River to River Festival | New York, through July 16
When there’s an arts and music festival that covers the NYC waterfront, east side to west side, it’s going to be huge. The River to River Festival, now under way and continuing well into July, is one of those events that capitalizes on New York City’s well-deserved reputation for outsize swagger. Celebrating its 10th anniversary as a staple of lower Manhattan’s crowded festival scene, the R2R is a fertile source of new and evolving music (as well as art, film and the performing arts).
This year, the Sound Bites series highlights unsung talents; Elio Villafranca brings the danzones and boleros of Cuba (July 7); and NYC punk legend Patti Smith performs with her band in a show that's sure to be a festival hit (July 14). You want choices and variety, with two river views? You've come to the right place.
On July 9th 2011 begins the 7th Annual Pleasantville Music Festival, named Westchester Magazine's Best of Westchester "Local Music Festival" for 2011. The magazine exclaimed, "We love this festival because it beautifully combines the feel of a small-town, outdoor-in-the-ball-field concert with world-class, nationally recognized musicians." The Village of Pleasantville, WXPK 107.1 the PEAK and Westchester Medical Center present twenty acts on 3 stages. Gates open at 12:00 Noon and the music continues until 8:30 PM.
Pleasantville is one of Westchester's most family friendly villages and that spirit is exemplified at the Festival. There is an expansive Fun Area with games, amusements, crafts, and music especially for kids.
More than 50 vendors offer fresh food, crafts, and services, and charitable organizations provide information about their causes; Festival-goers (21 and over) can sample award-winning, locally crafted beer from Captain Lawrence and wine from Pleasantville's Prospero Winery in the garden.
Gathering of the Vibes, Bridgeport, Conn., July 21-24--Get set for a generational mashup at this well-regarded music and camping festival that'll be a gathering of vibes from everywhere. The John Butler Trio brings its distinctive bluesy sound from Australia; Jane's Addiction arrives with its signature sound from L.A.; Dr. John and the Lower 911 jump in from New Orleans, and Big Gigantic (from Boulder, Colo.) handle late-night throwdowns. Some acts from back in the day (The Taj Mahal Trio and the Levon Helm Band, in particular) are also on the bill. It's all set to convene in the friendly confines of verdant Seaside Park. Your master of ceremonies: counterculture icon Wavy Gravy himself.
A little further, but some say it's worth it- Newport Folk Festival | Newport, R.I., July 30-31 Last but not least-
This is the festival that earned much of its fame through one performer named Robert Zimmerman, aka BoB Dylan, whose legendary performance in July 1965 refuted the very musical traditions the festival was based on. In the years before that concert, and certainly the years since, the Newport Folk Festival secured its reputation as a venue that thinks outside the comfortable confines of what folk music sounds like.
If you attend this year, the lineup will include The Decemberists, and acoustic performances from Elvis Costello and Gogol Bordello. Music industry veterans Wanda Jackson and Mavis Staples are finding new audiences on the festival circuit Staples is set to make an appearance at Newport.