Summer is a great time to escape the stifling heat and crowds of the city, and many Bostonians do precisely that. Often the directions heading out of the city are southward to the Cape, or perhaps north, either to the stony coastline of Maine or the mountains of New Hampshire or Vermont. This weekend would be a good time to calibrate your compasses to the westerly direction, as a pretty intriguing music festival with a strong focus on good food and libations is happening in the Hudson Valley.
Folk Yeah is a West Coast-based promoter who’s teamed up with local farm Chaseholm Farm for the third time adding some California friends to provide a hand-picked, artisan feel to the event where you can indulge in small batch wines, craft beers, locally-brewed kombucha and pizza makers. But let’s face it, the main reason to come is who’s gonna be on stage. And much like the available permutations of pizza toppings, there’s something for everyone. Headliners include the languid sitar-based psychedelia of LA-based Allah-Las, the smoky-voiced soul singer/song re-interpreter Bettye LaVette, and neo-Deadheads Circles Around The Sun, who provided the mystery between-set music for the final Dead shows held in Chicago a few years back (Update – due to illness, Circles Around The Sun is no longer on the bill and has been replaced with Grateful Shred). But no one goes to festivals just for the headliners, and there are plenty of attractions to be found across the compact, two stage lineup.
The brilliantly eccentric Robyn Hitchcock will be bringing his unstoppable stream of consciousness and prodigious back catalog, the heady mix of soul and jazz from Ethiopian Hailu Mergia will get people dancing, there are two different offshoots (Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker & The Freaks) from Real Estate, legendary Band member Garth Hudson makes an appearance, and the highly unexpected but hotly anticipated return of acid folk band Espers play their first show in nine years. The weekend forecast looks perfect, so bring your floppy hat, your hand-crafted quilt and an open mind and take advantage of spending your waning summer weekends wisely.
Huichica East @ Chaseholm Farm. 115 Chase Road, Pine Plains NY, Fri-Sun 3:00 pm/All Ages/$20-90. Tickets on sale now
Primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim Bugbee is no stranger to traveling throughout the country or overseas to capture the best live music photos.
