If It's Too Loud...

Photo via Facebook We loved The Haden Triplets's 2014 debut album. Their three part harmonies and traditional folk songs hit us right in a sweet spot (plus, being huge fans of that dog. doesn't hurt). Their take on the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" has surprised me. I'd expect a very traditional take on the song, but The Haden Triplets go in an ultra-modern experimental folk direction with it. Does as a tribute to their late father, Charlie Haden, they kept their voices right up front and instrumentation to a bare minimum. All instruments are played in a very slow, haunting way to an intense effect. It's an interesting direction for The Haden Triplets, and for the song itself. You can watch the lyric video for "Wayfaring Stranger" below. The Family Songbook , the upcoming album from The Haden Triplets, will be out January 24 on Trimeter Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on The Haden Triplets, check them out on Facebook and T...

Photo by Steven Perilloux Petra Haden has been doing her all a capella covers of popular songs thing for an absurdly long time now, and she's just released a cover of Radiohead's 2000 classic "Idioteque." Looping her own voice repeatedly, Haden takes all of the instrumental parts, somehow keeping the hypnotic electronic feel of Radiohead's original. A lot of times Haden's covers have a fun and silly feel to them. "Idioteque" is a capella as art and is an impressive way to do this song. Even if you normally cringe at the thought of a capella, you'll want to check this one out. You can listen to Petra Haden's version of "Idioteque" below. For more on Petra Haden, be sure to check her out on Facebook and her website .

To continue his collaborative singles series, James Williamson (Iggy and the Stooges) has teamed with Petra Haden (That Dog, The Haden Triplets) for "Blues Jumped the Rabbit." While his previous single with Lisa Kekaula was traditional Hawai ian and ch ildren's music, his collaboration with Petra Haden is very traditional blues and folk. It' s a wild change from the proto-punk riffs Williamson churned out in Th e Stooges a nd Haden's 90s alternati ve That Dog and much more in line with The Haden Triplets. It's a beautiful and melancholy s ong. Also, the single benefits Project Hawai'i which benefits homeless chil dren in Hawai i.  You can listen to "Blues Jumped the Rabbit" below. For more information on James Will iamson, check o ut his website . For more on Petra Haden, check out hers . "Blues Jumped the Rabbit " is available digitally now with a p hysical release date of August 1 9.  

With this weekend's upcoming Newport Folk Festival, we thought we'd highlight some of this year's can't miss acts. We're focusing on the bands playing smaller stages and earlier in the day. I mean, you're obviously going to see Ryan Adams and Jack White. Instead, these are the acts worth getting there early for, and seeking out the smaller stages. Phox Friday, 1:50, Quad Stage Phox hails from Baraboo, WI, the winter home of the Ringling Brothers' Circus. I'm not sure if that is connected to their music or not, but Phox has an otherworldly charm and a magical feel. They come across as a more grounded St. Vincent or a less intense version of early Tori Amos. Their music is simply beautiful and uplifting.  Reignwolf Friday, 2:55, Quad Stage Truly pushing the boundaries of what can be considered "folk" are Reignwolf. Reignwolf is Jordan Cook, who sounds like a mixture of The Black Keys and Queens of the Stone Age, mixed with just a lit...

A fairly interesting new release week this week. Les Claypool's Duo De Twang - Four Foot Shack : All this album taught me is that I really don't care much for Primus, even when they're strange acoustic twangy renditions. The highlight for me was a fairly amusing take on the Bee Gees's "Stayin' Alive," but beyond that, this is really just for fans of Claypool and Primus and not much else. The Haden Triplets - The Haden Triplets : The Haden Triplets are exactly who you think they are: Petra Haden (of That Dog and various a capella renditions), Rachel Haden (also of That Dog), and less famous sister Tanya Haden who has done cello work for various indie and alt-rock bands. The three got together and did a collective album of folk standards for Jack White's Third Man Records, and it's pretty solid. I'm a big fan of Petra Haden in particular, and this was fairly anticipated for me and largely delivers. If you enjoy a lot of good folk music, ...