Newport Folk Festival

Being a big music fan and a lover of history, I'm almost embarassed to say I've never been to the Newport Folk Festival until now. Beginning in 1959, the Newport Folk Festival has seen some important musical history take place over the years, most notably Bob Dylan going electric in 1965.

When people think about the NFF, they understandably think of folk music. While folk is still heard on the Newport stages, this music festival has made the effort that many music festivals around the United States have in mixing things up. As we made our way around Fort Adams State Park to the various stages, you noted blues, jazz, rock, and some pure folk music. It really is an eclectic mix and a range of artists like 70 year old Levon Helm, or the up-and-coming Avett Brothers. It is also still very much a family event which is nice to see.

It was a beautiful day to enjoy my first Newport Folk Festival and most importantly, I got to hear some new artists that I wasn't familiar with. For me, that is one of the biggest bonuses of going to an event like this...the chance to hear new tunes.

Here is a review from the Boston Globe of this year's festivities:


Adding to legacy at Newport
Venerable folk fest receives jolt from acts both old and new
By James Reed, Globe Staff August 2, 2010

NEWPORT, R.I. — Having admired the careers of Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, Steve Martin confessed that he, too, had written a protest song to commemorate his debut at the Newport Folk Festival this past weekend.

“It’s called ‘Let’s Keep Minimum Wage Right Where She’s At,’ ’’ the actor and accomplished banjo player said deadpan Friday night at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, kicking off the folk fest with a rousing bluegrass revue.

He was joking, but the underlying message couldn’t have been more relevant. Because it’s so steeped in music history — where Bob Dylan went electric, where an unbilled Baez catapulted to fame at age 18 — the Newport Folk Festival and its legacy tend to loom large in the minds of the musicians who perform here every year.

Perhaps no other American music festival so strongly inspires its artists to connect the dots between their music and what preceded it. Sarah Jarosz, a New England Conservatory student and rising Americana musician, sprinkled covers of Dylan and Patty Griffin into her set Saturday morning at Fort Adams State Park. Around the same time on a separate stage, recent Berklee graduate Liz Longley sweetly said, “I’m a huge Joni Mitchell fan,’’ before playing a moving acoustic rendition of “River.’’

To celebrate Newport’s 50th anniversary, Seeger headlined both nights last year, leading nearly the entire lineup in spirited singalongs. While his presence lent the festival gravitas and cohesion, this year’s edition was more scattershot but with lively performances by the likes of bluegrass masters (mandolinist Sam Bush), indie folk-rockers (Blitzen Trapper), and soul revivalists (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings). The variety paid off too. This year’s attendance surpassed 16,000, up 500 from last year’s count.

Pity the folks who missed an ardent set from Nneka, a singer-songwriter of Nigerian and German heritage whose hip-hop and R&B resounded with warmth and defiance. Oddly, she seemed resigned and indifferent in between songs; such is the peril of opening the main Fort stage at 11:30 in the morning.

Nneka was among a handful of artists trafficking in different sounds and moods. Calexico, an Americana collective from Tucson, emanated a lovely desert noir vibe tinged with Mexican flourishes, replete with two horn players and an accordionist. New York’s O’Death, which rightly calls its music folk metal, ignited the first fits of dancing I saw, rivaled only by the contagious fan fervor for Dawes, the California country-rock quintet that made Newport its star-making moment.

Brandi Carlile was also a revelation, a little bit country and quite a bit rock ’n’ roll with a big voice that swallowed whole everything she sang. The same fiery spirit imbued the Low Anthem’s set earlier on the same stage, with the Providence-band once again proving its quick ascent was warranted.

Saturday’s lineup leaned heavily on up-and-coming acts, but it was Doc Watson who attracted a spillover crowd of faces young and old. The seminal guitarist — whose flatpicking style influenced nearly everyone on the bill, whether or not they realized it — held court with standards such as “Shady Grove’’ and “Anytime.’’ Fellow guitarist David Holt remarked that Watson was doing pretty good for someone who’s 87, to which Watson dryly retorted, “Or 30.’’

In separate performances, singer-songwriters A.A. Bondy and Andrew Bird built distinct but similarly slow-burning sets that lingered well after they left the stage. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, performing as Yim Yames, was even more mercurial, somehow sounding both ethereal and embracing in his reverb-drenched set.

When James made a cameo in John Prine’s headlining slot for duets of “All the Best’’ and “Paradise,’’ it clearly wasn’t just homage. The gap between Newport’s past and its future was officially, and beautifully, bridged.

Like lived-in houses, Prine’s poignant songs — delivered in his world-weary husk of a voice — were familiar and comforting, a soundtrack to the sun setting over Narragansett Bay.

It became obvious yesterday that James was the linchpin of this year’s festival. Like a parlor game of “Where’s Waldo?,’’ you never knew where he’d pop up, but it turns out James was connected to various artists through previous collaborations. One minute he was adding a yodel to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s rollicking set and a half-hour later he was singing high-lonesome harmonies with Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore.

A sense of electricity rippled through the festival yesterday, thanks to dynamic bands that knew how to work a stage. Jones & the Dap-Kings peddled a relentlessly contagious brand of soul and funk, replete with Jones’s nasty voice and a brisk rundown of classic dance moves.

Like last year, the Avett Brothers were the fest’s bona fide rock stars. Overcoming technical difficulties early on, the North Carolina band went on to shred its way through emotional roots rock that fired up the crowd.

But if Newport had an unofficial ambassador of good will this year, it was Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, whose communal indie folk — best heard when shouted at full throttle — galvanized what seemed like the entire festival attendance. You could hardly scuttle past the stage since it was so congested with folks trying to sneak a peek at the band’s messianic frontman, Alex Ebert.

A retro charm pulsed through April Smith and the Great Picture Show’s set, right down to the encore of Melanie’s ’60s hit “Brand New Key.’’ Likewise, Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three channeled a sepia-toned era with their irresistible take on Western swing and old-time jazz. Blurring the line between Americana and Mexican music, Bay State band the David Wax Museum celebrated its Newport debut with an engaging performance.

The Swell Season, the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova born of the 2007 film “Once,’’ were another striking pair of contrasts. Her elegant piano playing underscored the intensity of his singing and guitar prowess.

Levon Helm, the legendary former drummer of The Band, closed out the ceremony backed by veteran musicians who switched seamlessly from lean country rock to extended jams. Since he hasn’t been in good voice for the past year, Helm let his bandmates take the lead on almost all of the vocals.

Helm’s special guests included Richie Havens, who earlier in the day played a hard-driving set, and the Swell Season’s Hansard, each taking a verse of “The Weight,’’ one of The Band’s most iconic songs.

For a finale, Helm assembled several of the weekend’s bands for a singalong of Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.’’

Watching young concertgoers and their parents sway side by side and sing along in unison, you sensed they left with a greater appreciation of what the Newport Folk Festival is all about.

Resolutions

Last year at the same time, I had made a post about New Year's resolutions. This year is no different. The most important thing on my list is to do a better job of exercising.

I have always considered myself to be "in shape." However, as many people know, I have had some roadblocks in the past year which have prevented me from doing as much physical activity as I would like. The graduate program I just finished in December took a large amount of time away from what little free time I had to begin with. Combine that with a freak virus that sidelined me for 2 months this past fall and I really feel like I'm in the worst shape of my life.

This year, I really need to get back on track. It has been difficult in the past month with all of the snow which had been falling and making the running surfaces slick. However, I need to follow through and really start treating my body better. Barring any snow storms, my goal right now is to run at least 10 miles a week. I also need to improve my diet and drink more water.

Hopefully by the time the summer rolls around, I'll be back in running shape in time for some of the road races I enjoy.

Holidays

With the holiday season now full swing, I was thinking to myself about how much I enjoy Thanksgiving. Of course, when I was a young kid, I never considered Thanksgiving to be one of my favorite holidays. I appreciate it much more now, however. There is something about watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, listening to Alice's Restaurant, watching football, and lounging around with the family.

That doesn't necessarily mean I don't enjoy Christmas any less, however. Halloween is also really enjoyable...as is Easter.

A student asked me a couple of days ago what my favorite holiday was and I really had to think about it. I enjoy them all, really.

What about you? What is your favorite holiday? And why?

Community Service

Having just recently started a committee here at the high school with a few other teachers, I am interested in getting some student feedback on the new community service requirement.

Being a teacher and someone who believes in the importance of a tight-knit community built upon teamwork, I am really excited that Norton now requires this. I think too many students grow up in towns where they really don't get involved and appreciate where they come from. I think the community service requirement will give students an opportunity to not just help out organizations and businesses in need, but will also foster a connection with the town itself. It may even give students some ideas as to what they might want to do (or not do) after college?

I'm curious to see how students feel about the number of hours required and what types of projects you have been or see yourself getting involved with. Are you excited at the chance to do something for a group or organization in need? Maybe you want to work with the elderly...or work with animals...or do something to make the town or school look better? Have you already completed the number of hours required? Have you found something you really enjoyed doing that you have kept doing it past the number of required hours?

A New Year

A new school year has just begun at Norton High School. Whenever September rolls around, there is a mix of emotions. For me, I am always sad to see the summer go. For my money, there is no more pleasant a place to be in the summer than New England.

I had the good fortune of finishing up my graduate courses in July so I had some free time to relax and travel in August. Some of the highlights were the obvious trip to Woodstock, a few days in Maine, a weekend in the Berkshires, and plenty of time down the Cape.

While I am sad to see the end of summer, I am definately feeling refreshed and am really excited for this school year...perhaps more than any other. I am teaching some courses that I really enjoy teaching. I seem to have a great group of students from what I can tell so far. In addition, I have the opportunity to advise the Class of 2010 through their senior year. Working with the class for the past 2 years has been great. I feel privileged to be able to help them through their final days of high school. I am excited to be able to plan trips, class night, and most importantly, graduation. They might find it hard to believe, but I am (almost) as excited as they are to navigate through this very exciting year in their lives.

I am expecting a good year. What are you excited about?

40th Anniversary weekend

Last weekend (August 15th and 16th) marked the 40th anniversary of what is considered to be one of the finest moments of the 1960s counterculture. It is also considered to be the most famous concert in American History. For 3 days, America's youth came together for 3 days of peace and music, just as the promoters had advertised. Being the music and history fan that I am, this event has always been (obviously) of particular interest to me. I wasn't going to let the 40th anniversary weekend go by without trying to be a part of the anniversary festivities in some way.

While I had visited Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and the new museum last summer, we decided to make the journey there once again this summer for what I figured would be a special weekend. I also decided to invite my father up for the trek since the 60s really is his generation. We had absolutely beautiful weather for the event. The weekend featured a concert with 8 bands who either played the original Woodstock festival or have members who have a link to Woodstock. The event also featured a craft fair with all types of local artists who sold some really neat stuff. On Sunday, we made another stop off at the Bethel Woods museum. If you haven't been there, it really is a special place. The museum includes information not just about the significance of Woodstock, but also gives you a great backdrop to the turmoil of the 1960s. We had great weather to go along with the beauty of upstate New York. In addition, I have to say that the vibe of the weekend was just terrific. I have never been to an event where there were so many friendly, easy-going people. Everybody really understood the significance of Woodstock and seemed genuinely pleased to be a part of it.

Below is a USA Today review of the concert along with a few photos I took from the event:

Woodstock at 40: Everywhere a song and a celebration
By John W. Barry, The Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal

BETHEL, N.Y. — Playing an electric guitar that seemed as charged and as amped as the sold-out crowd of 15,000, 15-year-old Conrad Oberg of Florida opened the 40th anniversary Woodstock concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Saturday by playing the instrumental version of The Star-Spangled Banner that Jimi Hendrix made famous in August 1969.

The crowd of mostly Baby Boomers stood for the national anthem, raised their arms and flashed peace signs with their fingers — a symbol of hope and defiance that has remained timeless for more than four decades.

Bethel Woods sits on the original Woodstock Music & Art Fair site in Sullivan County and launched a weekend of anniversary events Friday with two performances by festival veteran Richie Havens.

Big Brother and the Holding Company, members of which backed Janis Joplin at Woodstock, delivered a set that included riveting renditions of Down on Me, Piece of My Heart, Summertime and a singalong with the crowd on Me and Bobby McGee.

Another Woodstock veteran, Country Joe McDonald, served as master of ceremonies for the concert and introduced Big Brother, then returned later to read the names of local soldiers who died in the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. McDonald, a U.S. service veteran himself, then delivered his Woodstock anthem, the I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag.

And just as he did at Woodstock — famously captured in the Woodstock documentary — McDonald opened the song by asking the crowd to spell out an expletive: "Give me an F." And just like in the movie, members of the crowd stood up, clapped their hands and sang along, putting particular emphasis on the lyrics, "Whoopee/We're all gonna die."

"It reminded me of the days when we were really protesting this sort of thing," said Paul Salzberg, 57, of Lake Huntington, N.Y.

Country Joe, in between Canned Heat and Ten Years After, played the 1960s protest anthem For What It's Worth, Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land and Coming Into Los Angeles, which Arlo Guthrie performed at Woodstock.

One of the big showstoppers of the day, a song that spanned the 40-year chasm separating Aug. 15, 1969 from Aug. 15, 2009, was Canned Heat's performance of Goin' Up the Country, which played during the opening of the Woodstock documentary.

"It was fabulous," said Jean Hannigan, 46, of Beacon, N.Y., who hopped to the beat. She wore flowers in her hair, peace-sign earrings, a shirt with a peace sign and sunglasses with heart-shaped lenses. "Awesome. Beautiful."

Asked why she turned out for the event, she said, "I was 6 when this happened, and I'm 46 and I'm here. This is the greatest ever."

At the beginning of the show, Sam Yasgur, son of Max Yasgur, who owned the farm land on which Woodstock was held, spoke to the crowd: "He would have been overjoyed that four decades later, you and hundreds of thousands of others continue to have fun and music, and nothing but fun and music, on this beautiful site. "

A mellow tailgate scene was underway in the parking lots hours in advance of the opening performance, and streams of people walked the roads on the perimeter of Bethel Woods.
Several dozen gathered at the iconic Woodstock monument at the corner of West Shore and Hurd roads, near where the stage sat during Woodstock.

Concertgoers spread out on blankets and relaxed in lawn chairs that Bethel Woods rented for $5 each. Some in the crowd seemed oblivious to the music, playing with children on a large field over a ridge from the concert pavilion, or simply taking in what seemed like an endless view of rolling fields.

Michael Lang, one of the promoters who staged the 1969 event, introduced his 8-year-old twin sons the site and took them to The Museum at Bethel Woods.

"I spent a lot of my heart and soul here," he said.

Interest in the anniversary has been "unbelievable," Lang said. "You know why I think this one is so big — because of what's going on in the world and the country. Because of Obama being in the White House, the similarities in the times and the wars, it's resonating pretty strongly for people."

Hours before he was scheduled to close the concert, Levon Helm, who played Woodstock with The Band, recalled, "The first time we came, it was just another gig.

"This many years later, it's an event — it's a historic event. I'm happy to get to play."

Woodstock at 40

Woodstock At 40

Associated Press

Forty years after Richie Havens sang and strummed for a sea of people at Woodstock, he still gets asked about it and he still gets requests to sing "Freedom."

He's not surprised.

"Everything in my life, and so many others', is attached to that train," Havens said.

The young hippies who watched the sun come up with The Who in 1969 are now eligible for early bird specials. Many of the bands are broken up or missing members who died. But Woodstock remains one of those events — like the moon landing earlier that summer — that continues to define the 1960s in the popular imagination.

Consider the bumper crop of Woodstock nostalgia marking the 40th anniversary. There's a new director's cut DVD of the concert movie, a remastered concert CD, director Ang Lee's rock 'n' roll comedy "Taking Woodstock" and a memoir by promoter Michael Lang. There are also performances scheduled by Woodstock veterans at the old site, now home to a '60s museum and an outdoor concert pavilion.

The Woodstock legend stems from big names such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin playing at a show where everything went wrong but turned out right.

The town of Woodstock didn't want the concert and promoters were bounced from another site at the 11th hour. Lang settled on a hay field in Bethel owned by a kindly dairy farmer named Max Yasgur. The concert did come off Aug. 15-18, 1969, but barely. Fences were torn down, tickets became useless. More than 400,000 people converged on this rural corner 80 miles northwest of New York City, freezing traffic for miles. Then the rains doused everything.
It should have been a disaster. But Americans tuning in to the evening news that weekend saw smiling, dancing, muddy kids. By the time the concert movie came out months later, Woodstock was a symbol of the happy, hippie side of the '60s spirit.

It still is.

Baby boomers are the "Woodstock Generation" — not the "Monterey Generation" or the "Altamont Generation." Bethel's onsite museum has logged more than 70,000 visitors since last summer, a fair number of them college students born well after Woodstock. A roadside monument there regularly logs visitors from around the planet.

"It's almost a pilgrimage," said Wade Lawrence, director of the Museum at Bethel Woods. "It's like going to a high school reunion, or it's like visiting a grave site of a loved one."

From Lollapalooza to All Points West, there have been plenty of big festivals focused on youth culture. The continent-hopping Live Aid shows of 1985 did that and more, enlisting top names such as U2 and Madonna to fight hunger in Africa. None have the cultural cachet of Woodstock. Who would ever ask a Generation X-er: "Were you really at Live Aid?"

People who went to Woodstock say the crowd set it apart as much as the music. The trippy anarchy of Woodstock has become legend: lots of nudity, casual sex, dirty (and muddy) dancing, open drug use. The stage announcer famously warned people to steer clear of the brown acid.
Many who were there recall Woodstock as an oasis of good vibes during a time of unrest over the Vietnam War. Ilene Marder, then an 18-year-old who hitched from the Bronx, saw people feeding one another and respecting one another. She knew she found her tribe.

"The music was nice, but it was being with so many people who looked like us, who looked like me," said Marder, who later moved to Woodstock some 50 miles away. "I remember telling myself 'Don't forget this! Don't forget they way you feel right now!'"

Former Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten remembers hearing buzz that something special was up at the nearby hotel where the band was staying. The scale of the event sunk in when the band choppered in over the mass of people. While artists like Joe Cocker and Santana boosted their careers at Woodstock, the Dead were notoriously flat.

Jerry Garcia, the band's late guitarist, told interviewers that his guitar was being hit with bouncing blue balls of electricity — the kind that comes from bad wiring, not strong psychedelics. Constanten said he wasn't as bothered as his band mates.

"Actually, I had a wonderful time. The guitarists were not. Because of electrical problems, they were getting shocks from their strings and all," he said. "Aversion therapy like that, no one needs."

Constanten contends the music and spirit of Woodstock was not a revelation to the people there. But it was to the millions who saw the movie and listened to the album.
As they say now, Woodstock went viral.

"This juggernaut of a music scene burst in their awareness," he said. "It didn't feel different to us. It was their response."

Woodstock has been resurrected a couple of times since then, at least in name.

Promoters staged a 25th-anniversary concert near Woodstock in 1994 that was a musical success. But a 30th-anniversary performance at a former Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y., ended in disaster after crowds lit bonfires and looted on the last night. The unrelenting heat and $4 bottles of water taxed any vestiges of Woodstock spirit.

Yasgur's old farm, meanwhile, has gone establishment in recent years. Local cable TV billionaire Alan Gerry quietly snapped up the land in the 1990s and started a not-for-profit foundation to run a museum and concert space. The gently sloping hill that provided a natural amphitheater in 1969 is nicely tended and fenced in.

Concerts are regularly scheduled over the hill from the original stage at a modern, 4,800-seat amphitheater.

Constanten and Havens are among the 1969 performers returning to the site on the 40th anniversary weekend. Havens will play a solo show that Friday, a day before a larger show featuring other Woodstock veterans such as Levon Helm, formerly of The Band, Ten Years After and Canned Heat. Though long separated from the Dead, Constanten said he'll play the band's songs that weekend.

No electric shocks are expected under the multimillion-dollar pavilion, and probably no generation-defining magic either.

"Then is then," Constanten said, "and now is now."