Newport Folk Festival: Fort Stage, 7/31

Newport Folk Festival: July 31 @ Fort Adams, Newport, RI

I took in the Newport Folk Festival again this year. The weather was magnificent and there was plenty of good music to listen too. With camera in hand, I took in the sounds and ate "outdoor" food which, if you know me, is shocking! Check out photos from Saturday, July 31 ... the Fort Stage.

Nneka kicked off things on the Fort Stage. If you haven't had a chance to check her out you should. She made a variety of serious faces. I wasn't sure if she was feeling some sort of pain, metaphorically or literally and if we should be feeling and frowning the same way too. At any rate, she was good.

More photos of Nneka's set, HERE.

Up next, The Low Anthem. They played the Newport Folk Festival last year only on the much smaller Waterside Stage which has moved locations and received a name change. I've come to realize that on record, I'm not all that into the band. But, The Low Anthem are a good live band. They're one of those bands whose members rotate on instruments.

More photos of The Low Anthem's set, HERE.

Brandi Carlile took the stage next. I'd been hearing about how good she is. She was okay, but I wasn't as blown away by her as I expected to be based on the word of mouth that had filtered through my ears. She covered The Beatles, "I've Just Seen A Face" and Johnny Cash, "Folsom Prison Blues" during her set.

More photos of Carlile's set, HERE.

Calexico took the stage next. Their sound was heavily tinged with the Mexican folk sound. It wasn't my thing but several people I spoke to, were seriously digging them.

More photos of Calexico's set, HERE.

Crowd favorite Andrew Bird took the stage next. He whistles and fiddles. I'm sorry I just wasn't feeling him though I find him much more enjoyable live than I do on record. The audience loved him so I was clearly in the minority!

More photos of Bird's set, HERE.

The headliner for the day, John Prine, put on a stellar set and was shown some major love by the audience. Jim James, who performed his own set earlier that day on another stage joined Prine. The highlight of his set for me was "Angel From Montgomery." Being the first time I've had the opportunity to see him perform, it was a treat to hear the man himself do the song.

More photos of Prine's set, HERE.

Upcoming Shows: The DreamScapes Project, Doppelganger & More

Friends, neighbors and New York peeps in general ... upcoming shows alert.

Our pals The Dreamscapes Project are coming up to do a show at Arlene's Grocery this Saturday, August 14 at 8:00PM and it'll cost you ten greenbacks.

Looking for something to do on Tuesday, August 17? I suggest you check out some live music. Head on over to Mercury Lounge, say hi to the guys who check your ID, give the cool lady at the door ten bucks at 10:00PM and get your groove on with Sean Bones.

Our friends Doppelganger will be rockin' the Mercury Lounge stage on Monday, August 23. Doors are at 9:00PM and it'll cost you $8. This is their CD release party so drop by, rock out and pick up a copy of their record. The record is good, fun, shake your ass rock 'n' roll and so are their shows. Check out both, seriously.

Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast are saying farewell to NYC! Yes, that's right folks, they're leaving NY and heading to North Carolina. Drop by Mercury Lounge, get your party on and help send them off with a lot of love. The deets: Friday, August 27, doors at 9:30PM and it'll cost ya $10.

ResidentBand Episode 028: Jules Larson - Raise A Little Hell

Our friends over at ResidentBand have released Episode 028. This one features Jules Larson performing "Raise A Little Hell." Check out the episode below. And, because the folks at ResidentBand are awesome, they (and Ms. Larson ... I'm sure she's equally as awesome as they are) are offering up the song for free, click HERE to grab it.

www.juleslarson.com
www.myspace.com/juleslarson
www.residentband.tv

Quirky NY Chick On The Road: Newport Folk Festival

If you've dropped by to visit my corner of the internet world this past week then you will have noticed that there has been a lack of updates. Well, in addition to having some severe and annoying computer issues over the last several weeks, I've been on the road with limited internet access. Yeah, it has all made updating a challenge. What's been going on in these parts? I'll tell you. Your resident quirky chick took a roadtrip. Where? QNYC spent the weekend in Newport, RI for the granddaddy of festivals, the Newport Folk Festival. Yes folks, one night and two days filled with music!

The festival kicked off Friday night at the International Tennis Hall of Fame with Sarah Jarosz, Tim O'Brien and the evenings headliner Steve Martin with The Steep Canyon Rangers. I didn't feel like taking my camera for Friday's show so no photos of that! I actually wasn't sure I was going to attend that show as I tend to only like Steve Martin in small doses. But, I decided to check out his set. Martin was funny which being a comedian, is a good thing and did a bang up job musicially, which being a musician is a good thing! He kept the crowd laughing be it with song, "Atheists Don't Have No Songs" or with stage banter such as telling the audience the seat of his pants don't wrinkle because he has a 'steaming hot ass.' He closed his set with a terrific version of "Orange Blossem Special" before encoring with "King Tut" which had the audience on their feet singing along. Several people even did the dance ... I resisted the urge!

Saturday morning had me up bright and early for the first full day of the festival at Fort Adams. Jim James (pictured below) was shown some major love from the audience.

Sunday morning, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (pictured below) killed it on the main stage. Anyone who may have still been a little sluggish when they arrived quickly got over that the minute Jones and gang hit the stage. The high energy set had folks on their feet dancing.

Levon Helm (pictured below) closed the festival this year to thunderous applause. The crowd cheered him on and shouted out words of adoration. He closed his set with the back to back punch of "The Weight" and "I Shall Be Released."

It was a great festival and I'll share more from the weekend in upcoming posts.

newportfolkfest.net

Photo Review: Digital Photo Academy Workshop, 7/24

Digital Photo Academy Workshop: July 24 @ Union Square Farmers Market

This weekend, I spent three hours participating in a photo workshop. The workshop was put together by Digital Photo Academy. Our instructor for the day was famed photographer, David Brommer.

We started out the morning at DPA Headquarters where head honcho Richard Rabinowitz welcomed us. After we were all settled in, and were treated to some delicious mini carrot cupcakes, Brommer set about going over our lesson plan. I looked around and it was clear and comforting to see that there were photographers of varying skill levels, camera makes and camera models in attendance; one thing that was certain, everyone had an obvious love of photography.

Our mission for the day, sense of place. Brommer set about going over what made a photo simply nice or WOW! We were instructed on how to approach people and on the ideal camera settings for our day in the field. Also, we were offered the opportunity to borrow a Lensbaby lens for our excursion. I've been wanting to try one out for a little while now so, I was excited to have the opportunity to borrow one.

Once the "classroom" work was out of the way, we walked over to Union Square to begin our in-field lesson. It was incredibly hot outside but that didn't seem to bother anyone. Brommer, a knowledgeable and easy going teacher, pointed out and at times arranged opportunities for us all the while answering any questions we had as well as, taking the time to point out what you were doing right or not so right. You can see some of my efforts below.

It was a fun workshop. While I may not have taken any award winning photos, I walked away with valuable knowledge to use whenever I pick up my camera as well as meeting a great group of fellow photography enthusiasts. I look forward to taking another workshop in the future.

More photos HERE.

That's our instructor David Brommer, showing us the benefits of using a reflector.

This is my favorite shot of the day. Her smiles were contagious.

My attempt at usings the Lensbaby lens. They're fun to use. But, I soon discovered it takes some practice to get the hang of. With my lack of coordination I'll need a lot of practice! I did manage to get the below shot using the lens.

The following two photos, this is what happens when you don't quite have the hang of using a Lensbaby! They may not have turned out how I wanted them but, I still like the shots. In one of my attempts at being creative, I decided to lay on the ground and take these. Not such a good idea when the tempature is nearing 100F!

http://www.digitalphotoacademy.com/

Photo Review: Megan McCormick At Pianos, 7/20

Megan McCormick: July 20 @ Pianos, New York, NY

Megan McCormick took to the stage at Pianos on Tuesday, July 20 and she rocked out. I went in not expecting her to be so guitar heavy for some reason. So, needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when she cut loose with some serious and fiery blues inspired licks that at times reminded me of Stevie Ray Vaughan. McCormick has a record, Honest Words, set for release on August 17. Check out some photos from her set.

More photos HERE.

www.myspace.com/meganmccormicksmusic

Photo Review: Ed Vallance At Mercury Lounge, 7/13

Ed Vallance: July 13 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY

Ed Vallance paid a visit to the Mercury Lounge stage last Tuesday to rock out. He has a new record out, The Summer Fire EP, that you can pick up on iTunes. Check out photos from his set.

More photos HERE.


www.edvallance.com
www.myspace.com/edvallance

April Smith and the Great Picture Show To Play Bell House, 7/22

Quirky, retro and feisty April Smith will be taking the stage this Thursday, July 22 at The Bell House in Brooklyn. It’ll only cost you a mere 10 bucks. She puts on a fun show. To get you warmed up for the gig, grab “Movie Loves A Screen” in the MP3 Grab at the bottom of the post.

If you can’t make it out to see April Smith and the Great Picture Show on Thursday or you want to see them again, you can always take a little road trip to oh say, Newport, RI. You can catch them on Sunday, August 1 at the Newport Folk Festival. It’s sure to be a good one.

MP3 Grab: “Movie Loves A Screen”

www.aprilsmithmusic.com
www.myspace.com/aprilsmithmusic
twitter.com/aprilsmithmusic

Debutaunts Release Video For “This Is Yours”

Debutaunts have released a video for the song “This Is Yours” from their upcoming full-length debut record. Why Can’t We Have Fun will be released on August 17. Check out the video below … sing-a-long even.

Recorded in Glow In the Dark studios in Atlanta, GA, with producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Anberlin) the band's record offers listeners a mix of infectious, powerful and undeniable songs. The guys have been causing a stir in their local cities of Atlanta and Gainesville, FL, and are quite anxious to take their sound across the country.

“This Is Yours”

www.debutaunts.com
www.myspace.com/debutaunts

Hot Seconds Burned The Mutha Down …

Hot Seconds: July 16 @ Pianos, New York, NY

I hadn’t actually planned on writing about this show. I just went to have a good time and hear some good music. Friday night, Hot Seconds, James Love (vocals/guitar), Eran Westwood (guitar/vocals), Marcel Simoneau (bass) and Ian Hudgins (drums/vocals) took to the stage at Pianos … their third show this month. They launched into their set and proceeded to set things on fire and burn the place down … okay, not literally. I knew then I’d be saying something about the show.

They haven’t played with that kind of fire since January of last year. That show I said they were on the verge of being dangerous and were attempting to take over the world. They had come close to matching that intensity and fire several months later. But, it wasn’t until Friday night that they matched that fire and perhaps even surpassed it.

There was a get down to business, take no prisoners vibe and at times flashes of urgency. But, at the same time there was an attitude of balls out fun. The audience didn’t need encouraging; it was clear we were along for the ride from jump and the band was feeding off it like never before.

Everyone seemed relaxed and enjoying themselves. Okay, perhaps some of that relaxed vibe had to do with Love turning twenty-five for the tenth year and they were enjoying all that goes with such milestone moments. But, there was just a terrific energy that made the fire burn brightly.

There were some bits that sounded different … slight changes? Perhaps it was just me heading towards being sideways? The harmonica bit in “When I Go” has changed … actually that’s been sounding different since they’ve been back out rockin’. “Helicopter” seemed to rock harder. “Apathy” sounded more full-bodied and robust. There were other bits that sounded different but those are the ones that stick out without listening to the playback.

Love was relaxed. He really is stepping up his rock star game … a cheeky charmer that one. I’m still getting used to him not playing guitar during “Pieces of You.” For some reason, even though I’ve seen this arrangement of the song a few times, it keeps throwing me. It throws me but I like it, it seems to have more of a harder edge to it now.

Westwood’s playing was hot and tight. He was loose and smiling and I like the smiles … but, I didn’t even get my death glare. What’s up with that? I shove my camera in your face; you glare at me … it’s our thing, it works for us.

Hudgins was like a friggin’ mad man … completely and totally animal, insanely animal. I was watching him play and for a while now I’ve been trying to put my finger on what it is that made me a fan of a drummer, this drummer … other than the fact that he’s good. I think I’ve figured it out. He plays with this magnificent lack of inhibition that’s fun to watch and listen to.

Simoneau made my tailbone vibrate. Need I say more? Probably so but if you’ve ever experienced that feeling then you don’t need more explanation. Anytime your bones vibrate at a rock concert, it’s a good thing.

I certainly had fun. Hoist the flag and consider Pianos conquered. In the end they walked off the figurative blackened embers of the Pianos stage knowing it was theirs. Holy hell boys, welcome back.

Check out the video of "Clam Man" from the show below. I know, I know, after talking about their fire, I give you the most mellow song of the night. And yes, the questionable camera work is back ... it's my thing!

More photos HERE.

“Clam Man”

Set List

• Helicopter
• Can't Stop
• Pieces Of You
• Excuse Me
• Apathy
• Clam Man
• Happy Birthday/Die Like A Dog
• Gone To Ground
• When I Go
• Went To India

hotseconds.net