Fans Persevere Through Soggy Weather at FreshGrass | North Adams 2023

Umbrellas were the accessory of choice last weekend at the FreshGrass Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts. But despite the rain — primarily on Saturday and Sunday — the annual three-day roots music festival in the Berkshires carried on to the merriment of thousands.

This year’s festival, produced by No Depression‘s nonprofit publisher the FreshGrass Foundation, featured many returning favorites, like country singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell and longstanding FreshGrass performer Aoife O’Donovan. Being known for its breadth of curation, though, the 2023 edition also included Irish-American punk rockers Dropkick Murphys (who performed a mostly acoustic tribute to Woody Guthrie) and international roots musicians like Bombino from Niger and Son Rompe Pera from Mexico.

Staff from No Depression and the FreshGrass Foundation were on hand to cover the festival and contributed their highlights below.

Friday

Allison Russell
Russell is not just a multi-talented songwriter and instrumentalist, but also a leader in the roots music community who uses her platform to celebrate and elevate others. Her set on Friday night blended classical clarinet and clawhammer banjo playing with subtle electronics and deep grooves from her all-women band. Russell’s newest album, The Returner (ND review), is such a giant artistic statement and her performance highlighted those new songs with heart and defiance. — Hilary Saunders, Managing Editor, No Depression

Sierra Ferrell
I had only ever heard Sierra Ferrell over the airwaves, so settling in at Joe’s Field and being floored by that spellbinding croon in person — not to mention her playing and skill of her band — was quite something. The set was fantastic from top to bottom, highlighted by a raspy cover of The Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down.” Can’t wait for her next FG appearance. — Matty Jackmauh, Development and Community Engagement Assistant, FreshGrass Foundation

Saturday

Sunny War
Every time I listen to Sunny War sing, I’m almost instantly taken aback by the warmth, soul, and story that escapes from her voice. In the midst of several uptempo acts at FreshGrass this year, Sunny War gave the audience that sense of nostalgia, coupled with incredible arrangements and powerhouse vocals, that just drew in the audience. A not-so-hidden gem of the Americana and folk-punk scenes, Sunny War had us hanging on each lyric during her set. — Hilarie Spangler, Director of Programs, Grants, and Ventures for the FreshGrass Foundation

FreshGrass Commissions: Aoife O’Donovan with Chamber Orchestra and Choir
This somewhat vague billing was just enticing enough for longtime fans of FreshGrass. The Grammy-winning O’Donovan has been involved with every single festival, so seeing her name on the lineup was not surprising. Turns out she was granted a prestigious FreshGrass Commission this year and chose to write new music inspired by women’s suffrage in the United States. O’Donovan premiered some of the new songs — with guest vocalists from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and brass accompaniment by The Westerlies — for the hushed, packed Hunter Center audience. Although nothing has been announced yet, it’s likely this new music will be readied for a forthcoming studio release. — Hilary Saunders

Dropkick Murphys (Acoustic)
Performing a set predominately of tunes from their two latest albums, which features the Murphys’ take on previously unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics, the band brought their high-octane punk energy to a rainy FreshGrass evening. The band was in classic Murphys form with calls of support to striking auto workers and the fight against modern-day fascism, and they capped it all off with their iconic song “Shipping Up to Boston” for the Western Mass crowd. — Adam Kirr, Chief Operating Officer, FreshGrass Foundation Foundation

Sunday

FreshScores: Michael Daves, Melissa Carper, Kaia Kater
One of the most interesting programmatic elements of FreshGrass, in my opinion, is the FreshScores. This year, Melissa Carper, Kaia Kater, and Michael Daves gave us three very different interpretations of how music can accompany moving images. Carper’s nostalgic and fun take on a Laurel and Hardy clip fully embodied that old-school way of scoring films. Kater, however, used Frankenstein to inspire a set of hauntingly beautiful vocals, bass, and banjo arrangements, making the audience view that story in a whole new light. Daves closed out the commissions with his artistic take on the 1921 film Manhatta. Each score offered something different, and coupled with the films themselves, this indoor presentation was a highlight of the entire festival. — Hilarie Spangler

Rhiannon Giddens
As the shuffling crowd at the No Depression stage got its first taste of New England’s autumn showers, it quickly became clear that the haunting and powerful voice of Rhiannon Giddens would be well worth the soggy shoes. Though Giddens’ combination of all-around talent and stage presence captured the attention of the audience, the nimble-fingered playing of guitarist Niwel Tsumbu and Dirk Powell’s instrumental versatility and skill were equally enthralling. — Matty Jackmauh

Lukas Nelson + POTR
Splintering guitar solos, soulful organ riffs, and just a hard-rockin’ classic country band with a modern twist (and wow does Lukas sound a lot like his father). And as a special treat to the Sunday crowd, Lukas brought out fast rising star Sierra Ferrell to perform memorable versions of “Find Yourself” and the Harley Allen classic “High Sierra.” — Adam Kirr

Here are photos from the weekend by Hilary Saunders. Click on any to enlarge and view as a slideshow.