I came up with this idea recently about making a weekend entry where I'd highlight some things I came across during the week that I liked but just didn't get around to posting. So here's the first entry of "the missing links" for the week of 2/11. Hopefully a few things you might have missed but will find interesting. Enjoy!
Matt Pond PA performing "Love to Get Used" on Jimmy Fallon HERE.
If you missed it last night, here's Tegan and Sara's performance of their new single "Closer" from the Conan show last night. Really digging this song right now....
This weekend I'll be heading up to Newport, RI for their annual Folk Festival. If you're unfamiliar with the Festival, you can read about it's extensive history starting all the way back in in 1959 right HERE.
I've been invited by my friend Todd a couple times as he's been a regular attendee but I just haven't been able to pull it off until this year. Some of my friends were able to join him last year and they came back raving about the weekend, I knew I had to make it happen this year.
I'll be heading up with a big crew to take in the weekend at Fort Adams State Park and I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to cover the festival. When I first saw the lineup a few months ago I knew I had to make it up there as it was a great mix of bands I had seen, bands I dug but hadn't yet seen, and some bands I had just read/heard about recently. Add in a great venue on the water and it seems like a perfect weekend to take in some great music.
I figured I'd give some recommendations of bands that I've seen or plan on seeing over the weekend. With so many great options, it's impossible to hit everything but Newport Folk Festival has assembled a tremendous lineup and it's pretty difficult to go wrong at any point this weekend. One word of advice, I'd wear some comfortable shoes because you're going to want to move around quite a bit to see some great acts. Okay, here we go......
SATURDAY
12:35 - TYPHOON (Harbor Stage): Tough call here with Typhoon playing basically the same time slot as The Felice Brothers but I'll be staked out at the Harbor Stage. I first found out about Typhoon early in 2011 when I was sent their EP "A New Kind of House". From the first listen, I thought it was as good as anything I had heard in a long time. I tried researching the band a bit but they weren't on tour and things were pretty quiet at the time. They ended up getting invited to SXSW and the reviews I read said they were fantastic. I've literally been trying to see this 11-piece band for about six months so I'm thrilled to catch them in Newport (and again in NYC next week). Check out "The Honest Truth" below.
1:40 - FREELANCE WHALES (Quad Stage): I've been following these guys for a couple years now and definitely plan on catching their set. Even if you don't think you know them, chances are you've heard the Freelance Whales' song "Generator^First Floor" in a recent Starbucks Ad. Their album "Weathervanes" came out a bit ago and is definitely worth getting, some great songs on there. I finally got to see them at Coachella earlier this year and they were excellent. Here's a video of their song "Hannah" that I recorded at the show.
2:00 - GOGOL BORDELLO (Fort Stage): If you haven't seen these guys (or even if you have), they are a MUST SEE. One of the best live bands I've ever seen. Few bands match the energy of Gogol Bordello in concert, just a really unique experience. I've written a lot about them over the last couple of years, and even met lead singer Eugene Hutz one night in NYC a couple years ago. I'm just a big fan and think that anyone making the trip this weekend should make sure they catch at least part of this set. Here's a clip of "Wonderlust King" I took at Coachella earlier this year.
2:55 - DELTA SPIRIT (Quad Stage): Lead singer Matt Vazquez will be pulling double-duty performing with Delta Spirit along with his other project, Middle Brother. I had heard a bunch of their material and finally got to see them at Coachella this year. Here's a clip of "St Francis" that my buddy Chris took at the festival.
4:15 - TEGAN & SARA (Quad Stage): I'm a fan of these sisters from up north. I first saw them in 2007 out at Neil Young's Bridge School Festival in California. I had friend playing the weekend so I was lucky enough to tag along and meet these ladies and a bunch of other bands. They're extremely talented and I also thought they were just damn nice people, really enjoyed speaking with them and have followed their career since that time. I think they have some great songs, and particularly love their album "The Con". Here's a clip of my favorite song by them, "Dark Comes Soon".... I'd imagine their set will be something like this.
6:05 - THE DECEMBERISTS (Fort Stage): Here's a pretty big band that I have not seen in concert before. I know some of their stuff but honestly haven't listened to them a ton. I know a lot of people that really like them, they seem to have a big following an will be playing one of the headlining slots on Saturday night. Here's one of their songs that I really dig, "Down By The Water" (and I wouldn't be surprised to see Gillian Welch hang around after her set to join these guys).
SUNDAY
11:30 - BROWN BIRD (Harbor Stage): Here's a band I've only recently heard about but I definitely like what I've listened to. They've got one of the first slots on Sunday so it's a great opportunity to get out there and check out some early sets. Take a listen to this track, "Ragged Old Town"
1:40 - TRAMPLED BY TURTLES (Quad Stage): I just started listening to these guys at the end of 2010 so I haven't had a chance to see them yet. Definitely looking forward to seeing them as I really like the songs I've heard. Check out the track, "Wait So Long"
3:00 - JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE (Quad Stage): This is definitely one of the sets I'm most looking forward to over the weekend. I've really gotten into Justin's stuff over the last year and am looking forward to finally catching one of his live sets. My favorite song is probably a tune called, "Midnight at the Movies" but I'm also hoping for some more up-tempo songs, something like "Harlem River Blues".
4:20 - MIDDLE BROTHER (Quad Stage) vs THE HEAD & THE HEART (Harbor Stage): This would be my "steel cage match" of the weekend, two acts I'd really like to see playing at the same exact time. Middle Brother is made up of three lead singers of other bands; John McCauley (Deer Tick), Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) & Matt Vazquez (Delta Spirit). I've seen Deer Tick & Dawes numerous times, love both bands and saw Middle Brother perform in Brooklyn earlier this year. Here's a video I took of their song "Blue Eyes".
The Head and The Heart are getting some major buzz. They recently played the Mercury Lounge in NYC and the tickets sold out in the blink of an eye. I think they'll have a big crowd for their set and I'm going to try to swing between the two and hopefully catch a bit of both. These guys have some great songs, one of my favorites is "Down In The Valley".
4:45 - ELVIS COSTELLO (Fort Stage): As if Middle Brother and The Head & The Heart wasn't enough of a tough decision, Elvis Costello takes the stage about half way through their sets. I'm going to do my best to run over and catch the tail end of his set. Regardless, if you like music, you've got some amazing options between 4pm and 6pm, great acts all over the venue. Here's one of my favorite Elvis tunes, "Pump It Up" (still sounds great!)
5:40 - M WARD w/ DAWES (Quad Stage): This should be another great set, M Ward with Dawes as his backing band. I like M Ward's stuff but he's another act that I haven't seen in person yet. I'm also hoping that they find a way to mix in some Dawes tunes, easily one of my favorite new bands from the last couple of years. If you don't have their two albums, go buy them immediately, fantastic albums. Here's a recent clip of "Big Bird" with Dawes backing M Ward.
Well, think that about wraps it up. As you can see, there's a ton of great options that should keep any music lover busy throughout the weekend. There's a bunch of good bands I didn't even get to mention but I have to give a ton of credit to the Festival organizers for putting together such a strong lineup. I'll have some pictures, videos, and hopefully a slew of stories upon my return next week. As always, thanks for reading!
Tegan & Sara along with Paramore have announced some upcoming tour dates for the summer & fall. See dates below, more info available HERE.
SHOW DATE/ VENUE/ CITY/ TICKETS ON SALE July 23 /Raleigh Boutique Amphitheatre /Raleigh, NC /April 2 July 24 /Delaware State Fair /Harrington, DE /April 3 July 31 /Merriweather Post Pavilion /Columbia, MD /March 27 Aug 3 /Meadowbrook Pavilion /Gilford, NH /March 27 Aug 4 /Festival Pier / Penn’s Landing /Philadelphia, PA /March 27 Aug 7 /Hershey Park Pavilion /Hershey, PA /March 27 Aug 8 /Darien Lake PAC /Darien Lake, NY /March 27 Aug 10 /Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre /Cleveland, OH /March 27 Aug 12 /PNC Pavilion /Riverbend Music Center /Cincinnati, OH /March 27 Aug 14 /Marcus Amphitheatre /Milwaukee, WI /April 2 Aug 15 /Meadowbrook Music Fair /Rochester Hills, MI /April 2 Aug 18 /Charter One Pavilion /Chicago, IL /April 2 Aug 19 /The Lawn at White River State Park /Indianapolis, IN /March 27 Aug 21 /Nashville Municipal Auditorium /Nashville, TN /March 27 Sep 1 /The Arena / Gwinnett Center /Deluth, GA /April 3 Sep 2 /St. Augustine Amphitheatre /St. Augustine, FL /April 9 Sep 4 /Bayfront Park Amphitheatre /Miami, FL /April 9 Sep 5 /UCF Arena /Orlando, FL /March 27 Sep 7 /Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena /New Orleans, LA /March 27 Sep 8 /Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion /Woodlands, TX /March 27 Sep 10 /Nokia Theater /Grand Prairie, TX /March 27 Sep 13 /Red Rocks Amphitheatre /Morrison, CO /Apr 24 Sep 15 /Dodge Theater /Phoenix, AZ /March 27 Sep 17 /Theater at HP Pavilion /San Jose, CA /March 27 Sep 18 /Viejas Arena /San Diego, CA /March 27 Sep 19 /Honda Center /Anaheim, CA /March 27
Just in time so you can listen to some great songs while you do some last minute wrapping. Here's the fourth installment, five more great songs from 2009.....
"Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" - The Avett Brothers (from the album "I and Love and You")
Decide what to be and go be it.......
"Brother's Blood" - Kevin Devine (from the album "Brother's Blood")
"3 Rounds and a Sound" - Blind Pilot (from the album "3 Rounds and a Sound")
"The Ocean" - Tegan & Sara (from the album "Sainthood")
"Rosyln" - Bon Iver & St Vincent (from the "Twilight: New Moon" Soundtrack)
For those of you that follow me on Twitter, you're probably familiar with my "Subway Shuffle". For those of you that don't, here's the deal..... Basically on my commute home from work, I put my ipod on shuffle and see what comes up. I take 5 songs and post them in a row on twitter with links via blip.fm. Hopefully you find something new or maybe something old that you haven't heard in awhile. Hopefully you find something that hits the spot for that night. I only post these occasionally but I'm going to try to do it more often if possible.
Some people don't like to use twitter so I figured I'd start posting the shuffles here also. I'll post the songs and a link to my Blip.fm page where you can listen for yourself. Enjoy.
Tegan & Sara's new album "Sainthood" is streaming all week on Myspace. You can listen to it HERE. I just got through my first listen, really like the song "The Ocean".
Tegan & Sara will be touring the US in February, March & April of 2010. Dates are below and the presale starts this Wednesday, October 14th at 10am. All details available at their website HERE.
Fri/Feb-12 - Northampton, MA - Calvin Theater Sat/Feb-13 - Boston, MA - The Orpheum Tue/Feb-16 - Philadelphia, PA, Tower Theater (Upper Darby) Wed/Feb-17 - Washington, DC - Warner Theater Thu/Feb-18 - Richmond, VA - The National Sat/Feb-20 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Theater Sun/Feb-21 - Miami, FL - Sunset Cove Tue/Feb-23 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse Wed/Feb-24 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina’s Thu/Feb-25 - Dallas, TX - Palladium Fri/Feb-26 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall Sat/Feb-27 - Houston, TX - The Warehouse Tue/Mar-02 - Vegas, NV - House of Blues Wed/Mar-03 - San Diego - Copley Symphony Hall Fri/Mar-05 - San Francisco - Fox Theater Sat/Mar-06 - San Francisco - Fox Theater Wed/Mar-24 - Minneapolis, MN - The Orpheum Thu/Mar-25 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Fri/Mar-26 - Chicago IL - The Aragon Sat/Mar-27 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Theater Sun/Mar-28 - Cleveland, OH - Lakewood Civic Tue/Mar-30 - Columbus, OH - Promo West Pavilion Fri/Apr-02 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant Sat/Apr-03 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater Sun/Apr-04 - Denver, CO - The Ogden Tue/Apr-06 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
Tegan & Sara previewed some artwork and a track listing for their upcoming album "Sainthood" which will be released on October 27th. They also announced that they'll be playing two local shows at Town Hall in NYC on October 30th & 31st. Those should be GREAT shows, Town Hall is one of my favorite venues in the city. Tickets go on sale via ticketmaster on August 28th at 10 AM. More info can be found HERE.
