“You Never Need Nobody”
We recently started playing this song on mvyradio and it immediately caught my ear. The Lone Bellow is a trio based in Brooklyn who harmonize beautifully. Zach Williams is the primary songwriter, and it’s clear he connects passionately with the words he has written. After listening to this group perform live, I’m not surprised they were one of the first artists announced for the upcoming Newport Folk Festival.
Filed under LIVE music, mvyradio, NEW Music, Song Of The Day
I like that I write on my own time and don’t have stressful deadlines, but after a musical event like Newport Folk, I can be stunned into silence for a while - in this case, a whole week! Sorry for the delay but I’ve found it can take me quite a while to process experiences like these. Newport Folk Festival 2012 was incredible in so many ways…it remains one of the top musical events of the year in my eyes. Here are a few highlights for me from the weekend:
WILCO
For the first time, the Friday night kickoff show was AT the Fort, and WILCO simply crushed their set.
photo by PJ Finn
Charles Bradley
I think this guy was the big surprise for a lot of people at Newport. His performance was just dripping with genuine emotion and soul.
tUnE-yArDs
Maybe you’ve seen a few borderline creepy videos from Tune-yards, but did you know the music is made mostly by just one woman? I didn’t until Newport. Merrill Garbus uses drum loops and pedals to create experimental, tribal-infused, electro-pop that’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before. She’s joined by a bassist and two horn players when she performs live.
The Tallest Man On Earth
Kristian Matsson was one of the only performers of the weekend who took the stage on his own, with just his guitar in hand (he did sit and play keys at one point). I’m still in awe of his commanding stage presence and captivating lyrics. My dad was listening to his set via mvyradio and put it simply – “He’s my new favorite singer/songwriter”
Filed under Check it out, LIVE music, Newport Folk 2012
“Bright Lights”
Well, Newport Folk is upon us – I’ll be heading down to Fort Adams tomorrow for WILCO! If you can’t make it, tune in to mvyradio for coverage of the festival…starting with a LIVE broadcast of the WILCO show tomorrow night! And now, another artist I don’t know much about who I’m looking forward to seeing…
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this young blues guitar player from Texas and I’m excited to see him live at Newport. His set is sure to be one of the more rockin’ ones.
Filed under LIVE music, Newport Folk 2012, Song Of The Day
“Magic Chords”
This is one of those artists who I’ve heard SO MUCH about, but for one reason or another I’ve never explored her music. That is, I hadn’t until I saw her name on the Newport Folk lineup…and I’m very impressed with the mood and atmosphere she creates in her songs. I’m really excited to see her live at Newport!
Filed under LIVE music, Newport Folk 2012, Song Of The Day
“Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine”
I’ve not listened to much of Tom Morello’s project as The Nightwatchman, but this tune sure gets me excited to check him out live at Newport Folk!
Filed under Newport Folk 2012, Song Of The Day
“Blue”
I remember hearing about First Aid Kit years ago when they caught a lot of attention on YouTube for their cover of the Fleet Foxes tune “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”. Since then, I haven’t been keeping up with the Swedish duo…but I poked around their catalog when I saw them on the Newport Folk lineup. I like most of what I heard from them, but this particular song is far and away my favorite! As always, these sisters nail the harmonies and there’s such a playfulness to the tune, despite the sad lyrics (and perfectly creepy video):
Filed under Newport Folk 2012, Song Of The Day
Breaking the silence…
First off, I apologize. It’s been an entire week since my last post and I’ve felt like a slacker. But I have an excuse! Newport Folk Festival 2011 rocked my world. In my last post, I explained how I’d be spending the festival…mostly working my tail off, and enjoying whatever I could catch here or there. Well, the entire experience was quite stunning…and left me somewhat in a state of shock (and exhaustion). So it took me a week before I could bring myself to log on here, click ‘new post’, and attempt to get my feelings across to you. And here we are.
The strongest feeling I’ve come away with is a sense of pride and accomplishment. I was part of an awesome team who kicked ass covering the festival…bringing the main stage acts LIVE across the radio airwaves in Newport (96.5FM) and on the Cape & Islands (92.7FM) as well as posting recordings of nearly every set of music performed throughout the weekend on our website along with tons of exclusive interviews and photos (and not to mention our stellar Facebook coverage).
Aside from that, I was also a sponge soaking in every little drop of amazing music that came my way. Even while sitting at my post backstage for almost the entire festival, I witnessed impromptu performances and jams and got to meet many of the artists who came to our tent to be interviewed. I could also hear the Quad stage quite clearly (especially when the louder bands rocked it), plus there was a pair of headphones right next to me with the main stage feed coming through, so I put those on and blissed out pretty frequently. With all of that and a few jogs to catch a song here or there while my files were saving, I experienced quite a bit of musical magic. Here are some highlights:
*photo by Scott Wurster
Meeting Amos Lee was probably one of the best moments of the festival for me. He was super super sweet and SO striking in person. You hear the word SOUL used a lot when talking about music these days…but I think this man is the real deal…his voice is the epitome of SOUL. Listen to Barbara interview him HERE. And listen to his amazing set on the main stage HERE.
*photo by Scott Wurster
I got to hear a good portion of The Decemberists and their set was just dynamite! They played a perfect mix of new and old songs in their catalogue to please every fan. Colin Meloy was hilarious too! I can’t be sure, but I’d like to think that this picture was taken right as he was telling the crowd to scream like they were being eaten by a whale, haha… definitely check out their performance …LISTEN HERE.
*photo by Scott Wurster
Mavis Staples is such an incredible performer AND person. While she’s on stage of course, but also anytime you see or talk to her, she just exudes a light that makes you smile and feel good about the world, and you can really hear that in her interview with Barbara…LISTEN HERE.
*photos by Scott Wurster
Although they were probably the farthest from ‘folk’ at the festival, performances from Delta Spirit and Middle Brother were exceptional. I think Delta Spirit has long been one of my new favorite bands and their rockin’ set really sealed the deal for me. Then, put the singers of Delta Spirit, Dawes, and Deer Tick together and you’ve got Middle Brother - one of the best supergroups I’ve seen in several years. LISTEN TO DELTA SPIRIT. LISTEN TO MIDDLE BROTHER.
*photo by Scott Wurster
When you hear just a few minutes of stage banter and half a song and then you include that in your list of highlights, that’s when you know The Civil Wars are really something special. I was bummed they were playing on the stage furthest away from me at the festival, but when I ran over there quickly I really was struck by how they commanded the stage and the audience’s attention. You could hear a pin drop in the tent as their intoxicating harmonies cut through the quiet, hot air. Hear part of their performance and Barbara’s interview with them in OUR ARCHIVES.
There was a whole lot more over the course of the weekend, but I’ll leave it at that for today. Now that I’ve had some time to process the experience, I hope to keep sharing it with you here. I’ve said it before, and here I go again…Fort Adams is a magical place, and Newport Folk is one of the most incredible festivals I’ve ever attended. The history, the gorgeous setting, the knowledgeable and well-behaved festival goers, the talent, the collaborations…it all makes for such a special, peaceful place to enjoy the music.
*photo by Jess Phaneuf
If you’ve yet to click on any of the above links to the mvyradio archives,
CLICK HERE TO STREAM & DOWNLOAD LIVE SETS FROM NEWPORT 2011
Filed under Check it out, LIVE music, mvyradio
Well, after months of planning and organizing and anticipating, Newport Folk Festival 2011 is upon us! This year is by far the best Newport Folk lineup yet (I can say that with certainty because there’s proof – tickets sold out weeks in advance for the first time in the festival’s history!), and I’m beyond excited to attend the event with mvyradio.
Realistically, I won’t be seeing much music at all. Just like last year, I’ll be at our mvy tent in the Quad area backstage with several computers and a lot of responsibility. However, this is something I’m going to enjoy immensely…I’ll be editing every live performance to ready it for posting on our website and I’ll also be heading our Facebook and Twitter coverage.
Regardless of the fact that I won’t be strolling around enjoying the music from in front of the stage, I’m still psyched to just be in the presence of some amazing artists and to hear their performances from a distance (or through my headphones shortly afterwards).
Here are the artists I’m MOST excited about seeing/hearing:
Elvis Costello
Amos Lee
M. Ward**
The Civil Wars
Delta Spirit**
Tegan & Sara**
Chris Thile & Michael Daves
Middle Brother**
Justin Townes Earle**
Freelance Whales**
Typhoon
**With luck, I’ll be able to catch a portion of these sets since they’re on the Quad stage…the closest to our tent!
Make sure you check in with mvyradio either on your computer or your mobile phone to follow our coverage…we’ll be STREAMING SETS LIVE FROM THE MAIN STAGE! Also visit us on FACEBOOK where we’ll be sharing our entire Newport experience!
Filed under Check it out, LIVE music
David Wax Museum – “Born With A Broken Heart”
SO flipping excited about Newport Folk… in just a few days! This Boston-based band will be at the festival for their second year in a row, after NPR named their 2010 set one of the best moments of the festival.
Filed under Song Of The Day
Freelance Whales – “Hannah”
Wow. I think my co-worker, Barbara said it best today when she asked, “Isn’t it a little overwhelming?”. The lineup at Newport Folk is incredible this year, and there is no doubt that whatever you end up seeing/hearing from the festival will be amazing. As I continue to absorb myself in all artists Newport-related, I keep finding more awesome tunes… like this one from New York City-based Freelance Whales:
Filed under Check it out, Song Of The Day
