The girl can't help it. With a spirited smile that could charm the devil, Brandi Carlile possesses a natural beauty and wholesome goodness that radiates from the inside out. Like her music, she is honest, heartfelt and uncompromising in her values and beliefs. Her passion is her music and music is her life. And at 29, Brandi Carlile is doing exactly what she set out to do as a small child growing up in rural Ravensdale, Washington. She is living her dream. 

Born June 1, 1981, the oldest of three children, Brandi Carlile grew up listening to the likes of Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.  Her early years were strongly influenced by her mother, Teresa Carlile, a local country and western singer. At 8 years old,  Brandi performed  Roseanne Cash's "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" at the Northwest Grand Ol' Opry and was immediately hooked by the lure and applause of the audience. Under her mother's watchful eye, Brandi continued giving live performances and cultivating her musical talent. At 16, Brandi got a job with her best friend as a backup singer for an Elvis impersonator, who also happened to be  her best friend's father. By 17 she had taught herself to play the guitar and piano, had long been writing songs, and had just discovered rock and roll. Brandi was completely "wowed" by legendary music greats Elton John, Freddie Mercury of Queen, Roy Orbison, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, all whose influence would come to play an intricate part in refining Brandi as an artist.

Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17, 2011, the Green River Festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary as the Pioneer Valley's biggest outdoor event and music festival of the summer. Presented by the Greenfield Chamber of Commerce, the two-day festival will be held on the grounds of Greenfield Community College with more than 13,000 festival-goers expected to attend. Featuring three stages of folk, roots and country music, the Green River Festival offers up something for everyone. This is an alcohol-free, family event with lots of food and crafts from local restaurants and artisans, a dance tent, kids' activities, and a colorful display of hot air balloons with option to ride.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jim Olsen, president of Signature Sounds and Green River Festival talent buyer, about the Green River Festival, this year's lineup,  and his thoughts on festivals and the music industry today. Read what he has to say...

At 30 years old, Ingrid Michaelson is a woman of her own. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Although she has been approached by major record labels and producers, Ingrid Michaelson is holding her ground as an independent recording artist. In a competitive industry often driven by big money, national trends, and record sales, getting noticed as an indie-pop artist is no easy feat. However, with her smooth vocals and catchy, upbeat lyrics, Ingrid Michaelson is staring success in the eye from behind her trademark specs, making it all look too easy.

Born December 8, 1979, Ingrid Michaelson grew up in Staten Island, New York with dreams of one day practicing comedy as a musical theater actress. She never thought of becoming a musician, let alone a songwriter. Her passion for the arts and performing was nurtured by her parents from an early age. At four, she was learning to play the piano and later learned to play the guitar and ukulele. She attended various music schools in Manhattan and Staten Island and spent much of her youth honing her acting skills  performing in a musical childrens theater group called "Kids on Stage". Throughout high school, Ingrid Michaelson worked closely with a vocal coach  and graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in theater. After college, she pursued an acting career in NYC while writing music on the side. And then something changed... Ingrid found music and song-writing to be liberating in ways that her efforts in acting were not. As she puts it, she found something that made her feel "special". She was 23 and at an important crossroads. She relinquished a career in acting to follow her new found love as a singer/songwriter. 

The Festival...

Full of sweet rebellion and always on the cutting edge, the Newport Folk Festival has earned its reputation as a cultural icon while standing firmly on its liberal threshold. Founded in 1959, by jazz pianist and musical entrepreneur, George Wein, the Newport Folk Festival was born in a time of war and civil unrest. The festival introduced the world to the likes of  Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Odetta, Pete Seeger, and Mavis Staples and gave voice to a musical movement that would  greatly influence and empower a generation and the generations that followed.

The Man... 

George Wein is a man of great vision with a keen sense for talent and business know-how. He is, hands down, a pioneer in the music industry. In addition to founding both the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, George Wein was one of the first in the country to start organizing  and obtaining sponsorships for large scale music festivals and events which, ultimately, has had tremendous impact on the way we experience and are introduced to new music today. After the Newport Folk Festival fell into financial dismay and was forced to close its doors in 1971, Wein was on the forefront of one of the biggest festival comebacks ever. By changing the festivals business model from that of a non-profit organization to a for profit organization, The Newport Folk Festival was resurrected in 1985 and remains one of the longest running American music festivals to date.