Top 5

Five Fests Worth the Trip

By Brendan Murphy

Think destination summer music festivals are overpriced, overhyped, overpopulated cash grabs? You’ve never been to one of these.

Pitchfork Music Festival (Chicago), July 17–19
In the world of indie music, Pitchfork.com reigns supreme, bestowing instant cred with even a lukewarm rating from its notoriously stingy reviewers. Since the annual festival was launched in 2006, the three-day affair has become a favoured stop of music mavens. Held in Chicago’s Union Park, the event remains one of the most reasonably priced and well-run stops out there. As always, the lineup mixes perma-cool acts like the Flaming Lips and Yo La Tengo with up-and-comers, such as Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear and other groups you may not have heard of. Hey, if Pitchfork thinks they’re good…

Montreux Jazz Festival (Montreux, Switzerland), July 3–18
Since 1967, this event has hosted a parade of legends, from Miles Davis and Nina Simone to James Brown and Johnny Cash. Though its original home at the Montreux Casino burnt down during a Frank Zappa concert – an event memorialized by Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" – the fest’s indoor and open-air stages remain near the shores of Lake Geneva, with several shows each year held atop boats on the lake itself. Long expanded to include more than just jazz, this year’s lineup boasts performances from Allen Toussaint, George Benson, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Steely Dan and Lily Allen, along with a rare appearance from Lauren Hill.

Vancouver Folk Music Festival (Vancouver), July 17–19
If you’re looking for a weekend steeped in laid-back West Coast vibes, get out your Birkenstocks and head on down to the Vancouver folk fest. Located at beautiful Jericho Beach Park, the 2009 edition features a range of musicians that pushes the boundaries of folk music. From Scottish folkies (the Proclaimers) to Southern newbies (Iron & Wine), gospel legends (Mavis Staples) to hippie hoppers (Arrested Development), there will be something on one of the eight beachside stages for everyone.

The Green Man Festival (Glanusk Park, Wales), August 21–23
Ensconced in a sprawling Welsh private estate, Green Man is an eclectic grab bag of film, literature, art, dance and, above all, music. Though it features such big names as Jarvis Cocker, Wilco, Rocky Erickson, Bon Iver and Animal Collective, the beautiful Celtic emerald backdrop takes equal billing. There’s the stunning grass amphitheatre, the Stables Bar and its courtyard and, new this year, a late-night piano bar serving spiced cider, mulled wine and single malt whisky until five in the morning.

Le festival des Vieilles Charrues (Brittany, France), July 16–19
French for “old ploughs,” the Vieilles Charrues began in 1992, when it was little more than a small volunteer-run fundraiser. Held in beautiful western Brittany, near the town of Carhaix, it has become the largest music festival in France, attracting as many as 200,000 festivalgoers a year. This year, the lush fields of Kerampuilh welcome Brittany’s own Renan Luce, as well as Bruce Springsteen, Moby, Lenny Kravitz, TV on the Radio and many more.

(Brendan Murphy is a Montreal-based music columnist for Hour weekly and Tourisme Montréal’s Nightlife Blogger – serious work requiring serious research.)

TOP IMAGE: KARA MCDONALD
MONTREUX: MURIEL ROCHAT - MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL FOUNDATION
GREEN MAN: NICHOLAS SMALE
VIEILLES CHARRUES: ERWAN IHER