LIVE: SAWFest @ Salem Art Works, 7/20/13

Photographs by Timothy Reidy
The sprawling, 100-plus-acre sculpture park of Salem Art Works is pretty much worth the price of admission all by itself, but once a year, the SAW folks throw a big rock & roll bash with a mix of Local 518 faves and regional headliners from beyond the area code.
The seventh annual SAWFest took place earlier this month, co-sponsored by WEQX-FM and LARAC. It’s a bit off the beaten path, and let’s face it, you may have missed it simply because the weekend was super-saturated with outdoor music fests – the Grey Fox Bluegrass Fest, Bellstock, the Green River Fest, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest, the Americanarama Festival of Music and the Rosendale Street Festival, to name a few.
But the bash was a gas, offering a diverse musical mix that was headlined by Maine’s veteran rockers the Rustic Overtones, who were in a partying mood as they celebrated their 20th anniversary. Add stellar sets from the Hudson Valley’s Elijah & the Moon, Boston’s Ballroom Thieves and Saratoga’s own Wild Adriatic – as well as free overnight camping – and you had pretty damn close to an ideal summer evening under the stars.





Agreed! (Rustic Overtones IS one of the best live bands around, so not surprising!) Great weather, chill vibe, funky art and awesome/approachable artists. Also, you can bring in your own cooler 🙂
This festival is a gem in the middle of Washington County. Perfect!
Wild Adriatic has been my fave local for awhile now
But the loss of their axe man has left a big hole. They have no “punch” left” to their sound.
A shame