Locals have long known what national publications like USA Today, The New York Times and Rolling Stone have only recently discovered — The Green River Festival is a must-attend three-day music party. And while it’s certainly deserving of an ever-widening national spotlight, the fest is still run by a small, down-to-earth staff of Valley residents, the same crew behind the Signature Sounds record label and its Northampton venue The Parlor Room.
It’s a tight-knit family of seven that’s always busy in the bullpen (aka the back half of The Parlor Room): festival director and talent buyer Jim Olsen; production manager Peter Hamelin; publicist Flora Reed; box-office manager and volunteer coordinator Abbie Duquette; artist hospitality guru and campground director Lynne Bertrand; social-media director and sponsor liaison Jenna Brower; and webmaster and graphic designer Philip Price. (When they’re not in the office, Reed and Price play together in the band Winterpills.)
An average day finds them juggling modern tech and old-school paper flyers, with phone business buzzing and maybe a staffer’s friendly dog chilling out. But even on the recent holiday, with the office officially closed, the tireless team members were still answering emails from home, sharing their plans for the festival next week.
“Right now, the entire Parlor Room stage is covered with vintage furniture, paintings, lamps, and rugs,” publicist Reed said. “All these things will be used to make our artist hospitality space [on the festival grounds] comfortable and funky. It looks like we’re about to stage a play, which in a sense, is part of what we do as festival presenters.”
The festival has its roots in two separate celebrations from 1986, a balloon fair and the fifth anniversary party for radio station WRSI. When the merged events officially turned into The Green River Festival in 2001, 15 acts were on the bill. This year, there are more than 40.
“No matter how much the festival has grown, the original vibe and spirit have never changed,” Olsen said. “It still feels like something between a music festival and a neighborhood block party. We’ve been so lucky to have the same wonderful venue since the beginning in Greenfield Community College, and I think that helps to create a sense of continuity. We cap ticket sales at 5,000 per day, so the crowd size feels the same each year, and that makes it easy to navigate and enjoy.”
Olsen also books the bands for The Green River Festival, creating the right tone for the verdant venue and its all-ages crowd of music lovers. He said he looks for artists with “a certain spirit and energy, artists that are mining something unique and interesting. We always have a mix of overlooked legendary veteran artists (this year includes The Funky Meters & Big Al Anderson) and up-and-coming bands (Chicano Batman, San Fermin, The Deslondes). The mix always includes some world and Latin music, and some surprises.”
Some bands make return appearances, like Signature Sounds recording artists Parsonsfield, who previously played The Green River Festival in 2013 and 2014. When Olsen first brought them to the Valley, it changed their trajectory. “We loved it so much we decided to move here,” said vocalist/banjo player Chris Freeman. “Green River is one of the most special festivals of our summer because it feels like coming home.”
Attendees always have their memorable moments at the friendly festival, and for this writer it was the year when, in the short span of three hours, I witnessed hard-working soul man Lee Fields sweat through his snazzy white-with-orange-pinstripes suit coat while fronting his deep-pocket R&B band; I saw the Violent Femmes’ frontman Gordon Gano rip through a cajun version of his old band’s hit “Gone Daddy Gone”; and I danced to the Afrobeat and new-wave-inspired groove of Rubblebucket by the big stage among the happy throng (which included people wearing 15-foot-high sparkly robot heads). All that and kettle corn, too.
“Watching the hot-air balloons light up at night is one of my favorite parts of the festival,” said Emily Miller, one of the singing Sweetback Sisters, also making a return appearance to The Green River Festival this year, having appeared in 2009, 2010 and 2012. One of the draws for her is the combination of popular acts with the fest’s cozy feel. “And I know that everyone they book is going to be fabulous and surprising, so I enjoy scouring the lineup for my next new favorite artist. This year, it might be Amadou & Mariam… can’t wait to find out!”