.  He's a long-time Western MA resident at this point and had been to many Festivals, including being a vendor at them back before we started going.  He'd been at Friday's and Saturday's shows but we hadn't been able to get together.  It's strange that sometimes you run into the same people over and over at these things and sometimes you just never meet up with your friends.

This morning was different (we hoped) and he showed up early himself.  Again, we almost missed each other as we were not at our seats when he first showed up there, but we got it together soon after that and had a great visit.  The music hadn't started yet and we were talking a while in our seats, and then slowly walked over to the Dean's Beans coffee truck and got some caffeine and a picnic table.  I got a plate of beans, rice, and guacamole at La Veracruzana, Sarah got some dumplings, and EJ got some bananas Foster bread and we talked and talked right through the first musical acts.  What a treat it was to see EJ again and what a great setting for it!

OK, time to screw around and see different stuff.  We missed most of Rachel Baiman, Soul Magnets, and Ali McGuirk but for a good reason!

Rachel Baiman at the main stage - She was there and singing, but we were talking with EJ and walking over to get coffee.  So Sarah says we should count her as "seen," even though it wasn't for long.

Bonny Light Horseman at the main stage - This was my "most anticipated" band of the weekend.  They're an all-star band of Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Kaufman, and Eric D. Johnson, each playing guitars and singing, and they do original English folk.  Are you blown away yet?  Well maybe not (most of the people I tried to build them up for were not), but they did not let me down.  What is original English folk you ask?  That's a valid question.  Just listen to these guys and open your ears to them, they are amazing.  I first saw Mitchell at the Boston Folk Festival maybe 15 years ago, and Kaufman (who played an incredible resonator guitar for most songs) has played with Bob Weir and many other bands.  They were one of the bands of the weekend for me and I stayed for their whole set.

Beau Sasser Trio at the medium stage - But then I toddled over to the other stage, meeting Tristan, DaveL, and Jack on the way, and settled in at the front of the stage with DaveB and Scott for some loud, rocking funk.  They were led (driven?) by an incredible organ sound, had a great drummer who rocked our souls, and had a great guitarist who played a peach Strat like a wild man.  They were incredible and I would have stayed for the whole set but I had to go see...

Ani DiFranco at the main stage - Ani was way up on my list of, "I can't believe I've never seen her/him!"  She has been around for a while and plays the kind of unique, multi-faceted folk I love.  She had two accompanists but who cares, she was dominating the stage.  She never plays two songs in a row in the same tuning, and everything she plays starts off edgy but then gets into a wild groove that takes on a life of its own.  I was so glad I saw her, and I enjoyed her act immensely.

Sierra Ferrell at the medium stage - Another OMG!  I had listened to a few of her YouTubes but didn't know what to make of her.  When I saw her live with a fiddler and a mandolinist I was blown away.  She played original songs in a traditional country and bluegrass style, in a way that took you back to a front porch in Appalachia, though you had no idea if it was a hundred years ago or a hundred years in the future.  Again, no others in our group saw her (as far as I know), but she and her small trio were one of the highlights of the weekend.

Watchhouse at the main stage - This is the duo formerly known as Mandolin Orange, who has done some great stuff over the years.  They've been at GRF before (several times?) but I had never sat down to watch them, and they surprised me by playing with a full band.  This was another excellent act, though they might have been even better in a more intimate setting.

Son Little at the medium stage - An R&B guitarist with a small band who didn't really shine for me.  He was trying to project a mellow groove and it didn't work quite as well as it might have earlier in the day.

Drive-By Truckers at the main stage - I was so psyched to see these guys, but you know how it is on Sunday at the GRF.  Sometimes you're exhausted and it's just time to leave.  We stuck around for a few tunes and their sound was great, but the scene was chaotic with everybody packing up (or trying to) and saying goodbyes to their friends so it was hard to listen to the band.

So we packed up and left too.  Soon got out to the car and took off, back on the highway pointed East this time.  What a great experience!

• The sound was as good as ever.  A lot of bleed from one stage to another but I'm sure they (Kodiak Sound??) could address this with experience in that venue.  Some feedback problems but again, it was a new venue.
• The instrument of the weekend was ... the saxophone of course!  If you lined up all the saxophones we saw they would stretch to Shelburne Falls.  Well, maybe you'd have to include the trombones too.
• Great seeing our friends and hanging out at the concert and at the hotel.  We're blessed!
• Great beer from Berkshire Brewing Company and I thank Gary for getting me a free one.
• Saw 8 acts on Sunday so that brings my total to 32 different bands.  My head is spinning.
• Many kudos to the GRF production people, volunteers, and staff for moving the Festival to a different place, dealing with an apocalyptic thunderstorm, and pulling everything off so well, what pros!
• I hope they have a better lineup next year, but I'm going to be there no matter what.

Great drive back and the kitties (who had been catered to by Uncle Andrew), recovered fine from us being away.  Nice to sleep in my own bed again, but the GRF experience is not to be missed.

Green River Festival 2021, Saturday

I was sound asleep, but Sarah woke me up at 7:00 and I was soon getting ready for the day.  The schedule had been pushed forward again and the gates opened at 10:00 for a noon start.  We wanted to get there on time to get a good place at the main stage, which meant we had to hustle.

And it was Dave's 30th birthday!  Our messaging apps were full of birthday wishes for him, as were our Festival friends.  And in the course of the day I overheard 4 other people getting Happy Birthday's from their friends.  I guess August 28th is one of those days.

Showered, stretched, and ate a bit of breakfast (not necessarily in that order).  We had brought eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, and iced tea and coffee, and this was at least as good as the average American hotel breakfast.  We were packed for the day and in the car by a little before 9:00 and beelined for the Fairgrounds, parking a bit back from where we'd been on Friday, behind 20 or 25 other cars.  But we got a good spot in line, many of the people there early weren't Festival Faithful and had their own line, which was coming in after us.  Soon both lines stretched down the street farther than we could see.

The weather was delightfully overcast and late-summer temperature, as opposed to the heat spell we'd been having.  And they let us in right at 10.  The FF line did not have a "no bags" option, but a volunteer soon waved a few of us who didn't have bags out of line and told us to go right through another entrance.  But the people at the gate didn't know he'd done this and weren't going to let us in when we got there!  The guy next to me objected in a slightly strident voice, and one of the officials at the gate exploded at him, yelling right in his face to not raise his voice at him unless he wanted a really bad day.  Whoah, chill guy!  They let us in but I and my neighbor's friends had to calm him down, not the most mellow start to your day.

Anyway, same as you might expect.  We got seats in front of the soundboard (not quite as good as Friday but fine), set up our chairs and got some more iced coffee, read magazines, and toured around the vendors.  I was afraid I might regret not having a sweatshirt, but the sun behind the clouds soon warmed everything up and there was a nice wind to keep us from getting too hot.

Another day of trying to see everything:

Liam Hurley at the small stage - Though music didn't officially start until noon, a couple of artists were doing small "family" shows for the campers.  I saw a couple of songs from Hurley and the best part was watching toddlers dance and hearing him sing the ABC's song backwards!

Zara Bode at the small stage - Zara from the Sweetback Sisters did a family show next and on my touring around I managed to catch a bit of her act too.  She was aimed at the slightly older kids and tried to get a sing-along going with some songs that everyone knows but that I can't name.

Kimaya Diggs at the medium stage - She was the first on at just a few minutes after noon and she was a wonderful way to start the day.  Kimaya says she's a mix of Joni Mitchell and Ella Fitzgerald, but to my ear it was pure enlightening soul music.  She has an amazing voice and could fill a concert hall with her dulcet tones.  And she was wearing a nice home-sewn dress, perhaps from her mother, whom she eulogized.

Bella White at the main stage - Bella was first up at the main stage with a wonderful small country/bluegrass combo.  I stayed until the end of her set and was charmed, great originals that were old-timey at the same time.

Appalachian Still at the medium stage - Now you're talking!  This is a four-piece electric rockabilly band made up of people who aren't really professional musicians but who really like music (some of them are permanent staff at the Festival).  They opened with The Race Is On (which of course, is a Grateful Dead song) and did a number of great covers and originals, including the Band's Get Up Jake.  This was the good stuff.

Kris Delmhorst at the small stage - Kris is one of my all-time favorite folk musicians and has not slowed down at all over the past few years, writing and singing some of her best material.  She was accompanied by her husband Jeffrey Foucault and a stand-up bass player who could make the bass sound like he was bowing it when he was actually plucking it.  Kris was being drowned out by the main stage when she talked, but when she sang her voice resonated like an angel's.

Ghost Of Paul Revere at the main stage - Though they were being a little rude (unknowingly) to Kris at the small stage, I next had to go back to the main stage to see this trio, who do some great loud, funky, and rambunctious music.  I was fading by this point, as I knew I'd be by mid-afternoon, so it was time to head for the car and try to sneak in a nap in the shade.

Zara Bode's Little Big Band at the small stage - But on the way out I had to stop by the small stage again and see Zara's official band, who were all dressed up in matching suits and straw hats (except for Zara, who wore a gown).  They were fun but were bothered by sound from the other two stages.

OK, time to go out to the car and try to not wake up the people in the next car over who were doing exactly what I wanted to do: take a nap in the shade and the gentle breeze.  I got a good one in, had a beer from the cooler in the back to help me wake up, and then was back in the fray.

But, in the meantime other people had arrived.  Our friend Dreamflower had never been to the GRF before but showed up this year and was enjoying it immensely.  And Dave's friends Leen, Drew, and Cathy had decided to give him a birthday surprise and had secretly bought Saturday tickets and showed up suddenly.  He was not just surprised, he was discombobulated!

And, I thought others had missed out by not seeing Soggy Po' Boys, but I was the one who'd missed out.  While I was asleep the Underground System had played at the medium stage and were one of the best bands of the weekend according to everyone I talked to.  Oh well, you can't see everything.

So here's what I saw in the second half.

Whiskey Treaty Roadshow at the medium stage - This is another band of talented players who all sing, and they play every style around.  They can only be called Americana because they bring such an assortment of influences to the stage.  I stuck around for most of their set.

Jeffrey Foucault at the small stage - Accompanying him were his wife, Kris Delmhorst, and a bass player who could make the bass sound like ... wait a minute!  Hadn't I seen this band before?  Oh yeah, it was exactly the same band as "Kris Delmhorst" but they were doing Jeffrey's songs instead of Kris's and the two had switched places.  Almost as excellent though.

JD McPherson at the main stage - Here's another guy who played the good stuff and had the crowd dancing and dancing.  He's been around for a while now and is a multiple GRF performer.  But this time was the best I've seen him, mostly because his sound was pared down to just his great guitar (and voice), bass, keys, and drums.  He did some of his older songs like Dimes For Nickels and North Side Gal and was rocking!

Rebirth Brass Band at the medium stage - These guys had just led the kids' parade and when they took the stage they were hot.  What a great classic brass sound, spread across the front of the stage and with a honking tuba (the only one of the weekend!), a guy with a snare around his neck, and a guy with a bass drum and a huge cymbal standing across the back.

Valerie June at the main stage - A critic has called her "cosmic country" and I'd have to agree, though she was nothing like Gram Parsons.  She just holds down the stage herself with a guitar, and she played everything from Hank Williams to rap but in a style that was distinctly her own.  I was riveted, what an original musician!

Vapors Of Morphine at the medium stage - These three guys are a spinoff from the band Morphine, and we'd been told by our friend Scott that we'd better not miss them.  And he was right!  They consisted of a conventional drum kit, a guy playing the biggest baritone sax I'd ever seen through a MIDI (so he could make his sax sound like a banjo), and a guy playing the weirdest assortment of guitar-like instruments that exists, including a six-string electric bouzouki with the lowest two strings tuned deeper than any bass.  This band hollowed out your brain painlessly and replaced it with something else.

Jon Batiste at the main stage - I can't say enough good things about Jon Batiste.  It had been a long day and we were exhausted and another loud popular band was coming on and this might have been the time we snuck out of there and went back to the hotel to wind down.  But I'd seen Jon on video and was captivated by him and I think everybody else who saw his act live was captivated too.  He played grand piano (excellently), guitar (poorly), saxophone (meh), and melodica (pretty well, but who can tell with a melodica?) and sang, rapped, and danced.  And he was fantastic, what an entertainer and a band leader!  He was so in synch with his three backup singers and it's a cliché but he had the whole crowd in the palm of his hand, waving their arms, dancing, responding to his calls, and grooving on the great sounds he made.  Dave and his friends were all at our seats for this, and we stayed until the very end, how could you walk away from that guy?  And I've heard that he's just as good a person as he is a musician, incredible fun!

OK, Saturday at the GRF was over and we picked up our stuff and screwed out of there as fast as we could, expecting a traffic clusterfuck *this* time since we were leaving with everyone else.  But again, this place was laid out so well there was no problem.  The parking had a well-placed exit and the line of traffic was moving well, out through the neighborhood and back to the highway, where we climbed West on route 2 into the late summer sky.

Back at the Rose and again we gathered our stuff and went out to the picnic table for some late night revelry, even though it was already pretty late and we were exhausted.  We all gushed about the great bands we'd seen that day but pretty soon had to get to bed ... probably around 12:30 when we went to sleep with the air conditioner off and the windows open to the starry Western Massachusetts night.

Green River Festival 2021, Friday

When the world was stopping last Spring, the Green River Festival did the right thing (as did other music venues) of postponing the Festival.  This was a big disappointment, but in respect to all the other sudden changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was but a drop in the bucket.  We opted not to ask for a refund for our tickets, in hopes of supporting the Festival and helping it last out a year off.

They did last, and announced this Spring that they would be holding the 2021 Festival, but a month later in August, and at the Franklin County Fairgrounds (on the National Register Of Historic Places!) instead of the long-term site at the Greenfield Community College.  Over the last few months the pandemic has re-surged, but they opted to go ahead with the Festival.  They announced that they'd be requiring masks in lines, in restrooms and porta-potties, and in crowded situations, but many people did not wear masks at all.

So we were, again, more than psyched for the concert and a return to normalcy, but a little nervous about disease transmittal with so many people.  We and our GRF friends booked rooms at our customary spot, the Red Rose Motel in Shelburne Falls.  We slowly got together everything we'd need for the weekend, including a small table for the bathroom.  The forecast was for another day of extreme heat on Friday but then overcast and much cooler with a small possibility of showers for the rest of the weekend.  Can't ask for better than that!

Dave came over Thursday night and we got on the road by a little after 9 on Friday, August 27 for a mellow drive out West.  We swung by the Fairgrounds to check out where the parking and entrance line would be in case it helped us strategize.  We also stopped for lunch at a nice overlook of the Deerfield River.  Next was the Red Rose, and Rihanna checked us in early with commensurate merriment.  We unloaded all our stuff in no time flat, I took a dip in the pool, and then we packed up for the Festival.  The gates would opening at 2:00 for a 4:00 music start, an hour earlier than the traditional time.

Drove back to Greenfield, got into the parking lot behind a dozen other cars, and then got in the "Festival Faithful" line behind a couple of dozen other people.  Those of us who kept our 2020 tickets were the Festival Faithful, and we were allowed in first when the gates opened and got a 20% discount on Festival gear.

Not too long a wait and we were in.  Surprised to see other people in already and realized that the people camping on the grounds were of course set up already, if they were that eager.  Whatever, we got more or less our preferred spot a couple of rows in front of the soundboard tent and dead center.  Now it was time to wander around and kill two hours, which we did while the Fairgrounds swelled with frantic and joyous people.

All of us agreed after evaluation, that we hoped the GRF will return to Greenfield Community College next year, but we all could cite things we really liked about the Fairgrounds site.  It was much more walk-able to get to the porta-potties, from one stage to the other, and out to the parking lot when we needed a break.  The food vendors were more spread out so they were there when you wanted them, instead of crowding them all in together.  And the other vendors were arranged in a crescent around the main stage so it was easier to browse them all while still listening to the music.

It was also charming!  They have a classic grandstand on the cinder horse-racing track, an interesting circular central building, and lots of barns to hold the produce and livestock exhibits.  Several were rows of stables, and some of the campers had set up in them, each having their own private cubicle!  They set up the intimate, small stage in one of the barns and it was an excellent space, much more airy than the tent they set up at Greenfield CC for the small stage.

But in all we decided it did not work quite as well for the size music festival they try to hold.  The sound from the main stage or the medium stage would bleed over badly to the others.  In some cases it was so bad at the small stage that you couldn't hear the performers introducing the songs.  And though it never seemed very crowded, it didn't have the wide-open spaces that they have at the CC.  Some people tried to play frisbee or soccer but there wasn't enough room.  And for the people who need shade (who doesn't from time to time?) there were many fewer options, basically the shadows cast by barns which often were far from the stages.

Anywhere, where was I?  Oh yeah, in front of the main stage full of excitement, waiting for the music to start.  It was goddam sunny and hot and I had slathered up with sunscreen (Dave didn't and paid the price).  I asked one of the volunteers if he could arrange it to bring those clouds over there, over here so they'd block the sun.  He said, "I could do that but then we'd have a thunderstorm."  And he was right!

I was in the beer tent at the main stage and the clouds had gotten very close and then big raindrops started slowly spotting the dust.  Then there was a thunderclap and a flash of lightning.  I hustled down to our seats at the main stage and Sarah and Dave were gone as well as the stuff we wanted to keep dry.  I was about to text them to ask where they were and then I realized that they'd probably texted me!  And then the heavens opened.  They *had* texted me and were over in the grandstand keeping dry.  I hustled over there but the rain was coming down hard and I was drenched already.  I had to cover my beer with a CD I'd just bought to keep it from being polluted!

We sat in the grandstand while there was a Biblical downpour for 20 minutes or so, just an incredible hard, thick rain with whipping wind, which eventually stopped as the sun came out and the clouds moved away to the East.  Some people had tried to stick it out at the main stage with umbrellas, but they were eventually convinced to leave by the staff, as were all the vendors in the lightning-vulnerable tents.

The destruction was amazing.  Most people were soaked and most of the poor vendors' tents had blown over, dumping all the clothes or jewelry or carvings they were trying to sell into mud puddles.  Probably a few months worth of profits gone in a few minutes.  The cinder track was amazingly dry, great drainage there, but there were rivers of mud on either side.  The sun came out again and the Festival tried to get back to normal, but the storm slowed everything down by a half hour or so.  On the main stage they actually had to squeegee the water off the stage and do sound check all over again.

Oh well, that was unexpected!  Our friends P&D showed up and squeezed in, and soon the first act started.  The lineup was definitely not as good as most other years we've been at the GRF, but I wasn't complaining after being shut inside for 18 months, and it was as enjoyable as ever.  I made up my mind to see as many of the acts as I could, especially when it was so walk-able.  Here's what I saw:

Sammy Rae & The Friends at the main stage (the Greenfield Savings Bank stage) - This was a great start!  Sammy Rae is a dynamic singer and bandleader who reminded me of an R&B Brandi Carlile.  She was all over the stage egging on her big band, which featured two great backup singers, two trombones, a trumpet, and a pair of saxophonists (baritone and tenor) who just made a rocking sound together.

Misty Blues at the small stage (the Artifact Cider stage) - This was next in a long weekend of musical treats.  Misty Blues plays original, contemporary blues, and their singer and leader Gina Coleman has a unique voice.  Her register is very low and this works great with the keys and brass-driven sound.  This was the first time in the weekend that I thought, "I could sit right here and see this whole set and then go home and be satisfied."

Combo Lulo at the medium stage (the Dean's Beans stage) - These guys were fantastic!  They had a great horns/woodwinds section as well (that made 5 saxes in three bands).  And they bounced around between all kinds of reggae and cumbia sounds so fast you wanted to fasten your seatbelt.

Twisted Pine at the main stage - But soon back to the main stage to see the latest incarnation of Twisted Pine.  I've seen this band many times and they've never had the same lineup twice, though they've always been excellent.  The only holdovers from the original band are Dan Bui on excellent mandolin and Kathleen Parks on fiddle and vocals.  The highlights of their set were their excellent covers of Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds, and Dead Flowers as a tribute to Charley Watts (who died a few days ago), though they don't have a drummer.  They've always been so eclectic.

Soggy Po' Boys at the small stage - OMG!!!  I meant to just swing by this stage for a short time, but ended up sitting down up front and enjoying the heck out of them.  These guys play traditional blues but with lots of twists and turns.  They would start a song and then morph into a New Orleans band with their excellent section of clarinet, trumpet, and tenor sax, and then morph into somethings else.  They were led by Stu Dias on vocals and guitar, who was a force of nature.  At one point after he sang the most low-down blues you've ever heard, the clarinetist leaned over and gaped at him in astonishment.  Stu didn't see.  They were perhaps my favorite band of the Festival but no one else among our friends caught them.  They were fantastic!

The Big Takeover at the medium stage - This is another reggae/ska/pop band fronted by Jamaican NeeNee Rushie, who has quite the voice.  Another band, another saxophone!

Deer Tick at the main stage - This was one of the bands I was most looking forward to.  They've been around for a long time, but I'd never seen them.  They've got a solid guitar/bass/keys/drums rock sound and blew up the Festival, people were raving.

Pine Leaf Boys at the small stage - Just stopped by for a few tunes from these guys, who play traditional cajun.  They were drowned out by Deer Tick's finish, but managed to entertain a lot of people who loved their style.  I left during a traditional waltz and couples were dancing all around the barn and the stables.

Antibalas at the medium stage - I was beginning to reach the end of my rope by this point, but Antibalas was another excellent set of musicians.  They played infectious afrobeat music patterned after Fela Kuti, led by a strong singer, and of course they featured another saxophone and a brass section.

Shakey Graves at the main stage - The only reason I saw Graves was to go back to meet Sarah and Dave and leave.  There are a lot of people who like his music, but I'd seen at GRF a few years ago and he just doesn't do it for me ... a solo guitarist who plays incredibly loud with lots of reverb and dark songs.

Oh well, it was time for us to take off and we were anticipating a long wait to get out of the parking lot and on the road.  But this turned out not to be true at all, a quick exit and then a mellow trek through the residential neighborhood back to 2A and then to route 2 West.

Back at the Rose we settled down, washed off the sunscreen and the mud, and then grabbed a few beers and snacks and headed down to the picnic table.  Our friends soon arrived and joined us, having fun and talking into the night.  Tristan figured out how to turn on the lights so we could see each other.  And the atmosphere was deliciously temperate and silent.  A car would go by on route 2 every once in a while, but we could hear the night.  A train came by on the other side of the Deerfield River and long after the locomotive had gone around the next hill we could hear the boxcars, creaking by.

At midnight or so it was time for bed and we all fell asleep quickly after a long day!