Free music for the People, by the People:
Rosendale Street Festival
by M.R.Smithby M.R.Smith

Music festivals have come a long way. Entire industries have sprung up since the early hazy freebies in Golden Gate Park during the Summer Of Love: new businesses of big show promotion, sound amplification, merchandising. The rise of the moving festival (a la Lollapalooza) in the 90’s continued the expansion, creating brand name recognition and mass marketing possibilities. Costs, as well as profits, have been steadily rising, with ticket prices right alongside, mostly due to skyrocketing oil prices and the burgeoning technology of Bigger And Better Sound, not to mention the ever-growing Industry of Large Crowd Control. Want to go to Coachella? Better be able to save up a months worth of earnings in a rent-free environment,and bring your own water.

That’s not to say the bigger shows aren’t worth the money (see our Grey Fox piece in this issue.) But, it is nice to know some folks are taking a different approach, some with about as different an approach as humanly possible.

The Rosendale Street Festival is two days of solid music in the streets of an unmistakably small New York town. Four stages. 75 bands/performers. Up to 150 volunteers. And get this: nobody is getting paid. The folks who organize the event spend several months making the necessary plans, just for the fun of it. It’s one big donation of money and time (except, of course, for the vendors) in the interest of getting on the good foot. It’s also one heckuva good party.

The very first Rosendale festivals happened from 1978 to 1980, and were somewhat legendary events, bringing up to 20,000 people into the town, prompting the town fathers to up the insurance requirements, effectively closing them down. Fifteen years later, local residents Brian Cafferty and Scott Cranin resurrected the festival, this time with enormous support from the community. With only 70 dollars and 3 months to pull it off, they managed to cobble together what ended up being the largest New York state music festival of 1995. That spirit has continued on a yearly basis up to the present, thanks in large part to the recent efforts of Jack Walsh, Charlie Knicely, and Mark Bernard, as well as many Rosendale die-hards.

And it is amazing to see it in action. A squad of volunteer in golf carts careen along a maze of pathways that run parallel to Main Street, Rosendale, where most of the action is. With Main Street blocked off, this is the only way to get musicians and equipment to the stages. The volunteers, mostly Rosendale residents, maintain a genuine cheerfulness one doesn’t get from your average festival security staff, even when it rains, as it did at last year’s festival. A genial atmosphere revolves around the stages, with musicians and artists catching up—no sequestered star-door dressing rooms here. Much of the stage equipment is donated, as are the food and beer tickets distributed to the performers. It’s a fun, if somewhat loud, time in a great little town, unsullied by commercialism and showbiz taint.

You are not going to find the really big bands at the Rosedale Street Festival; it’s just not THAT kind of festival. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be a wide variety of excellent music available, a majority of which is being performed by your very talented friends and neighbors, from right here in the Hudson Valley.

Much ink has already been spilled about many of these performers: local residents will no doubt be familiar with Hudson Valley favorites like Uncle Funk, Peach Jam, Pitchfork Militia, Joey Eppard, the Felice Brothers, Kurt Henry Band, The Trapps, Mr. Rusty, Voodelic; suffice to say, you simply can’t go wrong with any of these bands, and you will be well served to be present for any and all of these performances. Nationally-known artists Steve Forbert and Dar Williams both make their appearance on Saturday, while several talented out-oftowners represent, mostly from NYC, such as eclecticacoustic artist Emily Zuzik, electric-Americana artist Ann Klein, and the more modern indie In the Trees. Hip-hop is not so prevalent this year, but is well served by Albany’s Roots-like Broadcast Live, and the testosterone of Alpha Male Gorillas. The younger crowd is served by fresh-faced instrumentalists Yarrow, and brother-andsister indie team the Virginia Wolves. For those wanting a little harder stuff, you have radio-ready Pillowface and death-metal Cold War Survivor, while the women bringit with in-your-face Gigantic, and the more rootsy Big Sister. Electric keyboards get the nod with fusion musos Nail, and the more trance-like sounds of Rob Hervey. Need more variety? How about the Saints of Swing, the latin doo-wop of Sabor Con Color, and the Celtic sounds of Aisling?

With too many more artists to mention in full Technicolor, please visit rosendalestreetfestival.com for more about the bands, and be sure to get your program guide at the front entrance. But we will take a somewhat random look at a few more that bear mentioning:

PREFERABLY TAPIOCA- These Rosendale upstarts have an interesting twist on things that should bear better fruit as they become more cohesive as a rhythm section. They name check Pixies and Television, with some Pavement in there, and a touch of Sublime. Apparently,a new CD is in the offing.

UNCLE BUCKLE- It doesn’t get more real than Mark Brown. Fans of John Prine, Johnny Cash, and Tom Waits will not be disappointed by Brown’s cast of hardbitten characters. As a solo artist, Mark brings the real people, the muscle and bone of the working man, into the hazy spotlight. With simpatico support from local luminaries Foosh Fischetti, John Hughes, and Dean Jones, Brown’s songs shine like rough-cut jewels, setagainst weather-worn leather.

CURMUDGEONS- Spider Barbour, erstwhile Saugerties songwriter, biologist, guitarist, and dogperson, is a local legend. With good friends Jimmy Eppard, Mike Dunn, and Paul Verdon, all three also quite legendary , the Curmudgeons come to life, and good times are had by all in attendance. Good slippery-spined rock ‘n’ roll, with often bizarre lyrical themes. Spider’s old friend Frank Zappa would nodoubt approve.

HEADSOUP- Local residents are probably more familiar with the acoustic version of the Soup, AKA Nik Rael and Steve Petrone, but will be glad to see what happens when they go electric. If their recordings are any indication, festival-goers will hear tight, well-crafted tunes, with a slinky beat: similar to the Black Crowes meeting the Rembrandts.

SWATI- NYC-based Swati is a welcome guest at the RSF this year. Her distinctively percussive acoustic guitar style, supple voice, and unexpected melodic turns give her a little extra altitude over the average singer-songwriter fare. Her eponymous debut, produced by Duke McVinnie up at Shokan’s Allaire Studio, has garnered national accolades with it’s tasteful strings and organic ambience. Solo, or with full band, one to check out. The Rosendale Street Festival goes from noon to 10 PM on Saturday July 21st, and noon to 6 PM on Sunday July 22nd. Check out rosendalestreetfestival.com for updated information. Rosendale is almost directly between Kingston and New Paltz, on Rt. 32. Admission is FREE. That’s right, FREE.