EASTHAMPTON — Millpond.Live organizers say a little history, a lot of art, some great food and drink and amazing music are all it takes to put on a captivating (and free) music festival series.
Millpond.Live’s five-week run at Millside Park began this month and continues Saturdays through Sept. 17. Each week, musical artists of specific genres, food trucks, local beer and art exhibits are brought together for a free festival that’s designed to unite people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.
“The whole goal of this was not only to take advantage of the beautiful venue and the budding renaissance of Easthampton, but also to bring together people from all walks of life,” said Kyle Homstead of Laudible Productions, who produces the festival along with Cassandra Holden.
Millside Park is between the Pleasant Street Mills and Lower Mill Pond. With space to spread out on a blanket and freedom to roam on the grass amid beautiful views, Holden figures there’s no local concert venue quite like the public park – outside of the illustrious Tanglewood in the Berkshires.
“You get to bring the grandparents and the kids – everybody can enjoy it together,” she said.
More than 1,000 people have attended each of the previous two concerts, Homstead said.
The next installment, “Poets & Balladeers” will feature four singer-songwriters from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Among them is Grammy-nominated Seth Glier, whom Homstead and Holden call a “young Billy Joel.” They said his multi-instrumental talent is perhaps rivaled only by his ability to connect with an audience.
“He’s a true performer,” Homstead said.
Glier won’t have much of a commute to Saturday’s show – he lives in the Eastworks buildingand attended an earlier Millpond.Live installment.
“It is so cool that Easthampton has such a scene going on,” he said. “I loved it, in part, because it’s in my own backyard.”
Glier considers himself a songwriter by trade, crediting influence to great lyricists including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor
“I like being entertaining, but I think a good artist is supposed to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,” he said. “Something I’m always shooting for is writing something that’s timeless.”
Other performers Saturday are Joel Zoss, Becca Byram and Miette Hope.
Hope is a Colorado native currently studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition to her guitar, among Hope’s favorite tools is a loop pedal. Her use of looping and layering coupled with more traditional songwriting provides for a unique sound, Homstead said.
“She is something completely new and fresh that the Valley has never seen before,” he said.
On Sept. 10, “New City Soul” will deliver a funk, rhythm and blues and soul musical experience. “You’ve really got to bring your dancing shoes for that,” Homstead said.
Mitch Chakour, the longtime musical director for Joe Cocker, will lead an ensemble band that shares its namesake with the concert. They willl be joined by Tang Sauce, a Hartford, Connecticut-based rapper and jazz trumpet player, and funk band Soul Magnets.
On Sept. 17, “Deep River Harmony” will trace the origins of religious music in the United States and its impact on popular music, beginning in the 18th century.
Ethnomusicologist Tim Eriksen will offer music and storytelling about camp meetings – a New England tradition of outdoor religious gatherings that featured singing well into the night.
And even the non-religious can enjoy the experience, according to Holden. “It’s not a religious show, it’s a historical show,” she said.
Each week, a variety of vendors offer different foods to match the theme.
For last week’s reggae and jazz-themed concert, Mill Town Deli made a jerk chicken dish, while Crooked Stick Pops offered a Rastafari popsicle, with layers of kiwi, strawberry and pineapple flavors, Homstead said.
And beer is provided by New City Brewery and Abandoned Building Brewery. The entire park is fenced in, so people are free to roam within its confines while enjoying their drinks. There are also several art exhibits.
Given its close proximity to the Manhan Rail Trail, those who bike to the festival get VIP treatment with available bike valet service. The protected enclosure is provided by MassBike and Speed and Sprocket Cycle Works.
This is not the first foray into community-arts programming by Homstead and Holden.
Last year they organized Race Street Ruckus, a three-on-three basketball tournament in the Flats neighborhood of Holyoke. The event, which featured a DJ and hip-hop artists, was designed to reach out to residents of the neighborhood with a block party-feel, while also drawing people from outside the city, Holden said.
They also organized “Play Like A Girl,” the June Millington multimedia retrospective that occupied the former Hempest space in downtown Northampton earlier this year.
Millpond.Live operates on a sponsorship model to provide concertgoers free admission and is driven by volunteers.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com.