By Dave Warner
It’s that time of year again, when the festivals in Little Falls kick off. This year, it’s Rock Valley Brewing Company leading the charge on May 17, 2025 with their Rock Valley Music Festival which runs from 2 -11 pm. Mike George, owner of the brewery sat down with Scott Kinville and myself to talk about the festival and even a little about brewing beer.
George said, “We’ve brought three great bands this year. We actually shortened the duration of the concert by a little bit. Last year we had started out with some acoustic music and the reception to that wasn’t so great, so we’ve condensed into the three bands and nine hours of music.”
They’ll have food, craft beer, New York State wines, and hard cider. It’s not just Rock Valley products. “We carry products from a number of vendors throughout New York State.”
“God willing, the weather will be great. We’ve been very fortunate the past two years that we’ve had the festival. I have faith it’s going to be a great day. Our staff is very involved in it, and we have a number of volunteers that will be helping us as well,” George stated.
He said they already have had a working relationship with the bands that will be performing this year and that the sound and light guys have done a great job. “It looks to be a lot of fun, like it has in the past.”
The festival is both indoors and outdoors and that part of West Mill Street will be closed to traffic. There will be an outside stage next to one of the food trucks and they’ll play outside, weather permitting. If not, they have the large indoor tap room with a stage, and also the smaller brick tap room.
“There’s plenty of room for people to wander around during the day, grab a bite to eat, sit down, relax, and listen to the music,” he stated.
For those who have never been there, Rock Valley Brewing also has an outdoor beer garden with chairs that overlook the Mohawk River and the Valley.
George said that the idea for the festival came from a friend of his, Mark Regan. He said that he would have music during his birthday party and would invite friends and family. Regan thought it would be a great idea to do that down by the river.
“The first year was a great success. We had corporate sponsors for the event, and we wanted to see how it would go off. We brought in three acts. One was a larger one from the Albany area, and it was fantastic. I don’t think I’ve been that tired in a long time,” he said.
George said that he was amazed at how the community had pitched in to help make it successful. “I’m very, very thankful for that again.”
They carried the festival on again last year, with even more success. “We hope it will be even bigger this year.
George said that The Valley Rockers, which includes Rich Morocco, a Little Falls legend, will open the show. “Rich has played in the Little Falls area and beyond for years and years. They have a cult following for sure. I think everybody loves their stage antics too.”
“The second band is from the Johnstown to Albany area, and they’re called The Ultimates. They actually played at our place last year,” he said.
George said he was blown away by their performance. He said there are a lot of good bands in the area, but they are definitely one of his top five favorites.
“I was very impressed with their quality of music and song selection and how well the music was played,” he stated.
The final band is Utica-based Dubonnet Live. “They’ve been playing the live scene for twenty-five to thirty years. They’re fronted by a woman named Andrea Dubonnet, who is another one that absolutely blew me away the first time we had them at the brewery.”
Kinville stated, “Sounds like this is going to be an awesome day. You have three great acts, back, to back, to back. There’s going to be no break from the Rock N Roll.”
George said that the live music at the brewery comes from his love of music. “I was in a couple of bands in my youth and had a lot of fun. We had a blast.”
“I get the best parts of it now. I go up and sing with the bands occasionally, and I get to leave. It’s great,” he said.
To find out more about Rock Valley Brewing Company and the music festival, visit them on Facebook.
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