Newport Folk Festival 2010

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to head down to Newport, RI with my brother to take in the Saturday shows of annual and quite legendary Newport Folk Festival. It was a beautiful day, and the atmosphere around the various sets was amazing. The music began with The Low Anthem on the large “Fort Stage.” Darlings of the festival, the gentleman introducing The Low Anthem described how in a few short years this local group had gone from volunteer trash-pick up one year, to playing on one of the smaller stages the year before, and now as a culmination taking the venue’s biggest stage. From the onset, it was clear why. The Low Anthem had the audience’s attention from the get-go and a clear command of the stage. Sweet and mournful, lead singer Ben Knox Miller’s voice stretched out over the crowd and seemed to drift off into the water, in perfect harmony with the tender and complex musical composition of “Cage the Songbird” and “Ticket Taker.” Multi-talented is an adjective that does not even begin to describe the musical aptitude of Miller and his bandmates, who regularly moved between instruments as the set progressed. After beginning with several newer songs, The Low Anthem launched into the rousing, thigh-slapping rendition of Tom Waits’ “Home I’ll Never Be.” A cacophony of banjo, guitar, harmonica, and percussion, embracing the classic theme of wandering, a theme that is seemingly inseparable from the tradition of folk music and Americana. The close of the set left me still wanting to hear more, the band having been onstage for little more than forty-five minutes. Even now, more than two weeks since that sunny afternoon The Low Anthem’s Oh My God, Charlie Darwin continues to fill time I spend idling, reading, or running.

From the Fort Stage, my brother and I briskly moved on towards the Harbor Stage in hopes of catching the remainder of Blitzen Trapper’s set. Not only were we successful, but managed to take in two of my favorite songs by the group: “Lady on the Water” and “The Man Who Would Speak True.” Personally, Blitzen Trapper, from what little I witnessed, did nothing to blow me away. They were more than capable in their delivery, but did nothing to blow me away with their live performance like the next group we saw.

Continuing our journey from set to set, next up was O’Death on the smaller, more intimate Quad Stage. My brother pushed hard for us to attend O’Death’s set, and not having heard a single track from the group, I had to trust his judgment. I am so glad that I did, because from the moment O’Death took the stage, they stole the day for me. The rugged quintet interacted with the smaller crowd from the onset, urging us to take part in the choruses and appealing for us to get on our feet and join in the revelry. If the furious, banjo and fiddle-driven tones of O’Death don’t get your blood moving and bestow a strong urge to stomp your feet along with the drums and dance, well you might be dead, because they were infectious that afternoon. The inspired, furious fiddle-work of Bob Pycior set the tones for most songs, and played well as a mirror to lead singer Greg Jamie’s strained, stirring vocals. Most of the songs played were off O’Death’s most recent album Broken Hymns, Limbs, and Skin, and included the tragic “Angeline” and the freneticly-paced “Fire on Peshtigo.” The rough, gritty quality of O’Death was matched only by their enthusiasm on-stage, and while their music has a distinctly modern folksy, bluegrass approach, the imprint of other styles was evident has the entire band went through the motions of a slow motion headbang during “Mountain Shifts” and raised their voices together, gruffly shouting the lyrics in “Legs to Sin” as the set closed.

At this point, my brother and I made the decision to split up as he returned to the Harbor Stage to see Jim James of My Morning Jacket and I remained at the Quad to take in the melodic pleasures produced by Horse Feathers. A band with which I have become enthralled by over the past few years, I wondered how Horse Feathers intricate, heavily layered sound might translate in a live setting. The quartet certainly lived up to their introduction as the musical equivalent of a headache cure, serenading the audience with dreamy string-heavy tones and soothing vocals from the voice of Justin Ringle. The songs seemed to flow one into the next, Ringle and his bandmates played several songs from their newest album Thistled Spring, as well as old favorites such as “Helen” and the emotionally torn “Heathen’s Kiss.” Before the set was done, a calming relaxation had swept over the crowd, as most of us lounged in the afternoon sun. Horse Feathers brought a tranquility with them, almost the opposite of emotions that O’Death had brought to the stage, yet satisfying none the less.

All in all, the artists we saw were just as excited to be playing the historic Newport Folk Festival as the audiences were to hear them. O'Death and The Low Anthem were the clear standouts among the bands I saw. The artists from the entire three day event can be heard at NPR.org, and I highly encourage everyone to check it out.