If you’re coming from out of town for Dromfest, here’s why we hope you’ll buy a VIP pass.

The picturesque Hudson Valley is the kind of place where you’ll never run out of things to do outdoors, and its arts and music communities are filled with talented, creative people who make beautiful things. It’s amazing, peaceful place to visit and spend the weekend.

It is a privilege to host an event like Dromfest in a place that’s so beautiful, and to have so many excellent friends helping us make it happen.

But when the festival is over and everyone goes home with a weekend of memories, there are some realities that we live with here, and one of them is the issue of food insecurity. In the Mid-Hudson Valley, about 8% of households are food insecure, and in Greene County, where Dromfest is being held, the number is double that, according to the state Department of Health. It’s a crisis, and it’s not always visible to out-of-town folks enjoying the stunning scenery and wonderful food, wine, beer, art and music.

The Dromfest lineup is pretty special. It’s a great opportunity to see some amazing bands in an intimate space for a very affordable price. We are thrilled to share such a great lineup – in such a beautiful setting – with our out-of-town friends who are planning to spend a weekend.

But we’re also hoping that our out-of-town friends will give a little back by purchasing a VIP pass. The difference is just $25 per ticket, you’ll get a free Dromedary CD sampler, a drink special, and access to the lounge for the Saturday afterparty, and for every VIP pass sold, we will make a $20 donation to the Community Action of Greene County Food Pantry.

There’s nothing cooler than making a record with old friends!

Years ago – maybe 1994 – we walked into the old Under Acme club on Great Jones St, a place we visited and did shows frequently back then. The band onstage – a Columbus, Ohio group called Moviola – had all the things I loved about DIY rock: great songwriting, a swampy groove, and most of all, a homemade, sort of back porch quality that was so endearing.

I bought whatever music they had for sale, and fell in love with their track “Lookin’ In,” which I played incessantly for months. I struck up a pen-pal friendship with the band’s drummer, Ted Hattemer (who now plays bass for the band), and occasionally begged them to let me put out a record on Dromedary. We stayed in touch over the years, first by sending each other records back and forth in the mail, then through occasional emails, finally on Facebook. I bought every record, played them on the radio, posted them on social media – loving every step of their trajectory as a band.

During that time, the band grew and matured – the best description I’d read of them was something to the effect of “Moviola evolved from being one of the best indie rock bands in the country to being one of the best roots rock bands in the country” – their music steeping in the flavor of so many great midwestern indie bands, their songwriting growing to reflect the patience and wisdom that comes with getting a little older.

Last year, Moviola came out to Catskill to participate in Dromfest ’24 – it was so great to see them all, and we had so much fun at the show, it was great to see them live for the first time in 30 years. And now, to announce something we’ve been dying to do for decades – the band’s next album, Earthbound, will be released on Dromedary August 29 – the first day of Dromfest ’25.

It’s an excellent record, and we’re thrilled that Magnet magazine – also long-time fans of the band – will be premiering the first track, “Slage Wave.” You can preorder it today on our web store. Give it a spin and check it out!

On the Saturday afternoon of Dromfest ’24, I was sitting with some friends, having a beer at Left Bank Ciders inbetween performances. One of the performers who was sitting with me was trying to articulate her opinion of the weekend, and she called it life-affirming. It was as good a term as any to describe the positive, friendly vibes that surrounded the weekend.

A couple of months after it was over, a person who’d never played it before reached out and said “If you do another one next year, I’d like to be a part of it.”

And so here we are.

So we’re thrilled to announce the third annual DromFest, a weekend-long celebration of independent rock in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley, on August 29, 30 and 31, 2025. The event will take place in and around the Avalon Lounge, one of the most creative and supportive spaces for adventurous music in the area.

This year’s lineup includes a number of musical luminaries, poets, and some of our favorite figures in indie rock. The lineup looks like this:

FRIDAY
Sunburned Hand of the Man
Chris Brokaw
Roger Clark Miller

SATURDAY
Madder Rose
Scrawl
Moviola
Bunnygrunt
Beth Kaplan
New Radiant Storm King
Vehicle Flips
Lupo Citta
$500
Erin Barth-Dwyer
Plus poetry readings by Annie Christain, Bel Simek and Karen Schoemer

SUNDAY
Das Damen
Phantom Tollbooth
Cathedral Ceilings
The Dambuilders
Rebecca Gates
Thalia Zedek Band
Mark Robinson
French
Fly Ashtray
King In Yellow
Plus a screening of the documentary film “Flipside.”

We’ve got all kinds of other stuff in the works, including a special afterparty for VIP passholders, a Saturday breakfast performer, and another custom Dromedary beer, craft brewed right in Catskill by our pals at Return Brewing.

There are so many special performances and great relationships in this weekend’s shows, I don’t know where to start. You’ll have to just follow us on social media to read more.

Friday night tickets and Saturday/Sunday Weekend passes are on sale NOW.  Buy them here.

We’re so excited to announce that “Falling Down,” the debut LP by Dauber, is now available. Dauber features King Mike (Screaming Females), Jenna Fairey (Spowder) and Quinn Murphy – when we heard their first single, it was right up our alley.

Mike is also the co-owner of the great State Champion record label, one of our favorite DIY ventures. State Champion is offering “Falling Down” on limited-edition cassette with hand-screened J-cards. Recess Records is handling the vinyl and digital; we’ve got the CD. We like the CD best. 🙂

“Falling Down” is streaming on our Bandcamp page, where you can also order CDs – you can find the download everywhere digital music is sold, the wax over at Recess, and the cassette at State Champ – why not buy one of each?