At a party held at Captain Lawrence Brewery in Elmsford on Sunday night, the lineup for this year’s 20th Annual Pleasantville Music Festival on Saturday, July 11 was announced.
This year’s musical line-up includes on the main stage, festival headliner OK Go. They are the Alt Rock/Power Pop band that is well known for their viral videos including “Here It Goes Again” featuring the band performing on treadmills and “Upside Down and Inside Out” featuring the group singing while floating in zero gravity. The main stage will also feature the Dallas, Texas pioneering Alt Country band, Old 97’s. Also performing will be 80’s rockers, The Fixx, known for hit songs like ‘One Thing Leads to Another’ and ‘Stand or Fall’. Earlier in the day, The Vindys, out of Youngstown, Ohio with their powerhouse vocalist Jackie Popovec, will fill Parkway Field with their blend of rock, soul and pop. The main stage will kick off a little after 1pm with The Speakers, a group of super-talented adult musicians with disabilities, who focus on passion and performance over limitations.
On the party stage, this year’s headliner will be the popular indie band out of Brooklyn known as The Thing. With a resume that includes appearances at Governor’s Ball and Boston Calling, this gritty, garage-style band is known for its powerful live shows. Earlier in the day, the party stage will kick off with Similar Kind, a fun, indie-pop band out of Norwalk, CT. They’ll be followed by Two Man Giant Squid, a witty, punky and energetic band from Brooklyn with roots in Bergen County, NJ. Next up on the party stage, it’s Round Trip, a Boston-based jam band who are regular performers at Garcias in Port Chester. Sitting in with them for this show will be guitar phenom, Lara Cwass, who previously played the festival as a young teenager back in 2015 with the band, Lions on the Moon.
Over on the chill tent stage, this year’s headliner will be singer-songwriter, Yola. Performing in a stripped-down acoustic configuration, festival attendees will have the rare chance to hear this dynamic singer in an intimate setting. She has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, CMAs and Americana Awards. Earlier in the day, the chill tent stage will kick off at 12:30pm with local children’s entertainer, Robert the Guitar Guy. He’ll be followed by the country music duo, Way Behind the Sun, made up of Virginia Ronconi and her husband, New Rochelle-born, Ty Ronconi. Next up will be Bronx born and raised singer-songwriter, Ari Hest. He, in turn, will be followed by Dream Street – the teen boyband that gained traction in the early 00’s but disbanded in 2002. Now, over 20 years later, a couple of the original members, Pleasantville’s Matt Ballinger and South Salem’s Greg Rapaso, have picked up where they left off and have reformed the group. This new iteration of the band gives a fresh, acoustic take to the band’s early hit songs.
Now celebrating its 20th year, the Pleasantville Music Festival is known as New York’s Backyard Jam and will take place on July 11. For information about the Festival, including ticketing details, descriptions of the performers, how to purchase a Tent City site, volunteer opportunities, other ways to support the Festival, and more, visit www.pleasantvillemusicfestival.com or follow the Festival on Facebook and Instagram @pvillemusicfest.
