I have to start with a confession: this was my first time attending the Greenbelt Music Festival. Based on the lineup, I basically knew what to expect. I knew the music would be amazing, and I was pretty sure I knew what the vibes would be like.
Even still, Greenbelt exceeded my expectations on both counts, while falling short in the weather department. Obviously, that’s nobody’s fault, and the only way around it is to not have an outdoor music festival in Iowa in May. But that’s no fun, and it was probably that thought process that led to Greenbelt’s somewhat unique setup.
The Greenbelt Music Festival, which has now completed three successful years, is held at the Horizon Events Center in Clive, with both an outdoor main stage and a smaller indoor stage. I honestly did not know about the indoor stage until shortly before I started preparing for my trip. It’s a great idea! No matter the weather, it’s nice to have an option to go inside for a few minutes. Not to mention the access to toilets that actually flush — what a luxury!
Musically, Greenbelt leans fully into Americana, bluegrass and so-called “jamgrass” artists. Purists will have a field day quibbling over which artists actually qualify as true bluegrass. Greensky Bluegrass, which closed out the festival Saturday night, obviously does: it’s right there in the name, for Pete’s sake! Others, like our good friends Flash In A Pan from Iowa City would be considered a “string band” because of their instrumentation. A few bands had drummers, such as Them Coulee Boys and Clay Street Unit, which I can pretty confidently say disqualifies you from both Americana and string bands.
Of course, nobody really cares about that. If the music is good, as it was all weekend, labels don’t matter. And one thing all the performers had in common is that they were all top-notch musicians. The styles of music on display at Greenbelt aren’t very forgiving, and they require pretty precise playing. The Devil Makes Three combines bluegrass with ragtime and Django Reinhardt-style jazz, and their closing set Friday night was probably the best example of the styles' precision.
I arrived a few hours after the doors opened on Friday and was greeted with a welcome sight: a pile of camper chairs that volunteers were giving out for free to folks who needed them — even those of us who neglected to take a few minutes to re-read the article we wrote last year about what to pack for a music festival. Once inside, it was easy to find a place to set up and get comfortable. It was a good-sized crowd, with lots of folks rocking Grateful Dead and Billy Strings shirts.
Shortly after, the weather went from “a little cool and windy” to “definitely unpleasant.” The wind picked up and it got a little wet outside, which is the exact situation that calls for an indoor stage. The weather stayed lousy for the rest of Friday night, but I never considered leaving early. I was already there, and I was already cold and wet. I drove two hours for this festival and a lot of people worked very hard to make sure it happened. The least I could do was tough it out.
Plus, I really wanted to see Hiss Golden Messenger, which ended up starting 30 minutes late, but in good spirits. “Our job is to make you say ‘I saw Hiss Golden Messenger on a piss-poor day and they still killed,’” said lead singer and songwriter M.C. Taylor to a smallish but enthusiastic crowd. They played a groovy, funky set that included a cover of Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken.” They had to cut things short, but gave a good tease, saying “Consider this an appetizer for the next time we come back to Des Moines.”
The weather was much better on Saturday, and included another artist I was excited for: Charlie Parr, guitarist and master of country and folk blues from Duluth. Parr has played at Octopus College Hill in Cedar Falls two or three times, about 20 minutes from where I live, and I’ve been busy every time. Finally, I got my chance to hear Parr. He was everything I’d hoped for. A brilliant guitarist and singer, he absolutely commanded the stage Saturday afternoon. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch him the next time he’s in Cedar Falls.
Following Parr was Shovels & Rope, the husband-and-wife duo from Charleston. We have a history with this band at Studio One, and they play in Iowa fairly often, but I hadn’t heard Shovels & Rope since one of the earliest Hinterland festivals. Their set was a mix of heartfelt Americana and raunchy rock and roll, including one of my favorites, “I Know,” which they hadn’t played live in a while. They also shared a moment with all of us when they became distracted by bubbles during their set. It was very sweet, I promise.
As for locals, Flash In A Pan were there representing Iowa, along with The Cardinal Sound from Des Moines, Iowa natives Wolfskill & The Wild and Lissie, born in the Quad Cities and now living in northeast Iowa. Lissie had a small hit in 2018 with “Best Days,” and she wasted no time on Saturday, opening her set with that song before playing more from her catalog and wrapping up with a cover of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit Of Happiness.” I know that sounds weird, but it made sense at the time.
(Speaking of covers that nobody saw coming, both Clay Street Unit and Wolfskill & The Wild covered different songs by indie pop duo MGMT. Again, it worked.)
If you were on the fence about Greenbelt this year, consider taking the leap next time. It might be a stretch to say they offer something for everybody, but I do think most of the artists who played this year would have pretty broad crossover appeal. And clearly, there’s a market for a music festival that leans into the Americana/alt-country side of things. Plus, there’s an indoor bouncy house for the kids ... or the more adventurous adults.
I’m looking forward to hitting more of these “smaller” festivals in the coming months. Hope to see you at Chroma 63 in June!
