Winter may still have a grip on the region, but organizers of the 2017 Green River Festival are looking ahead to a warmer — and more musical — time.
For this year’s festival, which takes place July 14-16, planners have booked 16 groups and artists so far, including popular past performers as well as acts that have never played at the Greenfield concert.
One new name: The Mavericks. The country/Latin/Tex-Mex band had a string of chart-topping country hits in the 1990s. The group got back together several years ago after breaking up in the early 2000s, building itself around lead singer Raúl Malo, whose voice has been compared to that of Roy Orbison, according to festival director Jim Olsen.
Another group debuting at Green River this year is Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, which Olsen describes as a “hugely popular jam band” that features Grateful Dead covers while incorporating many other influences. Most of the members, he notes, have joined various Grateful Dead side projects over the years.
And though Big Al Anderson played at Green River’s first-ever concert, in 1986, with his old group NRBQ, the guitarist and songwriter has not been back to the festival since — until this year, when he returns with his band The Floor Models. His set will boast a wide range of material, from NRBQ hits to songs Anderson has written for other country artists.
Among popular returning acts is Lake Street Dive. The jazz-pop quartet will be making its first headline appearance at Green River. There’s also Big Sam’s Funky Nation, a New Orleans funk and soul band that was “a huge hit at our 2016 festival,” Olsen said, and is coming back for an encore.
On the quieter side, Mandolin Orange, the Americana duo of Andrew Martin and Emily Frantz, will play Green River for the first time. With guitar, mandolin, fiddle and close harmonies, the duo offers a mix of bluegrass, folk and country songs — mostly written by Martin — that recall old-time music as well as the work of modern interpreters like Gillian Welch.
And Robbie Fulks, an alt-country singer-songwriter who played Green River way back in 2000, returns with quite a bit of momentum: his 2016 album “Upland Stories” is nominated for a Grammy Award for best folk album. A cut from that disc, “Alabama at Night,” has earned a Grammy nod for best American roots song.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.
For more information on the 2017 Green River Festival, including ticket prices, performing artists and local camping availability, visit www.greenriverfestival.com. “Early Bird” tickets are on sale through Feb. 24, after which prices increase to “advance sale” levels.