Photo: Frankie Cavone

Local music lovers, breath your sigh of relief. The homegrown, grassroots festivals are making their way back to the scene. While COVID-19 put the kibosh on live music last year, we’ve seen a slew of announcements from major, large-scale festivals ready to bring pop stars and rock veterans back to the stage. It’s nice to see some of the so-called “little guys” announce some good news as well.

Guthrie/Bell Productions and upstate NY band Eastbound Jesus have announced the return of their Eastbound Throwdown music festival. It will take place Sept. 10-11 on Salem, NY’s Irwin Farm, a fifth-generation family farm whose owners kindly move their cattle and clear fields to host a few nights of good tunes.

Eastbound Jesus, who released their latest album Full Moon Over Salem in February 2020, will be performing both nights. The rest of the lineup has yet to be announced.

It should be noted that the festival will be a bit smaller than its previous years due to social distancing. Attendance will be capped at 500 people and there will be one stage instead of two. Watch the 2019 recap here:

Tickets for the 2021 festival are available Friday, May 28 at noon. The two-day passes (camping included) are $80. RV passes are available for an additional fee. All ages welcome.

Questions? Contact kim@guthriebellproductions.com.