The Book More Women Blog
Featuring ongoing series At the Festival and Behind the Festival, and much more soon to come!
At the Festival: festival recaps with a focus on the female and nonbinary performers.
Behind the Festival: interviews with organizers of independent music festivals, covering their process, priorities, and lessons learned.
Behind the Festival: Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival
For five years, the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival has been creating space for Black artists in American roots music, reclaiming traditions, fostering community, and challenging erasure. Brandi Waller-Pace, the festival’s founder, shares how their background as an educator led to creating the festival, and the impact of FWAAMFest on artists and audiences. As the festival continues to grow, financial support remains crucial to sustaining its mission: helping to ensure that Black musicians, culture bearers, and tradition keepers receive the recognition and opportunities they deserve.
At The Festival: Girls Just Wanna Weekend 6
Last month, I attended the 6th (and my 6th!) Girls Just Wanna Weekend Music Festival at the all-inclusive Barceló Maya Resort in Tulum, Mexico. The festival was created by Brandi Carlile and first announced in the summer of 2018. Relive the festival with my in-depth recap covering performances and more at the 2025 edition of the festival, including Shania Twain, MUNA, Maren Morris, the festival’s first ever ‘90s theme night, and much more!
At The Festival: Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion 2024
In 1927, Ralph Peer of the Victor Talking Machine Company traveled to Bristol, TN from NY and made some of the most important recordings in early country music, including the first ever of Jimmie Rodgers. These “Bristol Sessions,” have been called the “Big Bang” of country music. The Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion was established in 2001 in Bristol, TN/VA to celebrate the legacy of these sessions and the region’s musical heritage. Sitting right on the state line and spread across 12 stages, the festival presents established headliners and up-and-coming artists in a variety of country-adjacent genres.
At The Festival: Newport Folk Festival 2024
Innumerable historic and memorable moments have taken place at Newport Folk over the years, and protest has been a defining element. In recent years, the festival has continued to widen its umbrella with an ongoing, modern redefining of the term “folk music.” Check out some of the artists I saw in 2024, from a string band formed less than a year ago, to Joan Baez a mainstay who emerged at the very first edition.
Behind the Festival: Rat City Arts Festival
Rat City Arts Festival is a totally free hyper-local festival in Allston, MA featuring two stages of music, dozens of art vendors, and more. I talked with organizers to discuss the importance of supporting local talent with reasonable pay and opportunity.
Behind the Festival: NICE, a fest
In the midst of the pandemic in 2021, a new local festival was born to sustain both the community and the bands in Somerville, MA. Now in its fourth year, NICE, a fest has grown tremendously while maintaining its local focus. Read to see where the festival started and how it has grown to four days and three stages!
At The Festival: Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival 2024
Wilco's Solid Sound Festival is in its 8th iteration in 2024 and was held again in North Adams, MA at the MASS MoCA campus. The unique venue features stages between mill buildings and in museum galleries. The lineup is Wilco-centered but also features emerging artists and unique names you won’t find everywhere. There are comedy sets, interviews, and of course, art around every corner.
At The Festival: Green River Festival 2024
Green River Festival is held annually in Greenfield, MA, a small city in Western Massachusetts. Its origins come from two events held in 1986 that subsequently merged and grew into the four stage, 40+ artist event it is today, now held at the historic Franklin County Fairgrounds. Read about my own experience at the festival, the artists I saw, and stories I heard from other fans in the crowd.