All photos courtesy of Daniel Jackson.
Newport Folk Festival? Why in the world would you want to fly all the way to Rhode Island to watch a few bearded guys strum acoustic guitars in a field? I’m sure that’s what some people thought to themselves when I told them about the trip. Then I’d mention that I’d be tagging along with my friends The Suffers who are a band from Houston, TX who inject influences of soul, Latin, Reggae and R&B into their music. I’d mention that J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. and Roger Waters from Pink Floyd will both perform. The response: What in the Peter, Paul and Mary are you talking about, boy!?
A few years ago, Newport Folk Festival began to expand upon the types of bands they were inviting and ultimately succeeded in breathing life back into the nation’s longest running music festival. This was my first visit to Newport Folk Festival and so I’ll try to set the scene without boring you to death (I’ll get to explaining how much happy squealing and smiling I did over the weekend in a minute) During this three day event, there’s an energy at Fort Adams that’s pretty hard to put into words. Fans arrive by bike, car, yellow school bus, and water taxi across Newport Harbor early in the morning to have a chance to run inside to claim their spot in the shadows of a fort that’s been around since the War of 1812. Sailboats, kayaks, yachts, fishing boats, and even people sitting in inner tubes dot the coast all day…soaking up the music & sounding air horns as each song performed on the main stage ends. The crowds are quiet when the music calls for it, but are not afraid to return the energy that is being poured out on stage when necessary. I met security guards and drivers who’ve worked the fest for more than 25 years and do double duty as performers or photographers. I mean, one morning a bagpiper in a kilt drove that band and I to the festival. I watched as Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and many, many other performers stood stage side signing along with Courtney Barnett. The event is equal parts a celebration of music, family and community that I’ve yet to witness at any other festival I’ve attended.
In my book, the lineup this year was outstanding. From singer-songwriting artists Tallest Man on Earth, Christopher Paul Stelling, and Jason Isbell to straight-up dance parties with The Suffers, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Jon Batiste. Somehow the distorted, rip a hole in the atmosphere guitar of Heartless Bastards, honky tonk revival of Sturgill Simpson, and a brass band from New Orleans (New Breed Brass Band) all on one bill just works. I know what you’re thinking, LOTS of festivals have diverse lineups and some are held in beautiful surroundings. However, I think what makes Newport Folk Festival a bit different is that people who attend and run this festival are music fans and listeners. They sing along. They know the names of the players in the horn section. They seem to truly care about the event and the musicians who come to play. In my opinion, it’s not ALL about what’s being performed on a stage that matters. It’s about losing track of time while talking to another fan about Shakey Graves or seeing concert photographers with tears in their eyes. Everyone seemed to share in the experience versus just spectating.
Now for the part where I talk about smiling until my face hurt and hiding behind a camera lens so nobody could see me cry. Thinking back on the weekend, festival organizers bring so much to the table that it’s hard to experience everything. In no particular order, here are a few moments that stood out for me:
Christopher Paul Stelling – Earlier this year when I saw that he’d been picked up by ANTI (record label) I was super happy for him. I’d been a fan since the long haired days and just never got around to seeing him perform live. What a dang mistake that was. This fingerpicking tornado took to the stage and with just a beat up acoustic guitar and proceeded to rip hearts wide open. Even more so when after singing the last song “Scarecrow” backed by his girlfriend Julia Christgau, he hugged her then dropped to one knee to propose. She said yes and the crowd went nuts. I’m not afraid to admit that I teared up quite a bit. It was a beautiful moment and I was super fortunate to get to congratulate him later as we took some portraits. I highly recommend his latest album Labor Against Waste.
Traveller – A new “supergroup” made up of three frontmen, Robert Ellis + Jonny Fritz + Cory Chisel. Being a HUGE fan of Ellis & Fritz, I was super excited to see what this was all about. Well, let me tell you friend…I was not disappointed. Robert Ellis’s golden voice and guitar chops matched with Cory Chisel’s perfect harmonies all held together by the hilarious, clever lyrics and dance moves of Jonny Fritz. Perfection. Even though Fritz was wearing what I’d call “genie shoes” and at some point brought out a huge fake boulder, it wasn’t over the top and perfectly balanced humor with music. Plus, it was terrific to see one of my favorite musicians from Houston, Geoffrey Muller on bass and super Nashville drummer Jerry Pentecost holding everything together. More of this, please!
Courtney Barnett – Inviting Barnett to perform at a “Folk” festival is kind of like asking your pyromaniac friend to apply for a job at the matchbook factory. There was no reworking of the set to tone things down or solo acoustic numbers for this band. I grinned from ear to ear as she led the guitar distortion Armageddon under a revival tent. If you have witnessed her live show and AREN’T converted, there’s no hope for you.
The Suffers – Before I start this, I’ll warn you that this band has my heart. They’re the reason I made my way to Newport Folk Festival in the first place. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with them as a photographer / social media dude for a couple of years now. They’re friends and basically extended family. OK, enough of the whatnot…to the music! I’ve seen them hundreds of times by now and have a good sense of when they’re firing on all cylinders. Lemme tell you, they were on fire. I watched as the band hit those first notes and fans dropped their roasted pecans to flock closer to dance. I’ll just go out on a limb here and say that maybe no other band that weekend (or maybe any other Newport Folk Festival weekend) had performed a Selena cover. I’ve seen them play all sizes of stages and basically blow down the doors at Ed Sullivan Theater for David Letterman, but this performance made me realize that I was witnessing a band that was ready for just about anything. A full-length album is on the way, but stop reading this right now and snag their EP Make Some Room to see what I’m talking about. Why are you still reading, GO!?
The Spirit of Bob Dylan’s “going electric” at Newport Folk Festival Way Back Yonder – It’s been talked about so much now that I don’t want to turn this into a Wikipedia page account of Bob Dylan’s plugging in an electric guitar at a folk festival 50 some-eyed years ago. However, because the fest left open a set time entitled only ’65 Revisited, many people speculated from day one that Dylan himself would make an appearance. That rumor floated around WELL before the weekend and during the weekend and there may even be someone standing at Fort Adams where the main stage was planted right now, yelling WHERE’S BOB!? That final ’65 Revisited set ended up being an all-star Dylan cover band which included performances from Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Dawes, Deertick, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hozier, Robyn Hitchcock, and many many more. Aside from that totally beautiful set, the coolest thing that I got to see was earlier in the day, J Mascis sitting in a chair casually noodling around on the same Fender Strat that Dylan used way back when (insert lightning bolt emoticon).
There’s SO much more that I could share about this weekend. From the spirit of James Brown possessing Nathaniel Rateliff to watching Jason Isbell grin from ear to ear while he ripped through songs from his excellent new album Something More Than Free. From seeing the crowd response to fellow Texan Shakey Graves sweat-filled set to getting to hear Roger Waters soundcheck Dylan’s “Forever Young” backed by My Morning Jacket. There’s something going on at Newport Folk Festival that needs to be bottled up and shipped out to other festivals. No, I’m not talking about that lemon ice stuff… I’m talking about true music fans that listen, appreciate, and give back one hundred percent of what they are given. It was a beautiful weekend and I hope to be back soon.
First Aid Kit Portrait
