It’s never too early to think about the Green River Festival.
Green River, the area’s biggest and longest-running music showcase, has landed on the national radar in the last few years, with publications from Rolling Stone to The New York Times identifying it as a “must-see” event. And this year the festival, which takes place July 8-10, turns 30 years old — and it has an expanded lineup of 40-plus performers to match the occasion.
From blues to folk to Americana, to soul, rock and indie pop, the festival is offering its usual eclectic mix of sounds for the Friday to Sunday event. Some familiar names to New England audiences include venerable rockers NRBQ — which played at the first concert, in 1986 — iconic popster Peter Wolf, and jazz titan Charles Neville, all of whom will play on Friday, the festival’s opening night.
Saturday’s lineup includes the folk-rock quintet Dawes, Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers — Helm is the daughter of the late Levon Helm, the legendary drummer and singer from The Band — and a number of performers with connections to the Valley, including And the Kids, Peter Mulvey, Lux Deluxe and The Alchemystics.
Sunday features a healthy dose of blues and rock with three bands touring together this summer: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos, and North Mississippi All Stars. The first group is centered on the wife-and-husband team of ace guitarists Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, who typically play with their own bands but have been touring together more frequently in the last few years.
They’ll be making their first appearance at Green River, while Los Lobos, whom festival director Jim Olsen calls “a great American rock band,” has played there previously and also performed at Northampton’s Academy of Music in February.
North Mississippi All Stars, which features rootsy blues, is fronted by Luther Dickinson, a former lead guitarist for the Black Crowes; like Derek Trucks, he’s unusual in that he plays electric guitar fingerstyle.
On Sunday as well as Saturday, groups with local ties are part of the bill, such as Winterpills and Sonya Kitchell. And for people looking for something to dance to, bands like Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds and Big Sam’s Funky Nation will likely get them moving.
For the first time, the Green River Festival is also offering camping for concert attendees, at the nearby Franklin County Fairgrounds. Breakfast and coffee will be available for purchase on Saturday and Sunday morning, and some special “breakfast session” concerts will be staged at the fairgrounds.
For information, including ticket prices, camping and festival regulations, and parking, visit www.greenriverfestival.com
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com