Sonic Rendezvous: 2011 Summer Music Festivals

by Peter Aaron, May 27, 2011

We say it every year, it seems, but this past winter was indeed the One We Thought Would Never End. For real this time. A new Little Ice Age marked by snowfall that was beyond absurd and topped with torturously long, wind-whipped stretches of temps well below seasonal averages. Yet, impossible as it may have seemed in the depths of that late January/early February nadir, here we are: We actually made it! And along with the gorgeous weather our reward is live music, lots of it. All kinds, in fact. Music again being played at festivals that feature our spectacular geography as the backdrop, or at least offering the welcome chance to hit the scenic roads in pursuit of exceptional sounds. There are many such gatherings we simply didn’t have room for here, but below are a few of the brightest: some recurring faves, as well as a few new discoveries. So, hey, what are you waiting for?

Wilco Solid Sound Festival (June 24-26)
This newish musical convergence was founded by Grammy-winning alt-rock juggernaut Wilco. Back again at MassMOCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, its adventurous bill includes the Levon Helm Band, Thurston Moore, Syl Johnson, Pajama Party (featuring Neil Finn), Sic Alps, Here We Go Magic, Dave Douglas and Brass Ecstasy, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, and Wilco offshoots Pillow Wand (Thurston Moore and Nels Cline), Pronto, the Autumn Defense, and Glenn Kotche. John Hodgman of “The Daily Show” curates the Comedy Cabaret segment starring his cast mate Wyatt Cenac and others.
www.solidsoundfestival.com

JetLAG (June 24-26)
A Russian-American music festival? Da! This intriguing weekend lands at Full Moon Resort in Big Indian to bring, as per concert guide Songkick, “blazing rock ’n’ roll drive and soulful campfire songs, fierce acid rave, and the traditional music of a Yiddish shtetl. Take a rainbow gathering, add Burning Man, mix with a splash of USSR circa ’80, pour in the amazing Russian indie band Auktyon and the post-everything conceptual troubadour Psoy Korolenko, pour in hundreds of drunken Russians. Tents, vodka, marinated herring…” Add to that Ned Rothenberg, Little Annie, Jonathan Kane, and more.
www.jetlag2011.com