by Elisa Zuckerberg, Founder of HearItThere

Published on Saturday, June 25, 2022

 

The Best-of-Westchester-winning The Pleasantville Music festival has been bringing tunes to Westchester every year since 2005 and after a two year hiatus will rock again on Saturday, July 9, 2022! Thousands of live, world-class music fans will be setting out their chairs, blankets and tents, to enjoy food and drink, (beer and wine garden for adults!), along with the three stages of fabulous music. There will also be stuff to buy, activities to keep the kids busy, and charities to learn about.

Bruce Figler, Director of The Pleasantville Music Festival, and I met a few years back at a concert at Garcia’s in Port Chester. Both fans and advocates of the live music scene, we clicked right away. I’ve enjoyed listening to him on the radio and participating in his monthly online Rock and Rock Trivia contests. Bruce knows A LOT about all types of music and enjoys sharing fun facts about bands and artists. This allows us to appreciate them even more.

The 2022 Pleasantville Music Festival line-up is incredible this year! With great anticipation leading up to the festival, I had burning questions for Bruce including the festival’s origins, history, including past event anecdotes and what we can expect this year.

Elisa: After a two year hiatus due to COVID, the festival is back! I can imagine this will be a special one for you. How does it feel?

Bruce: This is a special one. People have been chomping at the bit for this festival to return. And I don’t want to disappoint.

Elisa: Bruce, I was ecstatic to hear that the festival was returning. The first I heard about it was when you announced the Lagond Music Battle of the Bands. Can you tell us about the battle? Who chose the winners and who will be performing this year?

Bruce: Every year, we seek out the future of music. With the help of our generous sponsor, Lagond Music, we invite young, unsigned talent (some as young as 12) who reside or attend school in Westchester or any of the contiguous counties, to submit samples. We go through the submissions and pick the best of them to perform and be judged by a panel of industry professionals. Through the years, we’ve had record company executives, producers, radio hosts, music writers and bloggers, recording engineers, music PR people, as well as professional musicians all act as arbiters. Ultimately, three acts are selected, and each get to open up one the Festival’s three stages. There is so much great young talent out there, I think even many of the runners-up who did not get chosen would likely blow you away. These are very fertile musical grounds we live in.

Elisa: I understand that the festival had its premiere in 2005 and started off as a much smaller event. Can you tell us more about the history and how the festival has grown?

Squeeze’s Glenn Tillbrook will be performing in the Chill Tent

Bruce: Correct. The first year of the Festival was 2005. It was started by Pleasantville’s then Mayor Bernie Gordon and his friend and fellow Pleasantvillian Jim Zimmerman, a former touring musician himself, who originally envisioned it more of a folk festival. Over time, it has grown bigger and bigger… and has morphed into more of a rock festival, though you will still find some folkie performers appearing on the Chill Tent Stage.

Elisa: There are three stages, The Main Stage, The Party Stage and The Chill Tent Stage. What type of artists/genres performs at each?

Bruce: The Main Stage starts off with the top Battle of the Bands winner. This year, that would be the sensational Platinum Moon. We follow that up with a popular, working, regional band. This year that would be Clare Maloney & the Great Adventure. Then come the more nationally known names. This year, we’ll feature a solo performance by Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze fame. He will be followed by the upbeat funk and fun of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. After that, the iconic 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey hit the stage.** And then its this year’s Festival headliner, X Ambassadors. A band whose name may not be as familiar as one of their big songs, ‘Renegades’, a song that was used by Jeep for many months as the theme music to their national advertising campaign. Look up the song on-line. Pretty sure you will know it.

X-AMBASSADORS WILL BE HEADLINING THE PLEASANTVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL

The other two stages are active when the Main Stage is resetting for the next act. One of those stages is called the Pamnation Party Stage. That is where you will find younger, active, local bands that will make you want to move your feet. That stage begins with another Battle of the Bands winner, Noshows out of Chappaqua. They’re followed by the very Beatlesque band, The Breaks, Inc. Next up is a unique and fun band with roots in Armonk and Boulder called Blankslate.** (See update.) Up next on the Party Stage, Sid Simons originally out of Mamaroneck, now out of Brooklyn. Then it’s time for a little Celtic rock, from the Narrowbacks who call both the Bronx and Pearl River their home. Think a kinder, gentler, Drop Kick Murphys. The headliner on the Party Stage this year is an exceptional duo out of Harrisonberg, VA called Illiterate Light. The sheer amount of sonic energy that comes out of these two guys will make you think that there are five members in the band.

The other stage is found under the Party Line Chill Tent. It’s called the Chill Tent not only because it’s a great place to beat the heat, but also because the music is a little quieter, a little more acoustic…basically a little more chill. Opening up will be another Battle of the Bands winner, this time one of Pleasantville’s own, singer/songwriter Carter Quinn Tanis. Up next will be the unique and eclectic sounds of Chaz Kiss from Cornwall, NY. Then it’s long time, local singer/songwriter Greg Jacquin leading a talented trio of musicians. Norwalk’s Riki Stevens is up next, with her gorgeous voice and insightful songs. Up next is the bluegrass band Cole Quest & the City Pickers. Cole, grandson of Woody Guthrie, promises to give you a foot-stompin’ good time. The headliner on the Chill Tent Stage this year will be the amazing, Grammy winning, Paula Cole. Everyone knows her songs. Her huge hits throughout the years have included “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and the theme from the TV show Dawson’s Creek, “I Don’t Wanna Wait”.

10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey

“Rock, blues, and roots. Singer/songwriters and slide guitarists. Bands that have dominated the airwaves and bands that are just breaking in. All brought to one place by dedicated Pleasantville music fans. That’s what you get every year at the Pleasantville Music Festival.”

 

 

 

Elisa: I know that you are a radio DJ and do voiceover work with your agency Creative Sound Works. Can you tell us a bit more about your experience working in radio and entertainment?

Bruce: My career, if nothing else, has included a lot of variety. I have worked at radio stations such as WRNW in Briarcliff Manor, WTFM and WAPP in New York City. I did some work at I-95 out of Danbury…and most recently, for 15 years, right up until the Pandemic began, I worked on the air at 107.1 The Peak. Also during those times I ran a recording studio, working on spoken word projects like audio books and commercials. I have also done a whole bunch of voiceover work, along with being a writer, a producer, a husband…and a Dad.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears will take on the Main Stage

Elisa: Past artists who performed at the Pleasantville Music Festival have included, Bailen, Aimee Mann, Robert Randolph, The Psychedelic Furs, Cracker, G. Love & Special Sauce, Living Colour, Suzanne Vega, The Revivalists, GUSTER. How do you go about booking such great acts? 

Bruce: We are very fortunate to have an outstanding talent booker working for us named Scott Campbell from Soups On Entertainment. He does a great job negotiating with and signing the artists. He’s been around the business a long time and knows the players.

Elisa: Music fans in the region can find the entire line-up of artists on The Pleasantville Music Festival website. What else can you tell us about who will be performing this year?

Bruce: Well, I covered that earlier, but what I can tell you is this. There is a wide variety of demographics and musical tastes in our audience, and when selecting the acts, I try to check off as many musical boxes as I can. That’s why there is so much musical diversity on our stages.

Elisa: I know that music promoter Pamela Meyer Condron is involved in the booking of some of the artists who perform on The Party Stage. How did this partnership come about?

Bruce: Pam began working for the Festival as Hospitality Director and Artist Liaison several years ago, but as a club owner at the time, she was able to steer us to some great local talent. Then, we realized she was out seeing up and coming bands several nights a week and had a good handle on who would work well with our audience. It was only natural for her to become the main curator for the Party Stage, which her company sponsors.

Colour Tongue performing on the Party Stage 2019, Lynda Shenkman Photo

Elisa: How is this year’s festival going to be different?

Bruce: It feels different…but I can’t put my finger on how or why. Part of it, I think, is the anticipation of the return after two years off. Part of it is also may have something to do with the uncertainty in the world. But I do believe that live music is a major cure for what ails us.

Elisa: I’ve been to the festival and understand what you mean when you describe it as a “Positive Backyard Vibe.” Although you draw a sizable crowd for a Westchester event, it still feels pretty chill. There are various places to seek shelter from the sun, food choices, activities for kids, and a beer garden. Is this what you mean?

Bruce: That’s definitely part of it. The other part has something to do with the ease of the day. It’s simple to get around. Kids have plenty to do. Its one day and its close to home. I view it as a music festival for people who love the concept of attending a music festival but aren’t crazy about some of the realities of attending them.

Elisa: One thing I’ve noticed from attending past festivals, is how great the sound is. Even though you have music on three different stages, the music from one does not bleed into the other. My guess is that the sound engineers know what they’re doing! Can you tell me more about how you achieve this?

Bruce: We make sure that our sound engineers are fully aware of the fact that the stages are relatively close to each other. We monitor levels and if one of the stage managers thinks the other stage is getting too loud, he or she will get them to lower the volume. It’s something we work at.

Elisa: Why is it important to you for the festival to be a Zero Waste event?

Bruce: We all know about landfills and the terrible carbon footprint we, as a society, create. Music Festivals are no different. They create tons of trash and way too much plastic. This is why we have dozens of volunteers sorting trash for composting opportunities and why we are offering free cold water to guests as opposed to needing to purchase plastic bottles.

Elisa: Do you have any funny stories or anecdotes you’d like to share with us about past festivals?

Bruce: Let’s see. One of my favorites was many years ago, when we had a young guitar phenom named Davey Knowles play the festival. At the time, he was about 17 years old but played like a veteran bluesman. After his set, there were all sorts of dignitaries who wanted to meet with him; members of the press, festival management, other musicians… but Davey was nowhere to be found. After 15 minutes of searching, we finally found him sitting in a circle on the other side of the stage, surrounded by kids between the ages of 7 and 14. He was showing them how to play the guitar. It was only then that we realized that even though his music had tremendous appeal to us grizzled adults who wanted so badly to meet him, he essentially was a child and was much more at home with, and closer in age to, the group of kids he was sitting with in the grass. I’ve got plenty more stories, but you’ll have to buy me a beer first.

The Pleasantville Music Festival takes place at Parkway Field in beautiful Pleasantville, New York in the heart of Westchester County. Learn more about all the artists performing and get your tickets HERE!

NORTHWELL HEALTH is the Exclusive Presenting Sponsor of the PLEASANTVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL 

** 10,000 Maniacs will not be performing this year at the festival due to illness. Crash Test Dummies have been added to the lineup! They will be performing on the Main Stage!