Summer in America: grab a blanket and cozy up to a small-town music festival

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/27/summer-music-festivals-old-songs-altamont-new-york

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Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Coachella and Electric Zoo may have given outdoor music festivals a bad name for any number of good reasons – VIP toilets, preening celebrities, drug overdoses and feather headdresses among them – but don’t let the big shows dissuade you (and your family, if you have one) from experiencing the joy of listening to live music in the great outdoors. And don’t restrict yourself to pop-rock acts playing expensive amphitheaters on summer tours, no matter how much you love sparking up and listening to Dave Matthews Band jam on Tripping Billies for the 20th time: small towns and big cities across America will all play host to concert series and music festivals this summer, often for free or a low cost.

Growing up, I spent the last weekend of every June with my family at the Old Songs Festival in Altamont, New York, which utilizes the village’s fairgrounds for a two-day series of traditional music and dance performances. I danced to Fode Sissoko’s kora drum as a pre-schooler, traditional contra as an elementary schooler and to the 12-beat compás of flamenco as a high schooler; sang along with some Arrogant Worms a couple of summers; and listened to (and had a crush on) Guy Davis singing the blues.

My dad still follows around any number of traditional Irish musicians from venue to venue each year, while my mother sticks to musical acts with major-key harmonies. You bring your own chairs, you sometimes sit in the dirt, and every night your family stakes out a spot between some trees and under the stars for the big concert featuring all the acts – and, if you’re brave enough, you join many of them for an occasionally booze-fueled all-night singalong afterparty in one of the barns.

You might not be a folkie, but even in the small town I grew up in, we didn’t have to go far to find our local Festival of Nations – which always features musical performances from around the world – and our local park still has a weekly concert series from the week that school lets out through Labor Day featuring everything from bagpipes to “party rock” bands. (Our biggest-ever act was Deep Blue Something, who, yes, did perform Breakfast at Tiffany’s.)

There’s even local church festivals, from the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church annual Italian festa to St George’s Orthodox Church’s annual Greek festival, both of which feature music (traditional and modern). You won’t find bold names, gold-plated porta-potties or $12 beers but, especially outside a big city, you will be able to look up and see some stars while supporting hard-working musicians and, usually, some great local restaurateurs.

It’s the best part of summer ... as long as you bring the bug spray and a blanket.