If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Ken Sears In its second year (but kind of its first), the United Folk Festival swung for the fences with their line up. They brought in some of the biggest national and local names in modern Americana music for a free show in a park/arboretum in downtown Westerly, RI. The location and set up couldn't have been more perfect. Two stages were set up on opposite ends of a section of the park and alternated throughout the day. There was no overlap and no having to decide between two artists. You only had to turn around and face the other stage between bands.  This did lead to my only complaint of the day. The crowd was definitely the sit on a Langhorne Slim Photo by Ken Sears blanket and lounge kind. There was virtually no energy or signs of enjoyment from the crowd besides some clapping at the end. This could have also been since the majority of artists booked fell into the quiet, mellow end of the folk spectrum. While they were all great (Full disclosure: Bringing a...

Let's face it. Most of us aren't going to the Newport Folk Festival this year. Tickets now go on sale before Christmas, and sell out virtually instantly. Plus, while the ticket prices aren't that outrageous as far as festivals go, staying in or around Newport for a weekend during the summer is a very expensive proposition. But, if you like listening to first class Americana music at an outdoor festival in southern Rhode Island during the month of July, we now have a second option. In what appears to be its second year, the United Folk Festival takes over Wilcox Park in Westerly, Rhode Island on July 1st. Usually free, outdoor concerts in public parks are limited to band concerts and geriatric jug bands, but the United Folk Festival is bringing some of our favorite artists, all for free. The line up includes Blitzen Trapper, Langhorne Slim, Woods, The Low Anthem, Elvis Perkins, My Bubba (who might be your next favorite band), and many more. It's nine hours of a free ...