Railroad Square Music Festival – another successful year

by Richard | Jun 29, 2017 | Review

On June 11, Railroad Square Music Festival continued with its third annual festival

Attracting over 5,000 people from all over Sonoma County. This fun and free event is open to all ages and allows people to venture around Historic Railroad Square where they can discover new music, connect with vendors and local businesses, check out artwork, and even grab a beer or two.

The festival featured 17 bands on seven stages

the band was not 10 minutes into their set before they were accompanied by some light rain and even hail!

My personal favorite was watching Earles of Newtown perform. A powerhouse Americana band from Nevada City, Earles of Newtown brought the party with their uplifting and energetic music. Taking into account of the weather, the band was not 10 minutes into their set before they were accompanied by some light rain and even hail! However, the on and off rain did not stop fans—including myself—from having a superb time. The party kept on and everybody enjoyed themselves as they danced in the rain together.

Although the weather may not have been on production’s side that day, Earles of Newtown, along with all of the other acts, did a wonderful job performing with the bipolar weather. Hometown Hero, David Luning, headlined this year’s RSMF alongside tone master John Courage. The back to back performances were a gift to many, as fans enjoyed the live entertainment from their favorite local rock stars.

Weather can’t dampen this party, photo by Philip Pavliger

A feast for the eyes

While adventuring around, I came across a street artist Erik Burke who was spray painting a mural. It did not take long for a crowd to start forming as he demonstrated his painting skills alongside paintings and drawings by many other talented artists. Ehler’s Society, a community organization of artists, filmmakers, photographers, and musicians, contributed the various handpainted signs and artistic installations. Every mural and painting was satisfying to the eye, leaving the festival looking like a piece of artwork itself.

In addition to admiring the displayed art, next to Burke’s set-up was a table where kids can sit down to color a picture and release the inner artist in them as well.

Let’s also not forget the different types of booths that businesses had out there

This is a great way for businesses to network with locals and get involved within the community. A great example would be The Last Record Store teaming up with KRCB North Bay Public Media. Their tents were side by side each other which stirred a lot of traffic as there was a lot of self-promoting to do. By working together, patrons were able to drive sales for The Last Record Store while being informed from KRCB about North Bay news and all of the other things related to the public media.

David Luning headlining RSMF, photo by Philip Pavliger

They don’t say “third time’s a charm” for nothing

Overall, Railroad Square Music Festival had a huge attendance which as a result, led it to being a real victory for us.

With the profound love for concerts and festivals growing rapidly everyday, there is still so much to learn and to incorporate in future shows. Fortunately with the great turn out, Railroad Square Music Festival has a lot of potential to grow and fulfill every aspect of what a music festival should be.