Cozy up at Portsmouth's Summit Indie Fest
By Minna Abdel-Gawad
On Sept. 30, Portsmouth Book & Bar hosted their annual musical showcase, Summit Indie Festival, at the top of the Fall season. Founded and directed by Joel Greer, the festival showcases local New England talent raising funds for Team Summit, a non-profit providing community outreach and support to youth in Lawrence, MA. I had the opportunity to attend Summit Indie Fest in 2022 and could sense the palpable comfort and joy every act that stepped on stage radiated.
Greer founded the festival four years ago with nothing but passion, enthusiasm and an unadulterated love for music in mind. “I don't play any instruments myself, and I don't really put much art into the world,” Greer shares. “I thought that maybe the art that I could produce would be curating music.”
When you picture a music festival, you tend to imagine massive stages spanning miles of land. You bake in the sun, donning a trusty fanny pack, watching swarms of people clad in their most neon clothing. Summit Indie Fest breaks the classic conventions of these festivals, favoring a cozy and comforting performance space.
The festival features two stages, indoor and out. Inside of a disco ball clad room lined wall to wall in bookshelves, you’ll find the ideal environment for drinking, socializing, and grooving along to music. The outdoor stage gives attendees a chance to enjoy the crisp Autumn air, offering visitors a taste of Portsmouth’s local music scene as they stroll down Pleasant St.
After years of frequenting Portsmouth Book & Bar, indie folk band Sneaky Miles headlined this year’s fest. Lead vocalist, Kevin O’Brien, shares “[Book & Bar] is very homey and welcoming and laid back. It is kind of an interesting space to do it but it somehow works so well!” Indie pop performer Alaina Ray added, “I usually get super nervous before I go on, but it has such a cozy vibe that it’s hard to be nervous.” O’Brien explained how this unconventional format works: “The patio draws in people from the outside and then they go into the main entrance and, all of a sudden, there's another stage there.”
Hoping to fill those stages, Greer scours New England all year to curate a roster of stellar local talent. “I spend time going to shows all over the region.” Greer adds “Finding these bands gave me a little more of a purpose besides just listening [to the music.]-- It gave me a chance to treasure hunt.”
While on one of his infamous treasure hunts, Greer stumbled upon a young Alaina Ray. The artist shares “I was at an open mic at a local coffee shop and Joel was in that audience and that’s how I got invited to Summit Indie Fest.” She adds “I was 18 when I first played [Summit], Joel took a chance with me, and I’m 21 now and just such a different artist, it’s crazy!”
O’Brien recounted his first Summit Indie Fest, sharing that “[Joel] reached out to us for the first Summit but was like ‘Sorry guys, the bill is full. But I'd love to give you guys free passes, you can come down and meet some of the other local artists.”
“He does such a good job making everybody feel like they're at home,” O’Brien continues. “He’s introducing musicians to other musicians and fans and making everybody feel like they're a part of it.”
At the crux of the fest is its community, a love for performance and soul. “It's so nice meeting and performing with such amazing artists. I feel so honored to even be there,” Ray shares excitedly. “We'll move around big stuff just to make room for Summit,” O’Brien states plainly. “We gotta do it for the soul.”