2012 Newport Folk Festival Recap: PART 1

Words by Andre and Kevin

2012’s Newport Folk Festival is now a thing of the past, and as expected the weekend ended up being yet another glorious celebration of music - albeit a slightly soggy one.

For fifty three years now, the Newport Folk Festival has been, and continues to be, the greatest American music festival in existence. Sure, it has evolved, and continues to evolve, beyond its “strictly folk” beginnings – that ship sailed in 1965 the moment Dylan plugged in – but it is that spirit of exploration,  that willingness to take risks, that makes this annual weekend by the bay what it is.

While other festivals try to include practically every band in existence, the organizers of the Newport Folk Festival picks acts that embody the spirit of the fest. Each artist is complementary in some way to the others,  which is a good thing because you’re lucky if you can make it through even one set with out a sit-in, or multiple sit-ins, by artists at the fest that weekend.

While other festivals seek to grow into the biggest MEGA FESTIVAL that they possibly can (looking at you Coachella /ACL), Newport welcomes a measly ten thousand people through its gates. Could they fit more? Sure. But by keeping attendance relatively low, it creates a familial vibe that permeates the festival grounds at Fort Adams.  You’re just as likely to run into an old friend walking around as you are Jackson Browne eating some clams from a local vendor.

The Newport Folk Festival is the place where music consistently comes alive in a way that is utterly unique, and this year was no exception. Yes, the rain came – at times in buckets - shortening sets and boosting poncho sales through the roof. But nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the artists or fans in attendance.

We’ll be talking about the fest in greater detail on a special edition of our podcast out later this week, but here are some of the highlights of the fest as we saw it.

HIGHLIGHTS

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FRIDAY – ONE BIG HIGHLIGHT
(See all of our shots from Friday right HERE)

MEGAFUAN
We’ve managed to miss this crew from North Carolina each and every time they have come through DC. NEVER AGAIN. Delivering a set that was a gripping blend of psychedlia, folk and foot stomping rock, it is absolutely inconceivable that a stage smaller than the one at the Fort could ever contain them. Biggest surprise of the weekend, and it was the first one out of the gate taboot!

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Press Play: Blitzen Trapper - "Taking It Easy Too Long" (Video)

And you thought that the Trapper boys were done taking over the world. In addition to announcing a smattering of Spring tour dates for 2012 they also dropped a brand new video for American Goldwing's "Taking It Easy To Long" on the world.

So take er easy, check out the goods below, and be sure to catch Blitzen Trapper out on tour when they're in your neck of the woods, which will  be the best thing you do in 2012, we promise.

Blitzen Trapper 2012 Tour Dates
Mar 3 Arcata CA @ Humboldt Brews Tickets
Mar 5 Sacramento CA @ Harlow's  Tickets
Mar 6 Visalia CA @ The Cellar Door Tickets
Mar 7 Los Angeles CA @ Troubadour Tickets
Mar 9 Santa Barbara CA @ SOhO Restaurant and Music Club Tickets
Mar 10  Long Beach CA @ Alex's Bar Tickets
Mar 11 Phoenix AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom Tickets
Mar 12 Tucson AZ @ Club Congress Tickets
Mar 19  Albuquerque NM @ Launchpad
 Mar 20 Telluride CO @ Sheridan Opera House Tickets
Mar 22 Salt Lake City UT @ The State Room Tickets
Mar 23 Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Fest

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Best of 2011: Kevin's picks

I've heard a metric f@#@-ton of music this year. More bands than I can even remember have gone in one earhole and out the other. I'm sure in the process of checking out absolutely everything I could get my hands on a few bands might have slipped through the cracks, and to them I can only hope to catch up with them again at a later date. These next 10 bands are the ones that didn't slip through the cracks though. They're the groups/individuals who managed to make their magnificent noise rise up above the rest, and in the process make 2011 a quite exceptional year for music.

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#10 Caveman - Coco Beware

The simple act of discovery can color one's opinion of a band, and it certainly has in Caveman's case...for everyone that's ever heard them apparently. I "discovered" Caveman opening up for The War on Drugs at The Red Palace here in DC earlier this year, and from that instant I was hooked. This record is drenched in moody, dreamscape inspired Radiohead-esque harmonies and sounds, and yet plays like something only Caveman could create. I know, I know, that sounds circular, but when a band this early in their existence can so well define who and what they are as a band, borrowing liberally from everything around them and somehow managing to put forth those collective influences as something better is the sign of a great artist. They've already got the attention of the music-nerd set (including NPR) and in 2012 they're the band to keep an eye on, because with a debut this good, sooner or later everyone is going to catch on to Caveman's fire. (Yes, I just wrote that)

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