Festival Fever: The Hudson Music Festival, 8/12-14/11

Hudson is happening.

There’s a steady stream of A-list bands rolling into Club Helsinki. The Wednesday night Hudson.Water.Music. concert series is one of the more adventurous free outings around Nippertown. There’s the Spotty Dog, the Basilica, Dennis Herbert’s Folk Art Gallery, (Hi)story Labor(atory) and, of course, Time + Space Limited. There’s a whole bunch of good restaurants, fabulous art galleries, four recording studios, Rob Caldwell’s way-cool music store Musica and a free-thinking radio station WGXC.

And now Hudson has its own music festival, too.

The inaugural Hudson Music Festival gets underway at 5pm Friday and runs through Sunday evening with live music seeping out of seemingly every available space around town. And almost all of it is free.

A few highlights that we’re looking forward to:

The Friday Headliner Event at Club Helsinki featuring Mamalama (6:30pm), the Last Conspirators (7:30pm), Mystic Ritual (8pm), Spike Priggen (8:30pm), C.B. Smith & the Lucky Devils (9pm) and Chris & Lolly (10pm)

Nautical Almanac and Bunnybrains at the Basilica at 10pm ($5)

The Blues, Brews & BBQ bash at the American Glory tent from 12noon-12midnight at Saturday with such bands as Professor Louie & the Crowmatix and the Willie Amrod Band

Experimentalist Holland Hopson at Mexican Radio from 12noon-2pm on Saturday

The Landlines CD release at the First Presbyterian tent at 1pm on Saturday

Peter Sando (formerly of the ’60s psychedelic band Gandalf) at Mexican Radio from 5-8pm on Saturday

Buke & Gass with Daniel Higgs at the Basilica at 8pm on Saturday ($10)

Spike Priggen’s screenings of “Rock, Pop & Soul Video Rarities, 1962-1968” in Parc Park from 8-11pm on Saturday

The Hudson Black Arts & Cultural Festival at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park at 5pm on Sunday

Go here for the complete schedule.

MORE FESTIVALS ON THE 2011 CALENDAR:

Royal Family Affair @ Stratton Mountain, Vermont, August 12-14
Blues, Brews & BBQ @ American Glory BBQ, Hudson, August 13, FREE
Fam Jam Festival @ Lee’s Park, Saratoga Lake, August 13
Bluestock Music Festival @ Hunter Mountain, Hunter, August 26-28
Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival @ Corning Preserve’s Riverfront Park, Albany, September 10, FREE
LarkFest @ Lark Street, Albany, September 17, FREE
Jazz at the Lake: Lake George Jazz Weekend @ Shepard Park, Lake George, September 17-18, FREE
Hippiefest @ the Palace Theatre, Albany, October 13