Bethel Woods
(Through September 3)
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, at the original 1969 Woodstock Festival site in Bethel, keeps its location’s live music tradition alive with another season of top-drawing concert attractions. Tickets are now on sale for Brad Paisley and Tenille Townes (June 4), Dead & Company (July 1), the Doobie Brothers (July 2), Steely Dan (July 3), Josh Groban (July 5), Chicago and Brian Wilson (July 14), Alanis Morisette and Garbage (July 19), the Dave Matthews Band (July 20), Phish (July 22 and 23), Norah Jones and Regina Spektor (July 30), Jimmy Buffett (August 1), Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, and others (August 13), Buddy Guy and Kenny Wayne Shepherd (August 14), Santana and Earth, Wind and Fire (August 21), and more.
Follow the Arrow
(June 18)
A new addition the Hudson Valley area’s festival landscape is Follow the Arrow, which happens at Arrowood Farms brewery in Accord and is being presented by local jam maven and keyboard king Marco Benevento. Alongside the host and headliner himself, FTA’s inaugural lineup includes the Slip, Antibalas, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, a DJ set by El Michaels Affair, Mikela Davis and Southern Star, Karina Rykman, Jayla Kai, Ratboy Jr., the Benevento Family Band, 40 Love (featuring Marco Benevento and Alecia Chakour), Scott Metzger, Stuart Bogie, Sam Evian, Cochemea Gastelum, Burnell Pines, and much more.
Over Yondr Festival
(June 24-26)
Also newer to the festival scene this year is Over Yondr, which takes place in the Greene County town of Greenville. Among its lineup, the camping-ready, indie-oriented, 21-plus fest has !!! (Chk Chk Chk), Topaz Jones, Sheer Mag, Kississippi, Kaleta and the Super Yamba Band, the Bones of J.R. Jones, Black Mountain Symphony, Anna Fox Rochinski, Jadeisdxpe, Andrew Richards, Rhys Tivey, Hanzolo, and Nas Leber. Food trucks, games, jam sessions, yoga, and showers are also available. But be aware—what sets Over Yondr apart is that it’s a phone-free event: During the festival, all attendee phones and smartwatches will be privately secured in special pouches that will remain in the attendees’ possession.
Bard SummerScape Spiegeltent
(June 24-August 6)
Within Bard College’s larger, classical-leaning SummerScape festival, the Spiegeltent hosts the return of its Black Roots Summer series, which this year features “The Sound of (Black) Music” (June 24), Mwenso and the Shakes (June 25), and “Rhythm and BBQ” (June 26). Also appearing: Nona Hendryx and Mama Funk (July 1), the George Gee Swing Orchestra (July 10), Ms. Lisa Fischer with Mr. Louis Cato and the Badass and Beautiful Big Band (July 22-23), the Jazz at Lincoln Center Summer Big Band (July 24), Marth Redbone (July 30), and drag divas Susanne Bartch (July 2) and Justin Vivian Bond (August 5-6).
Radio Woodstock Presents
(June 30; July 16)
Okay, maybe not a festival per se, but nonetheless worth a mention here is this pair of Radio Woodstock-sponsored concert events featuring two popular summer festival acts, both of whom are set to appear at the MJN Convention Center in Poughkeepsie. Rock/funk/hip hop/reggae/soul fusion artists Michael Franti and Spearhead (June 30: Arrested Development will open), long a staple name of the late, station-presented Mountain Jam festival, comes through on the tour for their newest album, Follow Your Heart. Named for a song by English musical pranksters the Bonzo Dog Band, the Seattle-based Death Cab for Cutie (July 16; Illuminati Hotties will open) is a group beloved by many for their melodic pop hits.
Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival
(July 14-17)
The Northeast’s largest bluegrass festival, Grey Fox, rollicks back to the Walsh Farm in Oak Hill with a rich harvest of roots music excellence. For 2022, the 38-year-old gathering brings such new and returning favorites as Jerry Douglas, the Del McCoury Band, Steve Earle and the Dukes, the Sam Bush Band, Bela Fleck, Yonder Mountain String Band, the Steep Canyon Rangers, the SteelDrivers, the Travelin’ McCourys, Peter Rowan and Los TexManiacs, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Natalie McMaster and Donnell Leahy, Allison Brown, We Banjo 3, the Gibson Brothers, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Donna the Buffalo, and many more. On-site camping, too.
This article appears in June 2022.
