Meadowlark Festival 2023 Is Coming To Stone Ridge Orchard This September. See You There!

DeVotcKa, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & Chris Smither Among The Line-Up For Meadowlark Festival At Stone Ridge Orchard  #clapyourhandsandsayyeah!

The historic Stone Ridge Orchard will be the site of what is sure to be one of fall’s most tuneful and eclectic local events, the first annual Meadowlark Festival and Farm Benefit, taking place September 8th – 10th at this 200-year-old working farm in the scenic Rondout Valley.

Meadowlark is slated to showcase some of the most storied names in Americana, indie rock and experimental music, a lineup of both national names and some emerging local talent. The roster includes DeVotchKa, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Kacy and Clayton, Chris Smither, Chris Staples, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Babehoven, Jolie Holland, Lizzie No, Ryan Lee Crosby, beccs, and Cloudbelly. Between these acts, the crowd will be entertained by circus arts from the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and video art by Preston Spurlock. The Meadowlark stage is a converted 1940 trailer named The Ramblin’ Rose, one that will be set beneath a 400-year-old oak tree to ensure that the crowds and performers stay cool and comfortable.

The 2023 Meadowlark Festival Lineup

The debut edition of this annual festival will also host local artisans, food trucks and more. The event organizers have also committed to donating a portion of the proceeds to organizations that support farmers in the Hudson Valley and nationally, ones that are aligned with promoting food security and advocacy for local farms. These organizations include Farm Aid, the Stone Ridge Permaculture Fund and the Roundout Valley Growers Association (RVGA). Another fact keeping this event local? The event is being produced by Daniel Leslie and his company Modrocker Productions. Though he presently works and lives in Brooklyn, Leslie hails from Hopewell Junction and is a graduate of Vassar College.

“Meadowlark is meant to be a new kind of live music experience,” said Leslie. “We’ve sought out a secluded setting, we’re limiting audience capacity and curating a unique mix of Americana, indie and experimental music. It’s also a benefit that’s raising money for organizations that support local farms and are affiliated with our venue, Stone Ridge Orchard.”

“There are many different dimensions to it,” he continues, “but in the end, it’s meant to be an intimate, special, shared experience for a good cause that attendees will remember and, hopefully, want to return to annually.”

Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is particularly enthusiastic about bringing his acclaimed brand of post-punk/indie rock to Meadowlark.

“I’ve known the Hudson Valley for many years as a place where friends have moved to find a quiet setting in which to create,” said Ounsworth. “It has long been an inspiring environment and it’s a real pleasure to be a part of the scene up here, even if only for a little while. We’re very excited to be a part of an event that directly benefits its region’s farmers, a great and necessary cause. And I’m also really looking forward to seeing all the other great acts and reconnecting with some of my old friends in DeVotchKa.”

Another act to watch for is the Jeff Tweedy-produced Kacy and Clayton, the county/blues/ English folk-infused project of Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum.

Tweedy, the driver behind two alternative music giants, Wilco and Uncle Tupelo, said: “I think they’re a truly great band. The music they make is inextricable from where they grew up. They sing about the kind of people you’d find from where they hail in Saskatchewan. The hills, barns, and remoteness of the area are in these songs, with a bittersweet acknowledgment that this music has taken them far from home.”

Another national act to watch for is Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater. Kater’s jazz-fueled voice and deft song craft have garnered acclaim from NPR, Rolling Stone and No Depression. And on the local front, Meadowlark is giving some much-deserved festival spotlight to Babehoven, a project led by Hudson, New York-based singer/songwriter Maya Bon.

Babehoven’s first full-length album, 2022’s Light Moving Time, revolves around Bon’s view of life as a confusing, jarring, and kaleidoscopic experience filled with contradictions, loss, and change. The band’s debut is emblematic of Babehoven’s wide range of dynamics, and each of those sounds are taken further throughout the album. Alternating seamlessly across styles, “Circles” and “Philadelphia” have the wispy ambient calm of a Liz Harris track, “I’m On Your Team” falls somewhere between a flowy country song and an ‘80s power ballad, “Marion” contains the plucky indie-folk warmth of Hovvdy, and “Stand It” and “Pockets” are coated with My Bloody Valentine’s wobbly shoegaze. These tracks utilize Bon’s voice with greater emotional impact than ever before.

Less than two hours north of New York City and a twenty-minute car ride from the Kingston Metro North Railroad Station, Stone Ridge Orchard is situated between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountain on Rt. 213 in Stone Ridge, NY.

Elizabeth Ryan, the owner of Stone Ridge Orchard and founding farmer of Breezy Hill Orchard, has been honored as a Farmer Hero by Farm Aid and for her leadership in agriculture by the Rondout Valley Growers Association.

For tickets and information, visit https://meadowlarkfest.com

Meadowlark Festival at Stone Ridge Orchard  Website | Instagram

Early bird tickets now on sale HERE