After my failed attempt to win tickets to Coachella, and hot on the heels of recent announcements that The Airborne Toxic Event (and a host of other wonderful indie rock bands) are playing Austin City Limits and the Fuji Rock Festival this year, I find myself bemoaning the fact that the East Coast really doesn’t have a decent indie music festival. Well, apart from I guess what is now only the second annual All Points West in New Jersey, which seems to be the only festival Airborne Tox isn’t performing at. Of course. There are plans, apparently, for a festival in upstate NY, but that wouldn’t be until 2010, so who the heck knows. Yes, here it comes — it’s Julie’s weekly rant.

Oh sure, here in New England we have bluegrass festivals, folk festivals, jazz festivals, Early Music festivals, reggae festivals, and chamber music festivals. We have a Wild Blueberry Festival, an Egg Festival, and the Potato Blossom Festival (all in Maine, and not hard to figure out why; no one up there but moose). But a rock festival? Nope.

Victor and one of the emus spend some quality time at the Topsfield Fair, 2006.

WZBC radio personality Victor R. Venckus and one of the emus spend some quality time at the Topsfield Fair, 2006.

We do have the Topsfield Fair. Maybe Tox can play a set in the petting farm, next to the emu (always a personal favorite, though I think the ostrich is probably closer to my own temperament). We can have them on just after the pig racing, because no one likes to miss that. There’s also the Big E in Springfield, MA, with much the same. They’ve played at Six Flags. They’ve done Knott’s Berry Farm. Why not the Big E? Although actually, they can’t play this year – Foghat already beat them to it. Foghat. Yeah. I rest my case.


A google search on “New England rock festival” yielded the following results: New England Metal and Hardcore Festival (just held a week ago, appropriately in Worcester), a Connecticut Prog Festival (only it turns out to be a mere five bands at Toad’s Place in New Haven – not a festival, guys), and a Pet Rock Festival, which was something of a disappointment, as I was expecting this.

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