Great South Bay Music Festival: Diverse musical lineup draws thousands to four-day fest

Bubbles, beach balls and funky bass riffs rippled through the air as the Great South Bay Music Festival continued at Shorefront Park in Patchogue Saturday.

The four-day festival has brought a diverse lineup to the waterfront venue for 16 years. This year’s event includes more than 50 acts across three stages, spanning genres from blues to reggae, ska and rock.

Saturday was jam band day, and the crowd of 5,500 in front of the main stage was a sea of tie-dye, swaying in a breeze off the Great South Bay that kept the heat in check.

Karina Rykman opened the main stage with a charismatic set, twirling in circles while plucking her sparkly gold bass. She concluded with “Elevator,” a hit from her debut album "Joyride," released last year and coproduced by Phish frontman Trey Anastasio.

“I was extremely impressed,” said Marylou Krijnse Locker, 58, of Huntington, who has been coming to the festival with her husband, Mark, 57, for more than a decade. “It’s just so cool to see a woman up there as the lead.” 

Like many, the couple arrived early to get a good spot and await Saturday’s headliners, which included The Disco Biscuits and Dark Star Orchestra.

 But they were thrilled to discover Rykman’s music. “That’s why we try to get here early,” Krijnse Locker said.

For some, the concert is an annual tradition. The Stark family, of East Quogue, has been coming for years and said the atmosphere and proximity to home have kept them coming back.

Julie Stark, 61, met her husband Mitch, 59, on a Long Island Rail Road train headed to a Grateful Dead concert in 1993. They’ve been taking their son Dan, 20, to music festivals since he was 7. They were looking forward to seeing Dark Star Orchestra, which covers the Grateful Dead's music, for the first time.

“We’ll see if we can try to guess what [Grateful Dead] show it is,” Dan Stark said.

Others were hoping to start a new tradition.

Scott and Leonora Heinrich-Scheller, originally from Long Island but visiting from the Hudson Valley, brought their 4-year-old son Henry along to see their favorite band, The Disco Biscuits.

“It’s a dance party,” said Scott, 45. Munching on a French fry, it seemed Henry would fit in just fine, proclaiming that his favorite band is Phish. “And my favorite is classic rock,” he said.

Nearly a dozen other local bands were slated to play two other stages Saturday, including Orchyd, a six-piece psychedelic rock band based in Lindenhurst that won their set through a battle of the bands competition by WEHM radio.

They performed a mix of original music and covers of musical inspirations, from Jerry Garcia to the Allman Brothers Band.

Guitarist Brian Huggins, 21, said the festival was their biggest gig so far. “It was horrifying at first, but we got into the groove of things, and it felt awesome,” he said after performing.

“They were very cool, and they fit the festival,” said organizer Jim Faith, who helped judge the competition last month.

Sunday marks the last day, with a stacked classic rock lineup that includes former Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Justin Hayward, formerly of The Moody Blues, and Jon Anderson, the original voice of Yes.

Faith said when he set out to organize the festival, he always envisioned something for every taste. It’s grown from one stage to three, with bigger headlining acts announced each year.

“It kind of grew organically. It’s a very family, community-minded thing,” he said. “I think that’s a big part of it.”