What You May Have Missed: U.S. Royalty at Mercury Lounge

U.S. Royalty - September 6, 2013 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY 

It has been a while since I've seen U.S. Royalty live so, I made it a point to make it out to see them last Friday at Mercury Lounge.  I even dragged my hip-hop lovin' cousin along for the ride. 

U.S. Royalty play rock 'n' roll and they do it exceptionally well.  Why aren't these guys massively huge?  Friday, we got a mix of old and new songs in a set that was precise and shake your ass fun.  Based on what they played, the new record is going to be a good one.  I was happy to hear their new single "Blue Sunshine".  I'm already fond of that track.  And, I was thrilled that old favorite, "The Desert Won't Save You", is still in the set; I've been listening to that track a lot lately.

The last time I saw them they set the bar high. They were raw in a intensely wild, hot, sweaty, leave all on the floor sort of way.  This time, they met the bar and dare I say, surpassed it.  They still left it all on the floor, they were just more subtle about it this time. Well, maybe not frontman John Thornley, he's still delightfully unrestrained. His vocals were clear and spirited.  The steady force of bassist Jacob Michael and drummer Luke Adams provided a tight driving rhythm that refused to let you stand still.  Guitarist Paul Thornley played with a cool, unassuming confidence yet maintained enough swagger and bite to say the non-verbal equivalent of, we're 'U.S. Bloody Royalty, That's Who'!

Their set left me thoroughly entertained and exhausted; damn I really love rock 'n' roll.

This is what it looked like.

More photos HERE

What You May Have Missed: Sophie Auster at Mercury Lounge

Sophie Auster: June 24, 2013 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY   

I caught Sophie Auster down at Mercury Lounge last week.  Her record, Red Weather, came out November 2012.  Check her out if you get the chance.  

For those who haven't had the chance to check out Auster, check out her video for "Run Run Run" below.

What You May Have Missed: John Michael Rouchell at Mercury Lounge

John Michael Rouchell: June 24, 2013 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY 

Last week, I made a stop at Mercury Lounge to catch NOLA's John Michael Rouchell.  I became a fan of JM's what, three or four years ago...when I happened to catch him at the same venue.  He had been performing under the moniker MyNameIsJohnMichael and they came equipped with horns and trash cans.  This trip, he came with a slimmed down, highly effective and seriously bad ass band consisting of Joe Dyson, Jr. (drums), Max Moran (bass) and Joe Shirley (keyboards).  Those dudes are seriously tight, I mean seriously tight.

I wasn't sure how things were going to play out without the horns but, I was already digging the new songs from his recently released gem, The Separation EP, and was excited to hear them live, especially, "Wounded Heart" and "Holler" which have gotten a considerable amount of play around the office.  I wasn't let down.  Always an excellent live act, JM seemed even more on point than when I last took in a show.  When you're consistently good live, it's often hard to top yourself but, I do believe he did just that, topped himself.  Dare I say this is the best I've heard him?  He seemed, for lack of a better word, rejuvenated.  His always high energy show seemed even more intense.  In the past, I always gleamed a definite NOLA vibe in his sound.  With the new music, while JM is distinctly NOLA, his sound took less from that and leaned more towards R&B and soul.  I heard a soul singer.  We were treated to the aforementioned songs as well as a new song "Heartbeat" in the tight nine-song set.  All in all, it was one of those shows that left you with the one word response of, 'damn!'  

More photos HERE

Newport Folk Festival: Sunday Through My Lens

Newport Folk Festival, Saturday, July 29 at Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI 

The final day of the Newport Folk Festival may have been a wee bit less hot weather wise than the previous day but, the music was just as hot, possibly hotter.  Oh, and the rain made its way out to see the show once again waiting for the last set.  My camera and I captured as much of it as we possibly could.  The full photo collection can be seen HERE.

The Fort Stage

The day started off with the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys.  Three brothers whom I described to someone as "small, medium and large" gave us a nice set of bluegrass.  The littlest of the three, well, his banjo was as big as he was.  More Sleepy Man Banjo Boys photos HERE.

Sleepy Man Banjo Boys

Sara Watkins was up next.  Watkins who has a lovely voice, seemed to be missing something in my opinion.  I just can't put my finger on what though.  More Sara Watkins photos HERE.

Sara Watkins

Trampled By Turtles were up next, they played one of the smaller stages last year and for some reason it seems I neglected to post any of the photos of that.  If you missed them, their set was all kinds of hardcore.  I heard someone refer to it as folk-metal ... like I said, hardcore.  More Trampled By Turtles photos HERE.

Trampled By Turtles

Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires took the stage next.  This was the set I most looked forward to all weekend.  Soul man Bradley was hands down the highlight of the entire festival.  It was one of those rare moments where you were left glad you had witnessed it.  He not only got love from the audience, he gave it back, literally when he came down from the stage and started hugging people.  This set alone was worth the price of admission.  The performance came with an MC and costume change.  Folks were dancing, some of them on beat, some not so much but everyone was having an incredible amount of fun.  More Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires photos HERE.

Charles Bradley

The Head and the Heart were up next.  They graduated to the main stage after playing a smaller stage last year.  More The Head and the Heart photos HERE.

The Head and the Heart

Conor Oberst started out with just him and his guitar before being joined on-stage by guests and kicking things up a notch.  More Conor Oberst photos HERE.

Conor Oberst

Jackson Browne closed out the day.  He came on stage just as the rain started.  Our intern Jillian (what's up JD Skillz?!), turns out to be a huge Browne fan.  By huge I mean she was bouncing in her seat waiting for him to hit the stage and made a beeline from our nice dry location inside the fort right behind the main stage, in the rain, to the front to see him.  After the set, she came back with a huge smile on her face and used a fair amount of adjectives describing how good his set was.  As for my thoughts, he sounded like well, Jackson Browne.  He didn't do "Running On Empty," one of the few songs I would have actually wanted to hear.  But, he did do "Take It Easy" so I guess that makes up for not doing the other song.  At some point, I got distracted from his set when Ben Sollee came into the room I was in and did a couple of songs for someone.  So after missing his set the day before and seeing him with other people, I finally got to see just him.  At any rate, folks loved Browne's set.  More Jackson Browne photos HERE.

Jackson Browne

The Quad Stage

Quad Stage music kicked off with The Kossoy Sisters.  For about 10 seconds I forgot they were identical twins and had that momentary moment of thinking I was succumbing to heat related issues.   The sisters played at the very first Newport Folk Festival back in 1959.  They have these really sweet, traditionally pure voices that I have a feeling sounded nearly exactly the same as they did all those years ago.  More Kossoy Sisters photos HERE.

The Kossoy Sisters

Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons were up next.  Any band that makes me want to toss back a whiskey or three in between hootin' and hollerin' is aces in my book.  They were more on the country, honky-tonk, boot shuffling side of the fence.  Y'all know I have some country tendencies!  Fletcher, did the nice guy next door, cheeky, tattooed hell-raiser thing and he did them all at once ... the women folk apparently liked that as I encountered several smitten ladies!  Fletcher and his Wrong Reasons were a hell of a lot of fun.  More Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons photos HERE.

Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons

New Multitudes took the stage next.  A talented group of musicians but gosh darn it, every last one of them hit the stage looking like the questionably sane uncles that nobody talks about but you love to bits.  That, by the way, is said in a loving way.  And speaking of being loved to bits, the audience did indeed love them.  More New Multitudes photos HERE.

New Multitudes

Gary Clark, Jr. was a much anticipated set by many.  As a matter of fact, trying to get to the photo area was a major challenge.  The audience was packed, it was hot and I was a sweaty mess by the time I reached my destination.  Women, were swooning, yes, swooning and a couple of them may have been hysterical in a Beatlemania sort of way.  Men were trying to pretend they weren't in the mist of a guy crush while others displayed it proudly.  People were acting like he was the second coming of Hendrix or perhaps I should say Stevie Ray since Clark's out of Austin.  The audience was just insane.  A fellow photographer, he shall remain nameless, at one point held out his arm for me to see the actual goose bumps Clark had given him.  I have to admit, I paid more attention to the audience than I did the set.  Clark was good, but the reaction to him was incredibly fun to watch.  More Gary Clark, Jr. photos HERE.

Gary Clark, Jr.

My final visit to the Quad Stage was to catch some of Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men.  Once again the audience was spilling out of the tent and packing the area surrounding it.  More about their set can be read here and photos Of Monsters and Men can be found HERE.

Of Monsters and Men

The Harbor Stage

I caught a bit of Deep Dark Woods who kicked the day off on the Harbor Stage.  More Deep Dark Woods photos HERE.

Deep Dark Woods

The Museum Stage

I finally made it over the newest stage at the festival.  I was able to catch HoneyHoney who I missed the previous day when they played the Harbor Stage.  More HoneyHoney photos HERE.

HoneyHoney

The Audience

Charles Bradley inspired a lot of unrepentant booty shaking as well as more sedate dancing.

The Unrepentant Booty Shaking

The More Sedate Dancing

Some people opted to sleep instead of dance.  Yes, you can nap at a music festival...

The Nap

When these folks asked me to take their photo, I expected them to hand me a camera phone or asked me to send them a copy but they did neither.  They were having fun and just simply wanted their photo taken. So, I took it!

Music Fans Having Fun

The View

This is what surrounds you at the Newport Folk Festival.

Even though it was obnoxiously hot and trying to get around to all of the stages proved to be a real chore, I had a good time.  Until next year.  But, let us hope the rain deity decides to forgo attending next years festival!

Newport Folk Festival: Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men @ Newport Folk Festival, Sunday, July 29 at Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI

I'm turning things over to my man in the field, correspondent Addison Braver-Walsh for his take on the Newport Folk Festival performance of, Of Monsters and Men.

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Of Monsters and Men

By Addison Braver-Walsh

The perfect day for music. Overcast yes, but because of that, there is no heat. Sometimes the late-July heat can be unbearable—but not this Sunday. From Wilco to the Head and the Heart, there are many great groups at the 53rd Newport Folk Festival. But the one I’m really looking forward to happens to be one of the most crowd-packing events of the day—the Icelandic band, Of Monsters and Men.

The group, made up of six people, was formed out of handful of solo projects in 2009. Assembled by female vocalist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, they made their debut as Of Monsters and Men in their homeland, Iceland, at the Battle of the Bands. By April 2012 they had released their first album, My Head is an Animal in the United States (it was released in 2011 in Iceland). It got very positive reviews from critics. The Guardian described it as “fairytale-infused folk: jubilant, shoutalong songs about enchanted beasts, talking trees and transfigured kings. And these foot-stomping spells are demonstrably potent.” Rolling Stone was more direct in saying, “They make whimsical sound tough.”

Back at the Folk Festival, making their Newport debut on the smaller Quad stage, Of Monsters and Men soon would have the crowd going nuts. The area was jam-packed well before they started, with people taking up every inch of the expansive green. The band quietly took the stage, setting up behind their instruments. You could feel the excitement building. The second they started into “Dirty Paws,” Of Monsters and Men immediately had the audience in their hands, making everybody forget how crowded it was. “Little Talks” and “Six Weeks,” saw the ever-growing audience clapping, jumping up and down, and stomping their feet. The show had it all. Hilmarsdóttir and co-singer Ragnar Þórhallsson created tight yet whimsical harmonies that made the music sound even more fantastic. All the band members seemed to know how to play several instruments, from drums to the accordion to the trumpet. They often switched out instruments, sometimes consecutively between songs. Throughout the performance, the group was very energetic: smiling and running around the stage, as though they truly enjoyed every second of being there. Between songs, as his band-mates changed instruments, Þórhallsson was playful with the crowd. Although Of Monsters and Men primarily played songs from My Head is an Animal, they debuted a new song; the arrangement sounded similar to the style of their first album, but a little bit slower. However, it didn’t matter whether what they played was new or not, the crowd stayed riled. The band’s set lasted for about an hour, in which they played all but four songs (by my count) from My Head is an Animal. Even when they played their quieter songs, the energy level never died. From 4:15-5:25, the music at the Quad stage never stopped invigorating the crowd.

Overall, the performance was spectacular. You could see the band and the audience inspiring each other. Of Monsters and Men proved to be a very unique addition to the already astounding folk festival. I can’t help but imagine that their debut has already made them Newport Folk Festival favorites. Hopefully, next year they will play on the main Fort Stage, gathering and exciting an even larger crowd.

More Of Monsters and Men photos HERE.

Newport Folk Festival: Saturday Through My Lens

Newport Folk Festival, Saturday, July 28 at Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI

Fort Stage audience, Newport Folk Festival 2012

This year, we once again made our way to the Newport Folk Festival with camera in hand (the Newport collection can be seen HERE).  The festival sold out three months in advance and the place was packed with music fans.  People were everywhere, even the portable potty's seemed to have longer lines than usual.  I know, that's a weird thing to notice; I'm quirky, remember?  But, every time I went to the Quad stage, it seemed I had to weave my way through and past the lines to get there.  I don't recall that happening so much last year which was also sold out.  

The day started out sunny and rather warm and ended in with a spectacular downpour.  This year saw the addition of the "Museum Stage" which was located in of course the museum at the fort.  Sadly, I missed all but one of the performances that took place there over the weekend.  It became very clear, very quickly that you had to pick who you wanted to try and catch.  It was a game of who you wanted to see perform more or perhaps who you wanted to see less than someone else.  Maybe it was just me but it felt like there was even more overlapping of sets this year ... some with the same start times others with start times just five minutes apart.  Getting from one location to the other was quite the workout.  I walked in total over four miles (and nearly four on Sunday as I made a conscience decision not to run around so much) taking in what the festival had to offer.

Based on crowd reaction, all of the Fort Stage, that would be the main stage, artists were highlights.  Brown Bird who played one of the smaller stages last year kicked things off on the main stage.  The duo had the late morning/early afternoon audience captivated by their down home bluesy folk.  And whoa, someone sheared David Lamb (lets all collectively groan at that bad pun) ... a moment of silence for the beard that was.  More Brown Bird photos HERE.

MorganEve Swain of Brown Bird

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, who will play this coming week at the Newport Jazz Festival as well, brought a bit of New Orleans to Newport.  Every time they've played Newport, I've managed to missed their set, until now.  Previously, I just always saw their leader Ben Jaffe walking around the grounds with his tuba.  Anyway, bluegrass legend Del McCoury made an appearance during their set.  And, we have here another Ben Sollee sighting, yes another, he was on one of the smaller stages earlier but we'll get to that later.  More Preservation Hall Jazz Band photos HERE.

Ben Jaffe of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

The Alabama Shakes who have been garnering a lot of attention of late got massive crowd love.  Leader Brittany Howard belted out song after song.  One minute she was doing a guttural growl, the next a bluesy yelp.  It was a vocal performance that I heard many compare to the late Janis Joplin.  At one point, a person next to me informed me that I would get chills.  While the predicted chills didn't happen, it was enjoyable none the less.  More Alabama Shakes photos HERE.

Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes

Dawes who played a smaller stage two years ago and managed to work in an unscheduled performance of a few songs last year, made their main stage debut as well. The audience loved them and if you've never seen them live you have to check them out. Their live show is a well-played, unrestrained, one helluva good time kind of thing.  Delta Spirit frontman Matt Vasquez put in an appearance.  Leader Taylor Goldsmith seemed to be everywhere over the weekend.  The only person whom might have been a part of more sets was Ben Sollee, who may well have set a record!  More Dawes photos HERE.

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes

Patty Griffin took the stage, unplugged.  I'd forgotten how much I dig her work.  She oozed charm and talent and received much love from the audience.  More Patty Griffin photos HERE. 

Patty Griffin

My Morning Jacket, looking snazzy'ish in dress ... there was a seersucker suit sighting folks, closed day two of the festival.  Apparently, the deity of rain is a fan because said deity sent down over three inches of rain that evening.  Leader Jim James all in white, hair blowing in the wind, and for a song, draped himself in a cape.  A planned encore with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was scrapped but I think the fans were happy with the show they received.  More My Morning Jacket photos HERE.

Jim James of My Morning Jacket

Over on the Quad Stage, Robert Ellis kicked things off followed by Jonny Corndawg.  I didn't stay to hear much of either set but what I heard, was enjoyable.

Robert Ellis

Jonny Corndawg

When I made it around to hear some of Deer Tick's set, they were in the middle of their opening number, a cover John Lennon's "Mother."  At this point, getting in and out of the Quad area took a great deal of weaving through throngs of people and lots of "excuse me" to reach my destination.  And it was here that we had another Matt Vasquez sighting.  This time he was lurking around the side of the stage.  I had to move on to another stage so I never did see if he put in a proper appearance.  At any rate, I'm not the biggest Deer Tick fan but they seem to always put on a good rollicking show.  More Deer Tick photos HERE.

Deer Tick

Sharon Van Etten was up next.  It was another set I only saw a small portion of.  The bit I saw, Van Etten seemed to be enjoying herself tremendously.  More Sharon Van Etten photos HERE.

Sharon Van Etten

Iron and Wine took the stage next.  Sam Beam hit the stage wearing flip-flops that distracted me for a while.  I say they were pink, a guy near me said they were red.  Regardless of the color, my eyes kept being drawn to his feet. Curse you Mr. Beam for making me spend so much time thinking about your feet!  I did enjoy his set even if I was distracted.  More Iron and Wine photos HERE.

Sam Beam

Billed as the Guthrie Family Reunion, the Guthrie clan closed out the Quad Stage.  The Guthrie's took the stage led by Arlo Guthrie, who didn't actually appear until after two songs, for a rendition of his father's "Pretty Boy Floyd."  Cathy Guthrie pulled out one of her Folk Uke songs, "Shit Makes The Flowers Grow," leaving me with another Guthrie sing-a-long song stuck in my head ... and I thank you for that.  I wasn't feeling well so I only stayed for a small portion of their set instead, opting to find a place to rest up a bit that wasn't surrounded by people.  As a result, I hear I missed "Coming Into Los Angeles," much to my dismay, and in general an all around good set.  More Guthrie Family Reunion photos HERE.

Arlo Guthrie

Over on the Harbor Stage, Apache Relay kicked things off.  I'd only heard their name but not their music so I wasn't familiar at all with them.  Their singer is very rock star looking. I enjoyed the portion of their set that I heard.  I headed off to another stage after their first song with guest Ben Sollee who was everywhere over the course of the weekend.  More Apache Relay photos HERE.

Apache Relay

My final visit to the Harbor Stage was to catch a few moments of Spirit Family Reunion. They had an old school vibe even singing around one mic together.  More Spirit Family Reunion photos HERE.

Spirit Family Reunion

The day ended like this ...

The Rain

 Coming soon ... Day 3, otherwise known as Sunday.