Dala At Folk Festival 50

Dala @ George Wein's Folk Festival 50: August 2 @ Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI

Dala, Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, held two distinctions this past weekend at George Wein's Folk Festival 50. The first, they were the only Canadian act on the bill. Two, while their set was on the small Waterside stage, they were the only act from another stage to be invited to do a song on the main stage. They played "Levi Blues" right before Arlo Guthrie took the stage and judging by the thunderous applause, the main stage audience enjoyed their performance.

The ladies displayed impeccable harmonies and unlike some of the artists performing over the weekend they engaged the audience with their banter. So many artists, not just at this festival but at shows in general just get up and play their songs and maybe say a word or two between songs. Dala gave a very down to Earth performance that made you feel as if they were playing in your living room and made you feel like they were talking directly to you. They also had an endless supply of infectious smiles. I'm sure anyone who saw them perform or met them ended up smiling too ... smiles are contagious, you know?

After their set, they manned the autograph table where I said a quick hello and took this photo.Some photos of their set ...

www.dalagirls.com
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www.folkfestival50.com

Folk Festival 50 - Day 2

George Wein's Folk Festival 50: August 2 @ Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI

Rain had been forecasted for the weekend. The previous day was the perfect day to spend outside enjoying music. Sunday, while not as sunny and perfect still looked to be a good day to hang out at George Wein's Folk Festival 50.

I got to the park and the first act I caught was Canadian duo Dala. They were sunshine in human form brightening up the late morning with constant smiles.

After that, I went around to the second stage and caught a bit of Dave Rawlings who the day before had played with Gillian Welch. This time, their roles were reversed ... she was playing with him.

I then dashed over to catch some of Josh Ritter's set. He did an ok set but I thought he was a little too loud and rockin' for that time of day. Yikes! I'm getting old. Too loud and rockin'?! The audience didn't agree with me judging by the loud applause he received throughout his set.

After that I stuck around to catch the Campbell Brothers who put on a rousing set of "Sunday music." Personally, I thought they should have kicked the morning off on that stage instead of Ritter. What better way to kick off a Sunday morning than with some good old-fashioned uplifting music?

It was then time to head over to another stage and catch Guy Clark.

I then popped over to check out a bit of Joe Pug's set. I found him to be rather boring to be honest.

I then went around to check out Neko Case. I'd been hearing great things about her so I was looking forward to seeing what she was about live. I wasn't feeling her. Obviously, I'm missing something that others see/hear. The crowd loved her though.

I hopped over to another stage to catch the Del McCoury Band. The Midwestern country girl in me came out of hibernation. I found myself clapping, smiling and tapping my foot. Heck, I was moments away from breaking out into a bit of a jig! This set gets my vote for highlight of the day with Dala coming in a close second.

That's Ice Cream Man (Matt) ... he's traveling the country (eventually the world) going to festivals spreading the love ... ice cream love that is. He gives away free ice cream and a nifty Ice Cream Man sticker to those who venture over to his truck.

It was then time to take in Arlo Guthrie's set. He seemed a bit off Sunday. His normal witty storytelling was there and the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves but it just felt like something was missing.

Joan Baez took the stage next. She played the inaugural year of the festival 50 years ago.

I then headed over to check out some of Elvis Perkins In Dearland's set. They weren't bad. I'll have to check them out a bit more.

After that, I headed back over to the main stage where Judy Collins did a set.

Festival founders Pete Seeger & George Wein watching Collins' set.

Collins was joined onstage by Baez for a duet of the latter's song "Diamonds and Rust" which happens to be my favorite Baez song.

Collins with Seeger & Wein after her set.

Somewhere along the line, the nice day had started getting cloudy and it began to look more and more likely that rain would make an appearance at Folk Fest 50.

Pete and Tao Seeger & Friends took to the stage for the big finale. Not long after they started playing, drops of rain started making themselves known. Like the previous night, many of the artists who had performed during the day joined the Seeger's onstage to bring Folk Fest 50 to a joyous but wet end.

Pete Seeger
Tao Rodriguez Seeger

Elvis Perkins

I think this photo of a smiling, dancing Joan Baez sums up the overall spirit and feeling of Folk Fest 50 without words.

I had a great two days filled with lots of great music. Here's to another 50 years!

www.folkfestival50.com

Folk Festival 50 - Day 1

George Wein's Folk Festival 50: August 1 @ Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI

This past weekend, George Wein's Folk Festival 50 took place at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. For those not in the know, the legendary festival was celebrating its 50th anniversary. And what a celebration it was too! A who's who of old school and new school folk luminaries took the stage. the festival took place over two days, August 1 & 2 and consisted of three stages. I did a lot of back and forth between stages trying to catch as much as possible!

This is how my Folk Festival 50 weekend started. I opted to walk to the stages from the parking lot instead of taking a shuttle. Don't you just love that view? Life as a blogger is a dirty job with all of the sunshine and scenic views but, someone has to do it.

I got there a bit late so there were a few artists that I missed ... hey, I'm not a morning person or an outdoor person! The first act I caught was Tao Rodriguez Seeger. He was a busy guy ... doing his own set and than later in the evening performing with his grandfather Pete Seeger for the nights finale.

I then popped over to check out the Avett Brothers.

Then I went over to catch some of The Low Anthem. I wasn't much into their record so I really didn't have any expectations about their live show. But, it turns out and much to my surprise, I found I rather liked them live. It's funny how seeing someone live can change your mind about their work.

After that, I checked out Tom Morello.

Then I went around to catch Gillian Welch who did her set with Dave Rawlings.

I then dashed around to catch Mavis Staples who tore down the house or in this case, tent!

That's Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Folk Festival 50 founder George Wein greeting one another. They were both watching Mavis Staples do her thing. Ramblin' Jack performed earlier in the day but I missed his performance entirely as he was one of the three acts that opened the festival.

I was curious to see Brett Dennen so after Staples' set, I dashed around to catch the last bit of his set. He was good. He performed barefoot displaying what I call festival feet. I enjoyed what I caught of his show. Should he happen to be playing near me at some point, I'd probably go so I can get the full experience.

From there, I went around to catch the Fleet Foxes.

That was followed by The Decemberists. All of the music I'd heard of The Decemberists prior to this, I didn't much care for. But, I decided they weren't so bad live. The crowd absolutely adored them.

The day closed with Pete & Tao Seeger doing a singalong. Most of the artists that performed that day joined the pair onstage.

Festival co-founder Pete Seeger

Ben Kweller & The Low Anthem

Dave Rawlings, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Gillian Welch, The Low Anthem & Ben Kweller.

The Decemberists & Tom Morello.Billy Bragg & Tom Morello

It was a great day filled with great music. The weather was beautiful and warm ... perfect for a festival. This is how my day ended.

www.folkfestival50.com

The Voxys Rip It To Shreds

The Voxys: July 30 @ Club NME at The Annex, New York, NY

Back in February, four men, Julian Colin Sylvester (guitar/vocals), Trevor Murphy (guitar/vocals), William McCormack (bass) and Chad Flewwelling (drums) better known as The Voxys, took the stage at The Annex. That night they won me over. Well, last Thursday, The Voxys returned to the scene of the crime so to speak. They once again took to the stage at The Annex and put on a killer set!

I am a proud fan of The Voxys. The band hadn't done a show in over four months so when it was announced they would be taking to the stage, I made it a point to be there. One of the things I truly enjoy about The Voxys is their energy. They have this unbelievable raw kinetic energy. From the opening notes, you get caught up in their energy and they don't let go of you until they're finished with you. Seeing The Voxys is like riding a roller coaster ... they're exhilarating, they make you lightheaded, they make you scream ... they make you keep wanting to come back for more. The band overall seemed well rested, relaxed and with enough energy and swagger to take over the world and or at the very least wreck a great deal of good natured havoc.

They kicked off their ten song, forty minute set with a new song, "None Above You." A new song, say wha?! Yep, you heard me, a new song! It seems the band has been busy. They weren't just sitting around twiddling their thumbs during those four months since I last saw them perform. They've been working on new material! As a result, we got not one, but two new songs. The second one and my favorite of the two, "Gypsy Cab" which is a quick paced number with a punk feel to it.

In addition to the new songs they played what has become my favorite song of theirs, "Sunshine At Midnight." I absolutely love that song. It's one of those songs that I can't wait to hear a studio version of. Another favorite of mine, "Wake Up Penelope," was played. If I remember correctly, they debuted this song back in March when I last saw them perform. They also ripped through a take no prisoners version of "Bang Out Of Order" while "Pirates" has taken on a slightly different arrangement.

The Voxys put on a great set. They're more polished than when I last saw them but, they have maintained their delightful mix of jangly Brit pop and raw edgy garage band vibe. They also seemed a bit more confident. They performed with a "we know we're good" confidence. That confidence is a combination of charm and cheek. With most, that would come off as arrogant. With The Voxys, it's simply a statement of fact.

"Sunshine At Midnight"


"Wake Up Penelope"

Set List

• None Above You
• Uncle's Gaff
• Pirates
• Bang Out Of Order
• Champagne Charlie
• Gypsy Cab
• Sixth Floor
• Sunshine At Midnight
• We Die From That
• Wake Up Penelope

www.myspace.com/thevoxys
thevoxys.co.uk
thevoxys.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Voxys/104294442967

Medeski Martin & Wood: Radiolarians III

Yesterday, August 4, Medeski Martin & Wood released Radiolarians III. The record is the third of the Radiolarians Series and was released on their self-owned label Indirecto.

I became familiar with Medeski Martin & Wood during my semi-jam band fan stint. Quirky to English translation ... while others were deeply submerged in the jam band waters, I just kind of floated along the edge picking and choosing where to stop and tread water for a while. It was during that time that a friend of mine handed me a tape of a live show and insisted I listen. I popped in the tape, an audience recording, and it turned out to be MMW. I thought, hm, not bad but ended up tossing the tape on a pile.

Since then, MMW always seems to make an appearance in my collection in some way or another. Well, guess what? They've made another appearance. And, that brings us to Radiolarians III. I got my hand on a copy of the record a couple of weeks ago. I cued it up on my music player and let it play in the background while I was working. This of course isn't the proper way to form an opinion on a record. But, I learned one thing right off, I can work with it playing without it getting on my nerves. It's always a plus when something is non-nerve wrecking.

So, yesterday, while trying to decided what to listen to, I remembered it was release day for Radiolarians III. I cued it up and gave it a proper listen. I've decided that I like Radiolarians III better that I & II. MMW do a bang up job of putting together laid back, experimental, jazzy jam band fare. Three tracks in particular stand out, "Kota," "Undone" and my favorite of the record, "Walk Back." Fans of MMW won't be disappointed by Radiolarians III. I also think, others like me, who are casual listeners will enjoy this one too. If you're among those of us who can listen to music while working, this is a good one to spin.

Track Listing

• Chantes Des Femmes
• Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
• Kota
• Undone
• Wonton
• Walk Back
• Jean's Scene
• Broken Mirror
• Gwyra Mi

www.medeskimartinandwood.com
www.myspace.com/medeskimartinandwood

Video: Hot Seconds - When I Go (live)

The multi-talented Marcel Simoneau from Hot Seconds has put together a live video of their song "When I Go." I've been raving about this song since they debuted it in January. The footage was shot at Union Pool in Brooklyn on June 6, 2009. See, this is the kind of good Hot Secs you'll get if you go see them. Aside from that, there's something a little quirky about it. ;-) Check it out!

Be a social stalker ...
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The Low Anthem: From Volunteer To Center Stage

Interesting things happen at folk festivals, during life in general and to The Low Anthem. Last year, The Low Anthem's Ben Knox Miller was at the folk festival in Newport, RI. However, he wasn't performing. Miller was a volunteer on the festival's recycling team. He had the not so glamorous job of going through garbage bins to pull out all of the recyclable items that were discarded in the improper receptacles.

Miller made the most of his recycling gig though. He took the opportunity to pass The Low Anthem's self-released album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin to folks including one of the producers of the festival. That tenacity paid off. This year, Miller along with his bandmates Jeffrey Prystowsky and Jocie Adams, will take the stage at George Wein's Folk Festival 50.

The Low Anthem will be center stage on Saturday, August 1, day 1 of the two day festival. They, along with legends and a who's who of folk music's bright future, will help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the festival.

For the daily festival schedule, click HERE.

lowanthem.com
www.myspace.com/lowanthem
www.folkfestival50.com
www.folkfestival50.com/music-cubes.html

Daily Schedule For George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55

The schedule blocks for George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 have been posted. Now you can find out when your favorite artists will be performing and on what stage. You can start mapping out your day(s)! The festival takes place in Newport, RI and kicks off Friday, August 7 with Chaka Khan and the George Duke Trio, Harold Alden/Anat Cohen Quartet and then kicks into two days (Saturday, August 8 & Sunday, August 9) of jazzy festival goodness.

Head on over to http://www.jazzfestival55.com/music-schedule-cubes.html to check out the schedule.

www.jazzfestival55.com
www.jazzfestival55.com/music-schedule-cubes.html

Dead Confederate On Tour & More

Athens (Georgia) band Dead Confederate are going on the road. They have a slew of dates in September with Meat Puppets. Then in October, they'll be out with A Place To Bury Strangers. For those of us in the New York area, they'll be at Bowery Ballroom on October 30. Check out their MySpace page for dates elsewhere. They've been busy. They're compiling live material from shows in 2008 - 2009 for digital and possible limited edition vinyl release that in addition to the band's original material will include rarely performed covers.

In the meantime, you can grab the acoustic "It Was A Rose" recorded during the Wrecking Ball sessions HERE (save as). And, you can watch the video for "The Rat" from their 2008 full-length debut release Wrecking Ball HERE.

www.myspace.com/deadconfederate