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.

Video of the Day -- Lisa Redford's "Reminders"

Lisa Redford has released a new video in support of her new EP Reminders. The four song EP is short but sweet with it's well crafted lyrics and Redford's crystal clear vocals.  The video is for the title song and you can see it at the bottom of the post. 

Reminders' was recorded in Brooklyn, NYC and produced by Jeff Hill a respected and incredibly talented musician who has also played with the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Neal Casal and Erin McKeown. As well as playing electric and double bass, Jeff contributes keyboards, cello and backing vocals. All tracks also feature keyboardist Didi Gutman, composer and arranger for the Grammy Award-nominated Brazilian Girls.

Upcoming: Bright Light Bright Light at Pianos, 8/2

GIG ALERT!!!  UK electro-dance artist Bright Light Bright Light (Rod Thomas) will be performing a solo set at Pianos on Thursday, August 2.  It all happens at 8PM and it will cost you $8.  Head on down and show him some love.

Check out the video of "Disco Moment" below.  The song is from his debut album Make Me Believe In Hope which was released last month.

Upcoming: Brown Bird at 92YTribeca, 8/2

I have a gig alert for you New York.  Rhode Island duo Brown Bird will be taking the stage at 92YTribeca on Thursday, August 2.  It happens at 9PM and it will cost you $12 adv/$14 dos.  Head on down and show them some New York love.

And, if that's not enough for you and you're among those who scored tickets, the duo will be playing this year's sold-out Newport Folk Festival this Saturday, July 28 on the main stage.  They're scheduled to go on at 11:40AM.  I may have gotten a little giddy at last year's festival when they launched into their excellent rendition of "Jackson" which happens to be a favorite of mine.

Newport Jazz Festival Schedule Cubes

For a printable schedule, click HERE. For additional festival information, visit the Newport Jazz Festival website. Click image to enlarge.

Video of the Day: Maren Parusel - "Tightrope Walker"

Today we have for you a video from electro rocker Maren Parusel.  The video is for the song "Tightrope Walker" which I have fallen in lust with.  The clip was directed and edited by Greg Schoenwald and Dead In 60 Years.  The song is the title track of their new album that was released last month.  Check out the video at the bottom of the post.

Front woman Parusel had this to say about the film:

“Many thanks to Dead in 60 Years, a group who supports indie music and local music events in Fresno. We met the crew a year ago on a trip up to Fresno while on tour up the coast and they offered us to make our first music video, “Kiss You.”  We liked it so much that we asked them again this time around.
 
We started shooting the video after driving to Fresno the night before. The shoot started at 6:30 am to about 2 am the next morning, after which we drove 5 hours back home to San Diego. Special thanks to the crew of Dead in 60 Years, who never stopped with the determination to finish the video in a one day shoot. We went from climbing hills to an Alice in Wonderland Amusement park, had several jumps in the coldest pool in the world and ended up performing in a scary haunted house. Maren's sister, Lena who was visiting from Germany was doing costume design and was performing as a scary masked clown in the video.”

Upcoming: The Dreamscapes Project at Arlene's Grocery, 7/28

The Dreamscapes Project are coming back to New York!  They will be at Arlene's Grocery on Saturday, July 28.  They go on at 9PM and it'll cost you $10.  Head on down to the LES, check them out ... they're a fun live band, show them some love ... all bands like love, and in general have damn good time ... it's what you do when good music and a bar are involved! 

Upcoming: Allen Stone Live From T5, 7/26

JetBlue Airways will be presenting singer Allen Stone on Thursday, July 26 at 6PM at Terminal 5 (T5) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.  The performance, a part of JetBlue's Live From T5 series, will be available to ticketed customers and contest winners.  The airline has partnered with Relix.com and WFUV for a local contest.  Fans can tune into WFUV to enter to win passes to the exclusive concert.

"Allen Stone’s powerhouse sound has brought him to the front row in the music industry,” said JetBlue Brand Coordinator Albert Hsieh. ”His energy, unwavering attitude and individuality are similar to JetBlue, a brand that truly values independence. JetBlue loves to break new ground and introduce quality artists to our customers. Those traveling through our terminal at JFK’s T5 will get a real treat as Allen Stone performs following his sold out show at the famed Bowery Ballroom the night before.”

Video of the Day: George Wein interviews Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks

With the Newport Jazz Festival a couple of weeks away, I thought I'd start whetting my appetite.  Today we have for you festival founder/producer George Wein interviewing Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi.  The pair will bring their Tedeschi Trucks Band to the festival on Sunday, August 5.  If you haven't got tickets to the festival, which takes place August 3 - 5 in scenic Newport, RI, what are you waiting for?  Click HERE for tickets.  You don't want you to miss out on a great weekend of music!