We can just about start counting down to the sold out 2012 Newport Folk Festival in terms of hours now, and I think I can feel the collective surge of excitement. All of the usual social media outlets are abuzz with tweets and posts about the impending fun that awaits.
I have arrived in Philly, part one of our own personal journey there, and Friday Ady and I shall head out together to attend our first ever NFF in the flesh, something we’ve been dreaming of taking part in for a long while. Our excitement is just about at fever pitch now.
This year’s line up is jam packed with a bounty of good music, it’s truly amazing what is in store this year. If you aren’t headed there in person there will be loads of coverage here on the blog, and elsewhere on the web from many other sources. NPR will be broadcasting via live web stream which you can tune in to here via the NPR Music Presents 2012 Newport Folk Festival link. If you can’t be there, it is highly suggested you set aside your entire weekend, pour yourself a drink and flip on the—well, we can’t say telly—boot up the ol’ pixel box and join in virtually! The line up and celebration of Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday promises to be, to borrow a great term from the festy’s organizers, folkin fantastic.
Ady and I will be there and we will be covering via our own Sisters Dissonance style, which of course means in addition to photos and words, a couple of interactive creative projects for everyone to join in on. You can keep up here on this site as well as our Facebook and Twitter ( @2sisdissonance )accounts.
The line up:
Day 1: Saturday:
My Morning Jacket
Iron and Wine
Patty Griffin
Guthrie Family Reunion
Dawes
Deer Tick
City and Colour
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Alabama Shakes
Sharon Van Etten
Blind Pilot
First Aid Kit
Brown Bird
Jonny Corndawg
Spirit Family Reunion
Robert Ellis
Ben Sollee
Frank Fairfield
The Apache Relay
HoneyHoney
Sleepy Man Banjo Boys
Elizabeth Mitchell & You are my Flower
Anthony D’Amato
Grave Robbers
Day 2: Sunday
Jackson Browne
Conor Oberst
Head and the Heart
Punch Brothers
Tallest Man on Earth
Tune-Yards
Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman
Tramled by Turtles
Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires
Gary Clark jr.
Of Monsters and Men
New Multitudes
Parker and James
Sara Watkins
Jonathan Wilson
The Deep Dark Woods
Carl Broemel
Spider John Corner & His Rag Tag Boys
Joel Rafael
Rodriguez
Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons
The Kossoy Sisters
Berklee City Music Choir
RJ Storm & Old School
Jonah Tolchin
We’d also like to take a moment to mention the very important Newport Festivals Foundation. The Foundation maintains and supports both the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals, to present performers around the world at these festivals, to educate its audiences and to help create partnerships around the world to invite American musicians to festivals elsewhere around the world under the Newport banner. The full mission of the Newport Folk Foundation is stated on their site and is as follows:
- To maintain the famed Newport Jazz Festival® and the Newport Folk Festival® in perpetuity, to be presented at historic locations, including Fort Adams State Park and other facilities in Newport, RI;
- To continue the Newport Jazz Festival® as it has since 1954 in the presentation of the greatest jazz performers who follow the traditions of New Orleans, swing, bebop and modal as the core and heart of jazz music; and to continue the Newport Folk Festival® by maintaining the excellence of folk artists as it has since 1959, in the tradition of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and others;
- To realize that jazz and folk music as with any art form, is an ever-evolving cultural expression which encourages and recognizes the freedom of creativity necessary to the growth and continuing vitality of this music;
- To present performers who respect and honor folk music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today’s musical trends;
- To present all forms of jazz and folk music from yesterday, today and tomorrow;
- To educate young people primarily from RI and New England, but also from around the globe, about jazz and folk music as presented at the NJF and NFF through the establishment of partnerships with local grade schools and colleges/universities;
- To bring jazz artists from around the world to the festival, since jazz is no longer just “America’s music”, but has influenced musicians from all over the globe;
- To create partnerships around the world which would invite American musicians under the Newport Jazz Festival® or Newport Folk Festival® banner to their festivals.
To help with their mission you can make a donation here.
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I wasn’t kidding when I tweeted the other day that I couldn’t stop thinking about the Newport Folk Festival after it was all over. There is absolutely no dissonance within the sisters’ opinions here, we both agree the festival brought out the best in every single person that was involved—both on stage and off, behind the scenes and out front watching in a spectator capacity. A total and complete love of the creation, expression and soaking in of music dominated, and the air in Newport was thick with a feeling of good will and love toward one another, which no doubt stems from and is encouraged by those who are behind the festival itself. The love shared is a two way street at the Newport Folk Festival. The fans and the bands love the Newport Folk Festival, and the Festival loves right back.
Sisters Dissonance 