“Brian Wilson was on my mind a lot with that song,” she says. “He lived a life always spotted by issues with his mental health, and it wasn’t fully understood. I was raised by very strong men, and the most beautiful moments were when they gave themselves permission to cry. That was powerful.”

At this year’s Levitate Music Festival, Samantha McKaige and her band brought a mix of raw earnestness and offbeat charm to their set. They then carried that same energy straight into a backstage conversation that veered between heartfelt reflection and Sting karaoke.

Lily Fitts didn’t set out to be a musician. Not really. She was studying microbiology and biochemistry at UMass Amherst. An aspiring doctor with a dog named Duncan and a guitar that mostly stayed off the stage. Music was her escape. A coping mechanism. A hobby.

Now? She’s coming off a headline show at Hyde Park, has just released her debut album Getting By – of which Duncan himself graced the cover – and she’s gearing up for her first sold-out U.S. tour. 

The birds were singing backup.

It’s the kind of detail you’d think was poetic license if you hadn’t been there. But as Coral Moons opened this year’s Green River Festival with a breezy, soul-tinged set, actual birds chirped in harmony above the Back Porch Stage.