CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — The Riverside Music Festival is back for its third annual event and one of its big perks for area music fans continues — the three-day festival is still free to attend.

After last year’s highly successful event, which attracted 6,000 people, more than 40 bands and musicians are set to embark on the third annual Riverside Music Festival on April 19 through 21 at The Riverside Inn and Dinner Theatre in Cambridge Springs.

For the last three years, Moyar Entertainment has produced the Riverside Music Festival as a featured event for the Riverside Inn during the month of April. As in the past, this year will feature top national, regional and local acts, in addition to workshops and demonstrations.

The festival’s objectives are to create a unique opportunity for those in the local and regional communities by providing music and education at no charge; provide the opportunity for those with musical instruments to take part in the various open jams throughout the festival; educate and build an awareness of the deep historical value of French Creek through various artifact displays and with an emphasis on water conservation; introduce younger generations to the arts in an interactive setting; and increase the number of attendees from 6,000 to 8,000 this year.

This year’s main stage headliners — The Bernie Worrell Orchestra and Hypnotic Clambake — will perform on April 19 and 20, respectively.

Bernie Worrell, Dr. Woo himself, along with his seven-piece ensemble, is expected to electrify the main stage on April 19 at 10 p.m. as the Bernie Worrell Orchestra. Worrell is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Hypnotic Clambake, a musical group from Rochester, N.Y., that is known for exploring a wide variety of musical genres his the main stage on April 20 at 9:30 p.m. Founded by front man and accordionist Maury Rosenberg in 1989 in Boston, the group began as a studio recording project and later evolved into a touring band. Rosenberg graduated from the Berklee College of Music, where he majored in filmscoring.

An often-changing lineup has helped influenced the many shifts of musical direction that Hypnotic Clambake has made over the years. Owing to a steady schedule of live performances throughout its career, the band has maintained a loyal cult following throughout the U.S., primarily in the northeastern region. Since 1996, the band has hosted the annual Outrageous Universe Revival Festival (OUR Fest) at the Brushwood Folklore Campground in Sherman, N.Y.

Many other musicians will perform on the pub stage all three days, while the Music Hall stage will feature musicians, Todd’s Musical Petting Zoo, Wood and Strings Music Store, vendors, workshops and demonstrations.

More than 80 instruments from around the world will be featured for an interactive experience for musicians and music lovers of all ages at Todd’s Musical Petting Zoo, while Liam guitar builder Patrick Podpadec brings his handmade guitars and mandolins, including a vast selection of the Wood and Strings Music Store to the festival.

Also, more than 15 vendors from all aspects of the music business will be on hand.



You can go

The third annual Riverside Music Festival takes place April 19 through 21 at The Riverside Inn and Dinner Theatre, 1 Fountain Ave., Cambridge Springs. The free-to-attend event includes more than 40 bands and musicians, who will grace three stages. The festival includes an interactive Music Mall, multiple workshops, demonstrations, music/art vendors, and local craft beers will be featured.



Schedule of events

April 19

Main stage

Sean Patrick and the Newgrass Revolution — 7:30 p.m.

Tiger Maple String Band — 8:30

Bernie Worrell Orchestra — 10

Pub stage

Jon Halmi — 4:30 p.m.

Seann P. Clark — 5:30

Brian McCoy — 6:30

Fred Oakman — 7:30

Rorie Kelly — 8:30

Amanda Noah — 9:30

Douglas The Iron Lung — 10:30

Broke Boland & the Dirty Pickles — 11:30

Music Mall stage

Spoon to Soon — 9 p.m.

April 20

Main stage

Salmon Frank — noon

The Heliotropes — 1 p.m.

Scarlet Ledbetter — 2

Birdsong — 3

The LEC — 4

Special Guest — 5

Adam Ezra Group — 6:30

Blue Sky Mission Club — 8

Hypnotic Clambake — 9:30

Pub stage

Dan Vogan — 11:30 a.m.

Frank Marzano — 12:30 p.m.

Heather DeVore — 1:30

Matt Texter — 2:30

Tony Kellogg — 3:30

East Clintwood — 4:30

Justin Moyar — 5:30

BJ O’Malley — 6:30

Chris Bell — 7:30

Ashlee K. Thomas — 8:30

The Grifters — 9:30

Music Mall stage

MJT — noon

Jerry Gaff — 1 p.m.

Michael Beach — 2

Optimistic Apocalypse — 3

Tom Hitt — 4

Andy Cyphert — 5

Raven Swing — 7

Todd Crowley — 8

Spoon Too Soon — 9

Workshops

Yoga Technique with Ashlee K. Thomas — 11 a.m.

Body Parts Healing Dance with Girl on Fire Movement Studio — noon

Banjo Technique with Dominick DeCecco — 1 p.m.

Basic Guitar Repair with Patrick Podpadec — 2

Glassblowing with Interglasstic — 3

Cloning and Transplanting with Terrapin Grow Shop — 4

April 21

Main stage

Mayflower Hill — 1 p.m.

The Soul Crackers — 2 p.m.

Pub stage

Ernest Whaley — noon

JC Nickles — 1 p.m.

Life(liss) — 2

Dirty Words — 3

Note: Schedule is subject to change.