We talk a lot about the balance of tradition and innovation here at No Depression and within the FreshGrass Foundation. The balance and blend of those two things is what, we believe, makes this music we love so vibrant and inspiring. And we look for it in everything we do – whether it’s how we choose what stories to tell online and in print, or how we celebrate the music at the FreshGrass Festival every September.
The festival takes place at the tail end of every summer, in North Adams, Massachusetts, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA). The venue is an old textile factory — the sort of building you might find anywhere in America’s rust belt. It’s been updated and maintained, repurposed for the presentation of art. Wander these old factory halls, and you’ll find extraordinary installations, paintings, sculpture, classrooms, meeting spaces, and on and on. During the FreshGrass Festival, you’ll also find buskers and jam sessions, a film schedule that has roots musicians performing FreshScores – music they’ve been commissioned by the Foundation to compose as accompaniment to these specially chosen films.
The courtyard in the center of the campus provides a natural space for live music. On the other side of the building, FreshGrass sets up its mainstage in what used to be a ball field for the factory workers. That field backs up to a rusty old train track, and now and then, as bands tear up the stage with their guitars, fiddles, banjos, and other instruments, a train will plow through in the background, the Berkshires rising against the setting sun beyond that.
Past lineups at FreshGrass have included a wide array of roots musicians, from Peter Rowan to Dwight Yoakam, the Duhks, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Sam Bush. This year, for the first time ever, there will be a No Depression Stage and an impressive lineup that includes many artists who are likely to be of even greater interest to the ND community. So, without further ado, I give you the initial 2016 FreshGrass Festival lineup.
Stay tuned right here for more lineup announcements and other information, as it becomes available. Tickets are already selling fast, so be sure to get yours soon.
Or, if you already have tickets for this year, dig the Spotify playlist:
