I know this is not a New Jersey event, but I have attended and it is a grand old time for the entire family!
Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival
CLEARWATER FESTIVAL
WHEN: June 15-16
WHERE: Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY (Westchester County)
ADMISSION: Saturday & Sunday only $90; weekend pass $150; Children 12 and under free with an adult15% discount on all festival tickets available to Seniors (65+), Students, and Disabled. Seniors and Students must show valid ID at the Gate or they will be asked to pay the difference before being admitted to the festival.
http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/
What started 35 years ago as an effort by Pete Seeger to clean-up the formerly toxic Hudson River has since blossomed into a glorious tangle of music, politics, and the natural world, all on the banks of the Hudson River in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. (Above: Arlo Guthrie onstage)
“One of the top 4 music festivals in the United States” –Outside Magazine
Bold beats and folk icons, hand-crafted delicacies and gorgeous produce, unexpected art installations and an old-school working waterfront. Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival, also simply and affectionately known as the Clearwater Festival, unites major musical figures and green activism, building a creative community in one of the most scenic spots on the Hudson River.
Founded by Pete Seeger and celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the event embraces the changing, increasingly hip, locavore, and eclectic spirit of the Hudson Valley. Old-school R&B (Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings) and new scions of gritty Americana Son Volt and Drive-By Truckers (now gone solo) Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell will play side-by-side with country music icon Kris Kristofferson, gospel soul legend Mavis Staples, an unplugged Hot Tuna, and veteran legacy artists like Judy Collins and David Bromberg. New voices, including the Virginia mountain-top chamber pop of The Last Bison and the harmony-rich Brooklyn country of The Lone Bellow, will ring out alongside Seeger himself. Seeger will be performing with long-time collaborator Lorre Wyatt in a special festival appearance, one of several strong collaborations at this year’s festival: Jorma Kaukonen & Steve Kimock and Keller Williams & The Travelin’ McCourys. (Above: Pete Seeger River Blessing. Photo Credit: Augusto F. Menezes)
In addition to American roots music, the festival has long welcomed world music. This year is no exception, with Afrobeat intensity (Antibalas), uplifting Afropop (Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars), Bhangra-powered brass (Red Baraat), virtuosic Malian desert blues (Vieux Farka Touré), and funky Celtic-Asian fusion (Delhi 2 Dublin). Native American artists—Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joanne Shenandoah, and roots-soul vocalist Martha Redbone—are also a major component of the festival lineup.
“We’re still a folk fest, in that we feature artists from around the world,” explains festival director Steve Lurie. “Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, with his background, is still folk. Sharon Jones is, too, as she plays R&B from a particular time, a particular scene. I use the broad sense of folk music as a guiding light.”
The festival’s other guiding light is changing the way people relate to the river, and to the environment and community in general. Along with prominent names on stages, the festival has an artisanal food and farm market, juried crafts fair, roving performers, traditional storytellers, an activist area, and a chance to ride on river craft like those that have traversed the Hudson for centuries. All in one two-day, zero-waste, bio diesel- and solar-powered festival in lush Croton Point Park, to support the mission of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc, one of the nation’s preeminent environmental organizations and a key mover in promoting policies to restore the Hudson to its former, teeming glory.
Line-Up (in no particular order):
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Son Volt
Drive-By Truckers
Patterson Hood
Jason Isbell
Kris Kristofferson
Mavis Staples
Hot Tuna
Judy Collins
Keller Williams & The Travelin’ McCourys
David Bromberg
Lorre Wyatt (Performing with Pete Seeger)
Jorma Kaukonen & Steve Kimock
Antibalas
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
Red Baraat
Vieux Farka Touré
Delhi 2 Dublin
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Joanne Shenandoah
Martha Redbone
