Festival Continues to Raise Awareness
by Brian Bavosa
Last month, the second annual Green Apple Music Festival took place. The inaugural year happened solely in New York City, while this year's branched out to Chicago and San Francisco. With countless acts performing numerous late-night shows all over the three cities, the heart of the festival lay in celebrating Earth Day, and raising awareness about the environment.
Festival producer Pete Shapiro has an especially strong connection to environmental issues, being a former owner of now defunct Tribeca rock club the Wetlands Preserve. The Wetlands, which closed after the events of September 11, 2001, always had free literature about ways to educate ourselves about everything from the slave trade to how to conserve energy and global warming.
Besides many late-night shows that rocked over 60 venues around the country, there was much more going on beneath the surface. Another key component of this year's Green Apple Music Festival were the free concerts that took place during the day. New York's Grand Central, Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo and San Francisco's Golden Gate Park saw thousands flock to hear the sounds of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Bob Weir's Ratdog, Ozomatli, and Jon Andersen of Yes, who accompanied Paul Green's School of Rock. Outside of Grand Central, Vanderbilt Avenue was transformed into a fair of green foods, green energy and green consciousness.
Over the four days in New York, I managed to see 10 shows, many of them alongside Shapiro himself. He mentioned how the feel outside of New York's Grand Central had a "mountain-like feel in the middle of midtown." Ozomatli was a sure highlight, as they paraded off the stage and into the streets. In many ways, they represented the transcontinental attitude that this year's festival embodied. As for the late night shows I caught, Vermont-based quartet RAQ showcased some serious rock chops and have a serious Zappa-esque sound in some of their songs, even going as far as covering him some of the time.
In Chicago, rockers Umphrey's McGee and trancetronica kings the Disco Biscuits played monster shows, complete with a 30-foot beer funnel from the balcony on one night. Meanwhile, on Sunday, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar made an appearance with Bob Weir, of Grateful Dead fame, in Golden Gate Park. Stephen Marley also reggae-fied San Francisco for a few hours, letting it be known just how "green" he really was.
Sunday night in NYC saw the reunion of Fat Mama, which features drummer Joe Russo, half of the Benvento/Russo Duo, who tore up the indie, jazz and jam band scene over the last few years. The Duo also opened the festival on Thursday night with two "acoustic" shows at New York's Knitting Factory, which featured such tunes as "Scratchitti" and "Something for Rockets." Featuring a horn section, their sound blended together electronica and tribal jazz, with just the right amount of rock thrown in.
Overall, the Green Apple Music Festival saw artists from alternative to country to indie to jam band come together to help raise awareness about issues that are affecting our planet. We always say that musicians should use their voices to do good, and this weekend they not only shouted loud and clear, but planted some thoughts with their green thumbs as well.
