At a Hillsdale Farm, American Roots Music Finds a Home

Musicians from all over the country converged on Cool Whisper Farm north of Hillsdale for the Oldtone Festival last weekend to tell stories, jam, share their skills, and perform for an appreciative crowd. The festival started out at the Lantern in Wassaic in 2015, inspired by the Grey Fox festival in the Catskills, one of the country’s most established jamborees. Oldtone had a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and staged a comeback in 2024.

This year, under sunny skies and a requisite downpour or two, approximately 1,400 ticket holders — a couple hundred more than last year — gathered to celebrate and listen to bluegrass, honky-tonk, Cajun, old-time, folk, salsa, country, and Western swing music. That figure was in addition to more than 100 staff members and volunteers.

Festivalgoers also danced in a dance tent with a spectacular view of the surrounding hills and learned about craft in the workshop tent, perhaps over a beer and pulled pork dinner from the various food stands. Kids ran about and had special things just for them, such as face painting and puppet shows.

The show is run by scores of local volunteers who donate their time and skills to build the stages, rig the electricity, manage the parking, cook, and supervise the backstage area.

“We wouldn’t be able to put this show on without our volunteers,” said festival electrician Kevin Walsh of Pine Plains.

One volunteer, Pine Plains resident Beth McLiverty, arrived with her camper in anticipation of her first time at the festival as manager of the green room, where musicians gather before going onstage. She observed that “the Cajuns have their own area where they hang out.”

“They’re doing some cooking, too,” Walsh added.

Delicious smells wafted from the pots adjacent to the green room, suggesting that all the artists were eating well.

More than 100 artists performed over the course of the festival, with some appearing in more than one band. The honky-tonk revue Friday night, for example, brought together musicians specifically for that set. Some were already appearing with other bands, while others had been invited to the festival just for the revue.

Trevor Roush, who helps organize and produce Oldtone, and longtime organizer Jim Wright book the musicians. Vivian Walsh serves as the festival’s treasurer. Oldtone is in its third year operating as a nonprofit. While ticket sales are strong, the festival relies on donations and sponsors to meet its budget.

On Saturday, the crowd rocked out to the lively Cajun fiddle and accordion music of Joel Savoy (pronounced Sa-vua) and Linzay Young, who regaled the audience with songs in French and English. The set included a song written by Young.

“My cousin Donnie says, ‘I’m Cajun so if I cook spaghetti it’s Cajun food.’ Well, I’m Cajun and I wrote this music so it’s Cajun,” Young quipped.

He also recounted that Savoy, the son of celebrated accordion maker Marc Savoy, had made the accordion he played and given it to him as a wedding present.

On Friday, Texan Marley Hale presented her classic country and folk tunes. Like many of the artists, her journey to essential American music did not follow a linear path. At age 10, Hale was taught guitar by her father, a heavy metal musician. When she abandoned metal for folk music, her father grew concerned, she said.

“‘Do you have a Plan B?’ he told me. ‘Maybe you should think about getting a job.’ I said, ‘Dad, that sounds kind of funny coming from a heavy metal rocker.’”

Today, Hale tours and records her own music — but also has a day job.

Jerron Paxton, a well-known multi-instrumentalist and blues musician from California who attended Marist College, learned to play the fiddle at 12 and picked up the banjo and harmonica two years later. His grandparents moved to California from Louisiana, and he became interested in the old Cajun and country blues songs that his grandmother sang to him.

Paxton did two sets on Friday, occasionally scolding his old banjo as if it were a misbehaving child. In his session in the workshop tent, he played tunes by Vess Ossman, a pioneering banjo player from Hudson, New York.

“Vess was a major popularizer of the banjo in America in the 19th century, and he was born and raised just nearby,” Paxton noted. “That’s important to know.”

The green room was a low-key hangout for artists and a place to generate music. There, musicians who’d never previously met jammed over beers. Paxton clicked with a guitarist in the green room whom he invited onto the stage to do a few songs together.

The moment captured the alchemy that every festival of this type strives for — a spontaneous melding of talents that yields magic.

The talent ranged from younger artists such as Hale to long-established musicians. Jesse Lege, a master accordionist, has played for more than 40 years.

“Jesse is a legend,” Roush said. “He and Bayou Brew have played Oldtone since 2015. Alex Torres, who plays merengue and salsa, has had a band for 46 years.”

While Sunday morning’s downpour put a damper on the crowd size for the popular gospel performance by Nadine Landry, the organizers moved the show to the dance tent, and the celebration continued without missing a beat.

Later, the sky cleared, the afternoon sun came out, and Jesse Lege hauled out his accordion and took the crowd on a tour of authentic Cajun music.

“It was another magical moment,” said festival devotee Matt Gordon of Rosendale. “Where else would you find such a variety of American music?”

“It was a spectacular year,” Walsh said. “All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Everyone had a fantastic time. We look forward to next year.”

Oldtone returns in September 2027.