Summer Rocks

FEATURED MUSIC  -  * COVER STORY *

23 Festivals for Fans of all Kinds of Music

Written By Angie Sykeny (asykeny@hippopress.com)

Images: Courtesy & Stock Photos

 

 

From songs of the sea to the jams of Jerry Garcia, New Hampshire music festivals offer something for every kind of music lover.

There are about two dozen of those music-centric fests happening between now and September in the mountains, in forests and on farms, on city streets and by the sea. Some feature a variety of music while others target a specific genre; folk, bluegrass, rock, country, blues, reggae, jazz and classical all have festivals of their own.

The smaller festivals provide opportunities to discover talented local and up-and-coming artists that you may not have otherwise heard of. At the larger festivals, like New England Country Music Festival in Portsmouth and the Christian contemporary music festival Soulfest in Gilford, you can see big-name acts in what is often a more relaxed atmosphere than the artists’ regular concerts.

“To have these artists in our own backyard where you can get up close and personal is something special,” Amanda Morneault, New England Country Music Festival organizer, said. “There’s a more intimate vibe. The artists can interact more with their fans than they can at the bigger venues.”

Luke Bonner, co-founder of the Rock On Fest in Concord, said that having notable artists on the ticket generates more interest, particularly among young adults, and helps to put New Hampshire on the map as a destination for music festivals. It’s just a matter of getting out-of-state artists to give it a chance.

“We’ve been trying to get more bands to come who haven’t thought of us as a touring destination,” he said. “I think people here have a great appreciation and a level of respect for bands, and they like to discover new bands. We just need to expose more artists to the state and show them that it’s a great place for musicians.”

The relaxed and intimate nature of music festivals also lends itself to a more family-friendly environment than the typical concert does. The majority of New Hampshire’s music festivals describe themselves as family-friendly, and some have activities and even music just for kids.

“We really encourage families to come,” Bruce MacIntyre, board president for the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, said. “Kids love it. They get it. They want to be part of the music. And what you’ll see is this great community where all the generations can get together.”

A sense of community is one of the things that attracts many people to music festivals in the first place. In this age of social media, MacIntyre said, it’s rejuvenating for people to experience that kind of face-to-face interaction and to share with each other the joy that the music brings.

“Once they walk into a place full of people singing together, they can feel that community. There’s a spirit to it,” he said. “There’s a connection that’s stronger than what they can experience in the electronic world, and they feel moved.”

 

7 Summer Fests

For festival newbies and avid music fans alike, here are some shows that offer a range of musical genres and festival experiences.

 

You Rock Festival

This is the first year for the new You Rock Festival, hosted by Molly’s Restaurant and Tavern in New Boston. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a festival without attendees, which is why the organizers decided on the You Rock title.

“We wanted it to be about you,” said Justin Jordan, a festival organizer and a member of the local band enCircle, which will perform at the event. “We want the people to feel a part of this day as much as the ones who built it, so You Rock made sense.”

The festival features seven bands that Jordan said are very active in the local music scene and “probably plays more shows than some of the national bands out there today.” The music spans a wide range of genres, from folk to ’80s tributes. Aside from its fundraising mission, which is to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the primary goal of the festival was to create a strong, well-curated lineup, and

Jordan believes he and the other organizers have done just that.

“The lineup of bands we have on tap for the day is probably one of the best lineups I’ve seen in the New Hampshire area in quite some time,” he said. “I believe that with this bill of bands, we have crafted a listening experience for all types of music lovers.”

Where: New Boston Fair Grounds, 15 Hilldale Lane, New Boston
When: Saturday, July 1, from noon to 10:30 p.m.
Cost: $20. Free for kids 12 and under.
Website: See facebook
Festival lineup: Peter Fogarty (12:30 p.m.), Plan B (1:15 p.m.), Heartbeat City (2:45 p.m.), RumbleFish (4:15 p.m.), The Razzles (6:30 p.m.), Ballou Brothers Band (8 p.m.), enCircle (9:30 p.m.)

 

Two To Lou Music Festival

When Karen Jortberg lost fiance Lou Festo, also a local musician, to cancer in 2012, she and Festo’s friends wanted to create an event in his memory

“He was a lead guitar player in bands all his life, so after he passed away, we decided we would hold a music festival and do it as a fundraiser for a scholarship fund,” Jortberg said.

This year’s fest features four headliners, including Festo’s band Preciphist, and eight other local acts playing original rock and covers of classic rock songs.

Now in its fourth year, the festival has been growing through word of mouth to attract attendees beyond those who knew Festo.

“It’s in Sandown, so it is a little off the beaten path, but the word is getting out there,” Jortberg said. “Everyone who comes has a good time, and they return the next year.”

In addition to the music, the festival features food, arts and crafts, a beer tent and hot air balloon rides. Jortberg said people come for the social aspect as much as the live music.

“Everyone comes and enjoys checking out the bands, playing some cornhole, partying and dancing together,” she said.

Where: Sandlot Sports & Entertainment, 56 North Road, Sandown
When: Saturday, July 15, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the show
Website: twotolou.com/music-festival
Festival lineup: The Jon Butcher Axis, Preciphist, Leaving Eden, Blindspot, Adams Needle, Ruben Kincade Project, Tom Towler Band, Max the Dog, Breanne Mullen, Casey Clark, David Amato, The Experiment

 

Soulfest

“Music, Love and Action” — that’s the message behind Soulfest, a three-day Christian contemporary music festival held each year at Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford.

The festival features five stages and a lineup of 25 performers, both local acts as well as big names in the genre, such as TobyMac, For King & Country, Jars of Clay, Matthew West, Tenth Avenue North and more. A variety of musical styles are represented in the Christian contemporary genre, including rock, folk, singer-songwriter, hip-hop and rap.

“There are a lot of local bands,” Soulfest co-founder Dan Russell said. “If you’re a recording artist and you’re serious about it, we want to give you an opportunity to get out there in front of people and play.” Russell said the music as well as the various speaker events and activities are focused not just on Christianity but also on community, social justice and taking action to help those in need.

“All the artists have a faith background, and the lyrics are Christian-oriented, but it’s all under the umbrella of becoming active and engaged,” he said. “Our goal isn’t to get everyone to believe like us. It’s to activate our attendees to become more involved in their communities and to encourage them to live from the inside out.”

Now in its 20th year, the festival continues to grow, attracting 12,000 to 13,000 people per day, 65 percent of whom are returning attendees. For many, Russell said, Soulfest has become a yearly tradition and a place to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones.

“It’s a time for everyone to come back together,” he said. “There’s a lot of positive energy, good vibes.”

Where: Gunstock Mountain Resort, 719 Cherry Valley Road, Gilford
When: Thursday, Aug. 3, through Saturday, Aug. 5
Cost: Festival passes are $140.75 in June, $145.75 in July and $155.75 in August. Single-day passes are $55.75 through July and $60.75 in August. Free for ages 10 and under.
Website: thesoulfest.com
Festival lineup (headliners only; see website for full lineup)
Thursday, Aug. 3
Juniper (1:15 p.m.), Ryan Stevenson (2:20 and 7 p.m.), Tedashi (3:25 p.m.), Moriah Peters (4:35 and 7:55 p.m.), Christopher Williams (5:35 p.m.), Jars of Clay (6:05 p.m.), Tenth Avenue North (7:35 p.m.), For King & Country (9:30 p.m.)
Friday, Aug. 4
Damien (12:30 p.m.), Propaganda (1:40 and 7:40 p.m.), Mari (2:45 p.m.), The Satellite Heart (3:50 p.m.), Juniper (4:20 p.m.), Peter Furler Band (4:55 p.m.), Randy Stonehill (5:45 and 7:55 p.m.), Matt Maher (6 p.m.), Rend Collective (7:35 p.m.), Matthew West (9:20 p.m.)
Saturday, Aug. 5
Peter Furler Band (11 a.m. and 7:20 p.m.), Randy Stonehill (11 a.m.), Aaron Cole (1:05 p.m.), Derek Minor (2:05 p.m.), Paul Coleman (3:10 p.m.), Jordan Feliz (4:20 p.m.), Sidewalk Prophets (5:40 p.m.), Mari (2 and 5:50 p.m.), Crowder (7:15 p.m.), TobyMac (9:20 p.m.)

 

Barnful of Blues Festival

Now in its 15th year, the Barnful of Blues Festival in New Boston is about giving new life to blues music and restoring interest in the genre, particularly from the younger crowd.

“Blues kind of comes and goes, but since the ’90s it’s been less popular and not as mainstream,” said Roxanne Mann, vice president of the Granite State Blues Society, which hosts the event. “We’d like to keep the blues alive here in New England and are hoping for another big star to bring it back.”

The festival has had some notable acts, such as Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson & The Magic Rockers, and Sugar Ray & The Bluetones, but is focused primarily on giving regional acts a chance to take the stage. All kinds of blues subgenres will be represented.

“Like any genre, blues has different blends. There’s rock-blues, traditional blues, Chicago blues, Zydeco blues, many kinds,” Mann said. “We like to mix it up and pick a wide variety each year.”

The festival is a family-oriented event, and people are encouraged bring their lawn chairs, blankets, coolers or even pop-up tents and stay for the whole day. There is a certain quality about blues music, Mann said, that makes it appealing to people of all ages.

“It’s infectious and familiar,” she said. “Even though the music is about sorrow, it makes you feel good when you listen to it. It makes you want to get up and dance.”

Where: 4-H Youth Center, Route 13, New Boston
When: Saturday, Aug. 5, from noon to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $25
Website: granitestateblues.org
Festival lineup
Roomful of Blues, The Delta Generators with Brian Templeton, Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers, Chris Fitz, Michael Vincent Band, Skip Philbrick, Arthur James, Veronica Lewis

 

New England Country Music Festival

Each year the New England Country Music Festival brings thousands of people to Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth for a full day of live country music, ranging from the modern to the classic styles.

“It’s a little of everything,” said Amanda Morneault, owner and event manager for The Harbor Agency, which co-hosts the festival with New England Country Music. “We like to keep it diverse, and we like to be able to cater to everybody, with all country genres.”

The festival features national recording artists like Frankie Ballard, Michael Ray and William Michael Morgan, who have collectively had six No. 1 hits on the country charts, as well as well-known regional artists. Now in its third year, the scope of the festival continues to expand as it attracts attendees from all over New England.

“It’s only going to get bigger,” Morneault said. “It’s definitely an event that’s on people’s radar now.”

The atmosphere of the festival is “very chill, relaxed and low-key,” Morneault said, and people are encouraged to come with their families, bring lawn chairs or blankets and stay for the day. Even if you aren’t a fan of country music, she said, give it a chance, and you may be surprised at how much fun it can be.

“There’s something special about country music,” she said. “The musicians are so down to earth and likeable, and you really get a sense of how much they enjoy what they do and appreciate their fans.”

Where: Redhook Brewery and Pub, 1 Redhook Way, Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth
When: Sunday, Aug. 6, from 12:45 to 9:30 p.m.
Cost: $35 for general admission, $40 for pit admission and $85 for VIP admission
Website: necmharbor.com
Festival lineup: Frankie Ballard, Michael Ray, William Michael Morgan, Casey Derhak, Timmy Brown, Jimmy Connor, Paige Davis

 

Rock On Fest

When brothers Luke and Matt Bonner started the Rock On Fest several years ago, they wanted it to be an event that would get New Hampshirites excited about the state’s live music scene.

“That was the biggest thing throughout all this — bringing a community together and inspiring people,” Luke Bonner said. “We hoped that it would become a source of pride for the state and generate some excitement in the area and beyond.”

The festival features what Bonner calls “emerging” music genres such as alternative, indie and electro pop, which he believes will resonate with a younger audience. Considering the issue of New Hampshire’s aging population, he said, his goal for the festival is to help cultivate a music and arts culture that will aid in drawing a younger population to the state.

Another goal of the festival is to encourage the discovery of new bands and artists. The bands featured will be unknown to most people, Bonner said, but he’s confident that people won’t be disappointed.

“With some concerts, it seems like you have to already know the music to appreciate it,” he said. “With the lineup of bands that we’ve selected, if you’ve never heard of them before, they’ll knock your socks off at the first listen.”

Where: New Hampshire Statehouse lawn, 107 N. Main St., Concord
When: Friday, Aug. 11, and Saturday, Aug. 12, starting at noon
Cost: Free
Website: rockonfoundation.org
Festival lineup: Mr. Aaron, Laura Stevenson, Holly Miranda, Photocomfort, Tough Guy

 

Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival

If sea shanty sing-alongs and nautical tales set to music sound appealing to you, the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival is the festival to go to.

Held every September in Portsmouth, the festival celebrates a subgenre of folk music called maritime or sea music.

“It can be anything related to water,” Bruce MacIntyre, festival board president, said. “A lot of it is work songs, the shanties, that were sung for the purpose of organizing labor on ships. A lot of it is songs the seamen sang in their quarters, ballads of love and lore. It even includes music sung on the rivers and lakes of the U.S., so it comes from a lot of different cultures.”

The festival attracts not only local and amateur musicians, but also professional musicians from all over the country.

“It’s not unusual [for people to travel],” he said. “This is a very niche market, so what happens is, the aficionados go looking for the real festivals and find ours.”
Performances take place downtown on the streets, in pubs and in other locations. The audience often largely consists of curious passersby who didn’t plan on going to the festival or didn’t even know that it was happening. But for many people, MacIntyre said, once they hear maritime music for the first time and experience the sense of community that it generates, they’re hooked.

“This music is about people who struggled in the world and did hard labor and yet, there’s humor and dignity and pride in it,” he said. “People today can understand that and tap into that. It’s infectious.”

Where: Various locations in downtown Portsmouth
When: Saturday, Sept. 23, and Sunday, Sept. 24
Cost: Free
Website: pmffest.org
Festival lineup TBA