Described as New York’s Backyard Jam, the 18th annual, Pleasantville Music Festival, will be held on Saturday July 13, 2024. T
he musical line-up includes on the Main Stage, festival headliner Better Than Ezra known for their 1995 mega hit ‘Good’, bluesy West Coast ‘roots rockers’-The Record Company, and legendary reggae royalty-The Wailers. Also appearing will be Brooklyn indie rocker-Margaret Glaspy and a band called N.E.D. (which stands for No Evidence of Disease), made up of top-notch Gynecological Oncologists from around the country, including Dr. Gizelka David-West of Northwell’s Northern Westchester Hospital.
The Party Stage will feature Talon– a Brooklyn’s all-female alt rock band (with roots in Armonk), the bluesy and funky band Mojo & the Mayhem (with roots in White Plains and Rye), Dead Tooth, a hard-rocking punk outfit from Queens (with roots in Warwick, NY), Widely Grown-an upbeat country/Americana band with roots in Bergen County, and Party Stage headliners, The Collection, an fun alt-pop band out of North Carolina.
The Chill Tent Stage will kick off at noon with something new – a performer of music for children named Kenny Green. Later performers include delicate brother/sister harmonies from Plane Station from Peekskill, NY, Jazz and blues from Bergen County’s The Robert Hill Band featuring vocals from Chester, NY’s Rae Simone, respected and much loved Wilton, CT born singer/songwriter Jesse Terry will also perform. This year’s Chill Tent Headliner is the witty and charming Jill Sobule, known for 90’s hits like ‘I Kissed a Girl’ (not to be confused with the Katy Perry song) and ‘Supermodel’ from the movie Clueless.
The festival showcases emerging local talent, spotlighting the winners of the Battle of the Bands competition hosted at The Garage at Lucy’s in Pleasantville. This competition provides a platform for young, up-and-coming musicians to perform in front of a significantly larger audience
The Party Stage winner this year is a band called Mainline. Rooted in the Northern Westchester communities of Yorktown Heights, Katonah, Mohegan Lake and Nyack in Rockland County, they are classic mainstream metal, while adding some of their own modern flourishes. This hard rockin’ quartet has opened for the likes of Skid Row and Ace Frehley, has shared the stage with Dokken’s George Lynch at LA’s venerable Whiskey-a-Go Go and has performed nearby at Lucy’s several times.
The Chill Tent Stage will feature a pair of co-winners: Gavon Mitchell and Lauren Mian. Mitchell is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter from Putnam Valley, while Mian is an alt-folksinger from New Rochelle. Both have played gigs all throughout the region and after learning that they had finished the competition in a dead heat, the two friends happily agreed to share the stage.
The overall winner in this year’s Battle of the Bands competition is Blue Moon Band. Based out of southern Westchester, (Larchmont, Harrison and Mt. Vernon) this 4-piece band melds a host of musical genres into their sound, including alt. rock, blues and even a touch of reggae, creating an enticing blend. Still in their infancy, this band, whose oldest member checks in at the ripe old age of 18, has only recently begun recording in a studio.
Now in its 18th year, the Pleasantville Music Festival, presented by Northwell Health is known as New York’s Backyard Jam. It’s become a must-attend summer event for the whole family, with great local food and drink, a warm positive vibe, and of course, world-class rock. Tickets to the Pleasantville Music Festival are available through Ticketweb or in person on the third floor of Village Hall, 80 Wheeler Avenue in Pleasantville during specified times. See the Festival website for specific hours along with other details about the event, including links to the performers. www.pleasantvillemusicfestival.com .
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