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Like most years, I spent a lot of time in the museum this year. Highlights were Autumn Defense, and 2 Trains Runnin' on Sunday although there was maybe 10 other people in there with me for that one.
What happened at the 2 Trains Runnin' set? Who played?
Like most years, I spent a lot of time in the museum this year. Highlights were Autumn Defense, and 2 Trains Runnin' on Sunday although there was maybe 10 other people in there with me for that one.
What happened at the 2 Trains Runnin' set? Who played?
It was a screening and talk regarding the documentary itself, Valerie June sang a few songs and the musical director of the film played some highlights.
What happened at the 2 Trains Runnin' set? Who played?
It was a screening and talk regarding the documentary itself, Valerie June sang a few songs and the musical director of the film played some highlights.
It was a screening and talk regarding the documentary itself, Valerie June sang a few songs and the musical director of the film played some highlights.
I'm surprised Gary didn't pop in as well
I walked in about 5 minutes late while Valerie was singing, there’s a chance he came out for one song I didn’t catch
Post by earthshoe12 on Aug 2, 2018 10:49:32 GMT -5
Another incredible year in the books. How you folks pick your favorite sets of the weekend is beyond me, so I wrote short thoughts of everything I saw throughout the weekend. It's long, thanks in advance to anyone who actually reads it. No museum this year, but shouts out to Spirit Family in the Family tent. Had a touch of weird experience at Deer Tick saturday, but that'll be another post.
Running through the schedule for quick thoughts on everyone I saw:
Friday Darlingside--perfect opening and this year's "favorite band I had never heard of before." Caught them in the family tent as well. "God of Loss" had my wife and I in tears before we were even on the grounds an hour. Fantastic Negrito--Only caught the end of the set, but looked pretty groovy Amanda Shires--Watched from the beer line. Didn't like her as much as I thought I would, but definitely still good. Margo Price--Her albums don't really move me, but holy cow does she put on a live show. I've still got "9 to 5" stuck in my head. Moses Sumney--Came around the corner in time to hear all of "Rank and File" and holy hell was that cool. Wish I had seen the whole set. Glorietta--Watched a few songs from Beer Prison, didn't really do anything for me, although that could be the setting. Lucius--I love Lucius so much that even this too-subdued set was great. Got there in time for "Dusty Trails" which is a favorite. Wish they had gone bigger and more dance-y, although my wife says I missed a hot version of "turn it around" Sturgill Simpson--Contender for best set of the weekend for me. I like him fine as a songwriter but I had no clue he could shred like that. His rhythm section is rock-steady and he was like "ok boys, try and keep up." A blast. St. Vincent--Ran over for two songs to see if she was being weird. She was, and I was happy. Wood Brothers--Sad that I didn't really get to see them, as they were new to me this year and became a favorite but I couldn't tear myself from Sturgill. Still got to hear "Luckiest Man" coming back from St. Vincent though, a great tune. Jason Isbell--I just love him. Sometimes I try to break music apart but sometimes there is just something about the melodies someone is pulling out of the air that makes me feel like they were tailor made for me. Not my favorite closer or even my favorite set of the day, but like Decemberists it's hard to imagine ever being disappointed by him. Crosby was a treat.
Saturday Bedouine--Watched her for a lot longer than I expected, wife in tears when Lucius came out to sing harmonies. Great voice, excellent songwriter, grew on me and will definitely be keeping an eye on her. Hiss Golden Messenger--Caught the end of the set. It's fun, and I like the last album more than anything else, but I think I'm going to have to see him for a whole set before I really get it. Valerie June--A pleasant surprise! She is a lot of fun and while I don't personally subscribe to the astral plane she is certainly enjoying herself. Saw her playing with the kids in the foundation tent as well, which was the kind of special moment that only happens here. Shakey Graves--Only watched the first two. We love him, but have never watched him. Get ye to Oregon for something other than Pickathon please Shakey! Colter Wall--got seats for the whole set. Love the songwriting, can't believe that giant voice comes a from such a tiny guy. Jenny Lewis--My queen. Shouting along to "With Arms Outstretched" From beer prison, realizing her tunes have been defining my life for over a decade. Beautiful harmonies from the special guests. My favorite rock star. Courtney Barnett--the best at not giving a flip. Got to hear "Depreston" which is my favorite. New songs are growing on me. She's got something special. I joke about who is my favorite Bob Dylan at the moment, but she's more like him than anyone else because she's doing something that feels genuinely new. And not a heckuva guitarist to boot, although she wouldn't really show off until Sunday. The Mumfords--I've got complicated feelings about them, I won't lie. After getting into the indie-folk revival in college, when Mumford hit the radio I described them as "like someone came up and started a pleasant conversation with me while wearing one of my friend's faces." But I can't deny that they brought it, and they got it. Loved that they collaborated. My wife has been onto Maggie Rogers for a while now, so it was a treat to see her showcased. And even the most jaded hater couldn't help but be brought to church by "the weight" with Mavis--that's everything I want.
Sunday War and Treaty--Only caught the last song, but daaang did it scorch. Wish I had seen the whole set and will definitely keep an eye out for local shows. Jen Cloher--Another contender for set of the weekend. Watched it all from the comfort of the hill. Fuzzy, Female Fronted Indie Rock is all I want in life and this gave it to me in spades. I was humming "Regional Echo" and "Fear is Like a Forest" for the rest of the day. This is where Courtney really showed off her guitar chops. Saw a picture of the two of them on Consequence of Sound--get you a significant other who looks at you the way Courtney Barnett looks at Jen Cloher. Lone Bellow--What I wish Lucius' set was. They're not my favorites, and the albums don't do it for me. But dang do they bring the fort to life. His preacher energy, their gorgeous harmonies--this is what a Fort set looks like. Nicole Atkins--Caught the last two tunes. Stellar voice Gary Clark--I think he's got the blues. Great voice, great guitar, great lobster roll while listening. Bermuda Triangle--Even in a subdued band like this Brittany Howard absolutely commands the stage. Wish I saw the whole thing, but I couldn't miss a second of Brandi. Brandi Carlile--Another contender for favorite set of the weekend. The voice, the songs, the stories, the jacket. "The Eye" is one of the prettiest songs I've heard in my whole life. Loved every one of her guest spots, and loved her set. A Change is Gonna Come--The folks who weren't 100% on board for this...y'all crazy. I loved every second of it. Valerie June punching above her weight. The haunting "Ohio" cover. Chris Thile and John Batiste music-nerding out all over each other. Leon and Kam dancing all up on each other. Brittany. Mavis. The sunset. A 5th perfect ending to a 5th perfect weekend.
Another incredible year in the books. How you folks pick your favorite sets of the weekend is beyond me, so I wrote short thoughts of everything I saw throughout the weekend. It's long, thanks in advance to anyone who actually reads it. No museum this year, but shouts out to Spirit Family in the Family tent. Had a touch of weird experience at Deer Tick saturday, but that'll be another post.
Running through the schedule for quick thoughts on everyone I saw:
Friday Darlingside--perfect opening and this year's "favorite band I had never heard of before." Caught them in the family tent as well. "God of Loss" had my wife and I in tears before we were even on the grounds an hour. Fantastic Negrito--Only caught the end of the set, but looked pretty groovy Amanda Shires--Watched from the beer line. Didn't like her as much as I thought I would, but definitely still good. Margo Price--Her albums don't really move me, but holy cow does she put on a live show. I've still got "9 to 5" stuck in my head. Moses Sumney--Came around the corner in time to hear all of "Rank and File" and holy hell was that cool. Wish I had seen the whole set. Glorietta--Watched a few songs from Beer Prison, didn't really do anything for me, although that could be the setting. Lucius--I love Lucius so much that even this too-subdued set was great. Got there in time for "Dusty Trails" which is a favorite. Wish they had gone bigger and more dance-y, although my wife says I missed a hot version of "turn it around" Sturgill Simpson--Contender for best set of the weekend for me. I like him fine as a songwriter but I had no clue he could shred like that. His rhythm section is rock-steady and he was like "ok boys, try and keep up." A blast. St. Vincent--Ran over for two songs to see if she was being weird. She was, and I was happy. Wood Brothers--Sad that I didn't really get to see them, as they were new to me this year and became a favorite but I couldn't tear myself from Sturgill. Still got to hear "Luckiest Man" coming back from St. Vincent though, a great tune. Jason Isbell--I just love him. Sometimes I try to break music apart but sometimes there is just something about the melodies someone is pulling out of the air that makes me feel like they were tailor made for me. Not my favorite closer or even my favorite set of the day, but like Decemberists it's hard to imagine ever being disappointed by him. Crosby was a treat.
Saturday Bedouine--Watched her for a lot longer than I expected, wife in tears when Lucius came out to sing harmonies. Great voice, excellent songwriter, grew on me and will definitely be keeping an eye on her. Hiss Golden Messenger--Caught the end of the set. It's fun, and I like the last album more than anything else, but I think I'm going to have to see him for a whole set before I really get it. Valerie June--A pleasant surprise! She is a lot of fun and while I don't personally subscribe to the astral plane she is certainly enjoying herself. Saw her playing with the kids in the foundation tent as well, which was the kind of special moment that only happens here. Shakey Graves--Only watched the first two. We love him, but have never watched him. Get ye to Oregon for something other than Pickathon please Shakey! Colter Wall--got seats for the whole set. Love the songwriting, can't believe that giant voice comes a from such a tiny guy. Jenny Lewis--My queen. Shouting along to "With Arms Outstretched" From beer prison, realizing her tunes have been defining my life for over a decade. Beautiful harmonies from the special guests. My favorite rock star. Courtney Barnett--the best at not giving a flip. Got to hear "Depreston" which is my favorite. New songs are growing on me. She's got something special. I joke about who is my favorite Bob Dylan at the moment, but she's more like him than anyone else because she's doing something that feels genuinely new. And not a heckuva guitarist to boot, although she wouldn't really show off until Sunday. The Mumfords--I've got complicated feelings about them, I won't lie. After getting into the indie-folk revival in college, when Mumford hit the radio I described them as "like someone came up and started a pleasant conversation with me while wearing one of my friend's faces." But I can't deny that they brought it, and they got it. Loved that they collaborated. My wife has been onto Maggie Rogers for a while now, so it was a treat to see her showcased. And even the most jaded hater couldn't help but be brought to church by "the weight" with Mavis--that's everything I want.
Sunday War and Treaty--Only caught the last song, but daaang did it scorch. Wish I had seen the whole set and will definitely keep an eye out for local shows. Jen Cloher--Another contender for set of the weekend. Watched it all from the comfort of the hill. Fuzzy, Female Fronted Indie Rock is all I want in life and this gave it to me in spades. I was humming "Regional Echo" and "Fear is Like a Forest" for the rest of the day. This is where Courtney really showed off her guitar chops. Saw a picture of the two of them on Consequence of Sound--get you a significant other who looks at you the way Courtney Barnett looks at Jen Cloher. Lone Bellow--What I wish Lucius' set was. They're not my favorites, and the albums don't do it for me. But dang do they bring the fort to life. His preacher energy, their gorgeous harmonies--this is what a Fort set looks like. Nicole Atkins--Caught the last two tunes. Stellar voice Gary Clark--I think he's got the blues. Great voice, great guitar, great lobster roll while listening. Bermuda Triangle--Even in a subdued band like this Brittany Howard absolutely commands the stage. Wish I saw the whole thing, but I couldn't miss a second of Brandi. Brandi Carlile--Another contender for favorite set of the weekend. The voice, the songs, the stories, the jacket. "The Eye" is one of the prettiest songs I've heard in my whole life. Loved every one of her guest spots, and loved her set. A Change is Gonna Come--The folks who weren't 100% on board for this...y'all crazy. I loved every second of it. Valerie June punching above her weight. The haunting "Ohio" cover. Chris Thile and John Batiste music-nerding out all over each other. Leon and Kam dancing all up on each other. Brittany. Mavis. The sunset. A 5th perfect ending to a 5th perfect weekend.
I felt the same way about the Amanda Shires set. I hope NPR puts up the Jen Cloher and Colter Wall sets since I missed them. Actually, I hope they put up all of the sets so I can relive the magic, definitely going to listen to the Moses set later today.
Seeing some comments about the membership not really guaranteeing tickets for next year. For those that got accepted, is this true?
Does it really only allow you access to the presale, but no guarantee?
This is how they explained it to me:
$100 to enter the drawing for two duckets; $200 for four. No guarantee your name will be selected in that drawing, though. If you are not, the contribution is not charged to your credit card. I met a guy who donated $1500; his tickets (2?) were guaranteed and paid for by the contribution, as well as two tickets for one after show. Plus a nice sum for the Foundation.
I think the system is too easily gamed, and while the big buck donations go for a great cause, seemed unfair to those on a limited budget, and would rather they give away their newsletter, posters, CD's. And although I would have donated in either case, I felt compelled to improve my odds. Received confirmation by email yesterday of being in the pre-sale for two tickets. Now wish I had gone for 4.
Forget who I read about living and sleeping in his car 200 days a year -- Joe Purdy? Charlie Parr? -- and barely scratching out a living. And wondering how many performers here could not afford the upfront money. These are slippery slopes.
I find the pushback to the membership odd. Apparently they’re selling 1000 early birds. That’s $100,000 for the foundation not including the 1500$ level. A hell a lot of instruments for kids.
And it helps keep tickets in the hands of the folk family and out of the hands of scalpers. There are still plenty of ticket for people to decide later but it means the core of people who know they will be there can worry less.
We did our third Saturday Tick show this year and found it to be a little underwhelming. Fewer guests, fewer songs I recognized, fewer covers that seemed made just for me. Crawlin' Back to You as the closer was awesome, and we still had a lot of fun, but when you saw Ruby Amanfu do "I put a spell on you" and Jay Sweet pelting MLV with ice chips your first year...it sets a high bar.
But the experience was also a touch sullied by a weird interaction I had. We usually try to get a spot at the cutout upstairs but we were later this year (missed Caamp entirely) so we had a table and were watching on screens upstairs. At one point some space seemed to open on the cutout and I scooched in. But an old dude, already sitting where he can see, says to me "nope. That's reserved for the owner, and that's me."
So I was like "ok, that's not in the spirit of the fest but I'm not gonna mouth off and risk getting kicked out and my wife is happy where she's sitting so it doesn't have to ruin my night." And it did not.
But naturally we were curious: really the owner or did we just get trolled? So on the way home on Monday the wife googles "Newport Blues Owner" and shows me a picture. "Yep, that's him." I'm from CT so she says "oh he's from Simsbury. Brian Foley. He's married to Lisa Wilson Foley? She was a politician? Does that ring a bell?"
Maybe you folks all already knew this but...these are the people that laundered the money for former CT governor John Rowland out of the nursing home back in 2012. He spent 3 months in halfway house and got 6 months probation, she went to jail for five months. The owners of NBC are the face of corruption in CT.
I don't want to overstate this stuff. Maybe Jay and Tick don't know, or don't care which is their right. And the dude certainly owns one of the only games in town for putting on aftershows. But just like Mumford, it's a bummer to see the fest associating with people who seem to me to be the opposite of what NFF represents.
No black mark on another magic weekend, and I'll definitely be back next year. But maybe I'll do a Pickens aftershow instead. And I'm gonna see if I can get word to Spirit Family...I think they'd enjoy busking outside in protest next year.
We did our third Saturday Tick show this year and found it to be a little underwhelming. Fewer guests, fewer songs I recognized, fewer covers that seemed made just for me. Crawlin' Back to You as the closer was awesome, and we still had a lot of fun, but when you saw Ruby Amanfu do "I put a spell on you" and Jay Sweet pelting MLV with ice chips your first year...it sets a high bar.
But the experience was also a touch sullied by a weird interaction I had. We usually try to get a spot at the cutout upstairs but we were later this year (missed Caamp entirely) so we had a table and were watching on screens upstairs. At one point some space seemed to open on the cutout and I scooched in. But an old dude, already sitting where he can see, says to me "nope. That's reserved for the owner, and that's me."
So I was like "ok, that's not in the spirit of the fest but I'm not gonna mouth off and risk getting kicked out and my wife is happy where she's sitting so it doesn't have to ruin my night." And it did not.
But naturally we were curious: really the owner or did we just get trolled? So on the way home on Monday the wife googles "Newport Blues Owner" and shows me a picture. "Yep, that's him." I'm from CT so she says "oh he's from Simsbury. Brian Foley. He's married to Lisa Wilson Foley? She was a politician? Does that ring a bell?"
Maybe you folks all already knew this but...these are the people that laundered the money for former CT governor John Rowland out of the nursing home back in 2012. He spent 3 months in halfway house and got 6 months probation, she went to jail for five months. The owners of NBC are the face of corruption in CT.
I don't want to overstate this stuff. Maybe Jay and Tick don't know, or don't care which is their right. And the dude certainly owns one of the only games in town for putting on aftershows. But just like Mumford, it's a bummer to see the fest associating with people who seem to me to be the opposite of what NFF represents.
No black mark on another magic weekend, and I'll definitely be back next year. But maybe I'll do a Pickens aftershow instead. And I'm gonna see if I can get word to Spirit Family...I think they'd enjoy busking outside in protest next year.
Wow, that's a shame. Really makes you think about the whole "Walking the walk vs talking the talk" thing. Sure, standing on a stage in front of a large audience and preaching about inequality and unfairness is an important part of creating change, but when you turn around and directly contribute to or endorse someone who is a major factor in it... that leaves a sour taste...
I know a lot of this stuff is kind of nature of the beast (Newport only has so many venues, and unfortunately dudes with a lot of money own businesses in beach towns and dudes with a lot of money also happen to be the ones who can participate in political corruption), but damn... that really sucks.
Also my original post in:re Mumford isn't a case of "LOL Mumford h8ers LOL". They are publicly associating themselves with a very popular bigot, sexist, and preacher of dangerous ideas. It is gross, but at the same time totally predictable, that a bunch of rich white dudes cosplaying as working class, turn-of-the-century minstrels would buy into Jordan Peterson's bullshit.
I mean... the past 2 years of Newport have been incredibly politically charged, both featuring sets dedicated to the political tension of our times. The takeaway from "A Change is Gonna Come" should have been how marginalized groups are still beat down by the system. Equality exists in theory, but not in practice, for POCs, women, LGBTQ+ members of our society. Valerie June looked at the crowd (which is probably like... 95% white? I dunno, just a guess) and said "I know y'all know what it's like to be free," to raucous applause and proceeded to sing "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", a moment and message that appeared to be lost on the majority of the audience.
It has come out that the darling of this year's fest, the first unannounced headliner in the fest's history, associate themselves with a figurehead of the alt-right who has built a career on preaching that he DOESN'T BELIEVE THERE IS SUCH THING AS INEQUALITY. That trans people have mental illnesses. That men are biologically programmed to be dominant to women. I guess we just ignore that?
I mean... the past 2 years of Newport have been incredibly politically charged, both featuring sets dedicated to the political tension of our times. The takeaway from "A Change is Gonna Come" should have been how marginalized groups are still beat down by the system. Equality exists in theory, but not in practice, for POCs, women, LGBTQ+ members of our society. Valerie June looked at the crowd (which is probably like... 95% white? I dunno, just a guess) and said "I know y'all know what it's like to be free," to raucous applause and proceeded to sing "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", a moment and message that appeared to be lost on the majority of the audience.
It has come out that the darling of this year's fest, the first unannounced headliner in the fest's history, associate themselves with a figurehead of the alt-right who has built a career on preaching that he DOESN'T BELIEVE THERE IS SUCH THING AS INEQUALITY. That trans people have mental illnesses. That men are biologically programmed to be dominant to women. I guess we just ignore that?
Yeah I was initially gonna say "Not trying to take the focus off music, just trying to make sure people know who the money at the NBC shows is going to."
But I think Shinola is 100% right here--Newport the last two years is cultivating artist activism in a way I don't think other fests are, and has gone out of their way to create space for protest. Jay himself said "maybe it's time to make Newport dangerous again" repeatedly in 2017. Well...personally I think the Foleys are the kind of person we should be making Newport dangerous for.
No disrespect to people who keep going to the shows, and I'm not even saying with 100% certainty that next year when the Tick tickets go on sale and the fomo kicks in that it won't overwhelm my desire to do good. And of course there is a legitimate conversation to be had about whether the preaching from the stage, to say nothing of the real dollars that both the fest and the Tick shows give to charity, does more good than the owner being a scumbag does harm. But at the very least I think people, particularly people from CT who were taken advantage of by these people, should at least know where the money from their drinks at NBC is going.
