photos by Jim Brueckner

Deer Tick / Neko Case

"...And to think it almost didn't happen. When the [Newport Folk] festival's future was in question earlier this year, original executive producer George Wein took back the reins and scrambled to fill two days with an impressive lineup that appealed, in producer Jay Sweet's words, to "the musical omnivore.''...

...And this year the festival had a noticeably youthful presence; 9,200 people (fort capacity: 10,000) attended Saturday, giving the festival its highest single-day ticket sales since Bob Dylan's heralded return in 2002....

...It seemed impossible that Sunday could top this. But it nearly did with strong early sets from singer-songwriter Josh Ritter and the Campbell Brothers, who made it feel like Sunday morning in the front pew with an electric mix of gospel and soul played on steel guitars.

Making her Newport debut, [Neko Case] was in fine form, unleashing her sweeping voice to unfurl over the harbor with songs from her new album.

Mostly, though, [Sunday] was especially heavy on the legends. The Del McCoury Band, the festival's only bluegrass act, sang high-lonesome harmonies in their dapper suits, with McCoury's voice still dulcet and nimble at 70. And Arlo Guthrie was as much of a rascal as ever, remembering the stories behind tunes such as "The Motorcycle Song.''" [The Boston Globe]

Like Fleet Foxes, Neko Case also played All Points West over the weekend. Newport Folk Fest ran August 1st-2nd. APW was three days and started on July 31st.

Pete Seeger has had a busy 90th year. Not only did he headline both nights of Newport, he played both nights of his Clearwater Festival, MSG, Columbia University, Jazz Fest, Beacon High School, and probably something I'm forgetting.

Sunday was the day Deer Tick played Newport Folk. TONIGHT (August 7th) is the night Deer Tick plays a free show in Prospect Park with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, and Jones Street Station (who were added as first of three on the Brooklyn bill). Deer Tick also has more shows coming up including one on a boat around Manhattan (tix).

Pictures & video from Newport Day One are HERE. The rest of Day Two, below....

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 50 - Day 2 pics & video (Deer Tick, Neko Case, Joan Baez, Del McCoury, Elvis Perkins, Arlo G & more)"

Crystal Castles @ MHOW - New Years Eve (more by Ryan Muir)

Al Green @ the Wellmont Theater - Nov 2008 (more by Eric M Townsend)

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 - 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock's greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

As rumored, Bruce Springsteen (who just played the Superbowl Halftime show) and Phish (who just had some trouble selling tickets to other shows) are headlining this year's Bonnaroo. Nine Inch Nails (who played Lollapalooza last year), Beastie Boys, David Byrne (who has two shows coming up at Radio City), Wilco, Al Green, Erykah Badu, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (who are also playing Coachella), Andrew Bird (who just played Carnegie Hall), The Decemberists, Bon Iver, Animal Collective (who are very popular right now), Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Santogold, Grizzly Bear (who have a new album coming out), St. Vincent, Ted Leo, Crystal Castles, and many others are also on the bill according to the now-officially announced initial lineup.

Coachella announced their initial lineup less than a week earlier.

Metallica played Bonnaroo in 2008. Metallica played NY & NJ this past weekend.

Full (initial) 2009 Bonnaroo lineup below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo announces initial 2009 lineup (Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Beastie Boys, NIN, Wilco, Animal Collective...)"