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Date: 8/3/2021
EASTHAMPTON – Millpond.Live, a free, grassroots, community-sponsored festival series produced by Laudable Productions, is officially returning to Millside Park on Sep. 10 and 11.
A free concert with a performance by StompBoxTrio occurred at River Valley Co-op on July 24 to welcome the festival back with the unveiling of the artist lineup for this year. Food by River Valley Chefs, a tortilla sampling with Mi Tierra, and treats from Crooked Stick Pops were all included in the reveal party.
According to Kyle Homstead, the technical director of the festival and founder of Laudable Productions, this year’s event will be a little bit different from prior years. In past years, the festival was strung out across four to six weekends. With all the unknowns surrounding capacity limits and COVID-19 in general, Homstead said that they felt that it was best to condense the festival to two days on a Friday and Saturday.
“Everything else will be similar in terms of how it’s structured,” said Homstead.
The biggest difference this year is the fact that people who want to attend must RSPV, and reservations will come on a first-come first-serve basis since there will be a capacity limit. Homstead said that the group of organizers are committed to contact tracing and COVID-19 safety.
Homstead added that there will be spots available for walk-ups, but if people do not claim their spot by 7 p.m. on the first night, then that spot will be open again for someone else.
“People will still be able to walk up to the festival, but it’s going to be very limited this year compared to previous years,” said Homstead, who added that people can RSPV on the Millpond website.
In all, six artists will be performing throughout this year’s two-day festival, three on Friday and three on Saturday. The opening act on Friday night is the Alex Asher Quartet from Brooklyn. Asher is the lead trombonist of the group. The second group performing that night will be the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra out of New York, which is an 11-piece salsa group that plays “dynamic” arrangements of different indie rock tunes.
Closing out that night is Adeline, who Homstead describes as an “incredible” bass player who falls into the neo-soul genre. She also blends R&B with funk and has toured globally with Anderson. Paak, Lee Fields and more.
The opening act on Saturday is Albino Mbie, who is a Boston-based Mozambique artist that performed in 2020 during a limited capacity event at Valley View Farm in a brief summer concert series. His music focuses on South African jazz that Homstead describes as “unique and wonderful.” Sofia Rei follows Albino Mbie on Saturday with a blend of folklore and futurism in her music through Latin American instruments and electronic.
Her ensemble features Jorge Glem, who is world-renowned as one of the best cuatro players. Homstead describes him as the “Jimi Hendrix” of cuatro players.
The final performance on Saturday will be Red Baraat, a Brooklyn-based band that combines North Indian bhangra with elements of hip hop, jazz and raw punk energy.
“The festival has always had this format where we have three artists [each day],” said Homstead, who added that the organizers schedule them in no order. “It really has more to do with the feel of music with the sunshine versus when the sun goes down…we always take our audience on a journey.”
Homstead described Millpond.Live as a beloved festival that people look forward to every year. The festival, which is currently in its sixth year, was inspired by a public and private partnership between the city of Easthampton, the Mill owners, and the utility companies. This connection led to the creation of a giant parking lot that connects all the mills in the city. Homstead, Co-producer Cassandra Holden, and Homstead’s cousin decided to begin the festival in this area. It is once again free this year.
In 2020, the festival was moved to a virtual setting because of COVID-19. With the festival returning to an in-person setting, Homstead believes people are excited to get back together.
“People are so excited to be able to gather again and share these kinds of experiences that we all long for and appreciate for,” said Homstead. “Millpond is a beloved festival in the community that people look forward to every year, so we’re really excited to be back.”
For more information on the festival, people can visit the Millpond.Live website at https://millpond.live/. Homstead said that the organizers are continuing to stay cautious when it comes to COVID-19 guidelines as the coming weeks progress.