If It's Too Loud...

Even though it has been around for 50+ years and has been a cultural institution for most of those, I Got a Song: The History of the Newport Folk Festival is somehow the first ever book exclusively documenting the history of the festival. Written by Rhode Island journalist Rick Massimo, breaks down the entire history of the festival. It starts off as the festival clashed with Newport town officials over the rowdy crowds the festival brought to their ritzy town to modern times with the festival receiving awards and accolades from Newport. It discusses the highs of the festivals to the lows, including when the festival disappeared for over ten years, to when it was completely corporately sponsored in the 80s and 90s, and almost ending just before the 50th anniversary in 2009. It doesn't just list the artists that play on each year, but instead focuses on the backstage stories and history. You learn directly from those that were there as to why decisions were made and their affect...

Photo by Roberto Terrones I love this woman's voice. Hailing from Somerville, MA, Julie Rhodes will be the surprise hit of the 2016 Newport Folk Festival. That's going to be my super early prediction. She's already involved in the Folk Family, with her to be released debut album produced by NFF alum Jonah Tolchin (who she met through the Festival). "In Your Garden" doesn't break new ground. It's pretty standard soul blues folk rock fare. But holy crap is this good. It's pretty accessible and has some mainstream crossover possibilities, kind of like The Black Crowes and Alabama Shakes. It's her voice that will propel her to breakthrough status next year. You can listen to "In Your Garden" below. Julie Rhodes' debut album, Bound to Meet the Devil , will be out February 26. For more information, check her out on Facebook , Twitter , and her own website .

For the 7th episode of the Newport Folk Festival podcast , they focused on '65 Revisited. This year marks the 50th anniversary of when Bob Dylan went electric at Newport, probably the most legendary single performance of all time. Originally the organizers of Newport weren't going to mark the anniversary, but artists in the Folk Family started contacting them looking to be a part of it. This lead to it happening organically, and not a forced "moment" just for the sake of having a moment. The Newport organizers are being extremely tight lipped about who is performing as part of this. All we know is that it will close out the festival on Sunday, it will be full of surprises, and Bob Dylan won't be there. At this point, we don't even know what it will be. A song by song reenactment from current bands? A bunch of acoustic artists plugging in (probably the least likely)? J Mascis and Jim James having a wall of noise for 45 minutes? It could be anything at this poin...

This summer gives you many options on the 90s nostalgia circuit. If you want to see middle aged men 15 years passed their prime with their current nameless hired backing bands for grossly inflated prices, you have the Summerland Tour, Under the Sun Tour, and more. However, if you want to see acts just hitting their prime that capture the spirit of the 90s better than Sugar Ray ever could, you need to check out the current Courtney Barnett tour. Before Courtney Barnett, Chastity Belt brought their own blend of 90s nostalgia to the stage. One unimpressed audience member standing near me remarked that he found them too monotonous. And yes, they were, if you just listened to them on the surface. Once you actually focused on them, you realized that each member was seemingly playing their own song, almost unrelated to each other, in a way that just looped around and around. Then they would all pull their parts tightly together. Basically, they were a less aggressive Sonic Youth with dr...

As we get closer to the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, and as more artists are being announced, it's becoming more and more clear that this year is going to be a truly special one. We have some returning regulars like The Decemberists, Brandi Carlile, First Aid Kit, Shakey Graves, and Spirit Family Reunion, but the real excitement are some of the artists playing the Fort for the first time. Courtney Barnett was a fantastic early addition, and I've been wishing hard for J Mascis for years. I'm not so secretly hoping he doesn't go for an all acoustic set and he brings a few of his affects pedals with him. Just something about him playing one of his Dinosaur Jr songs acoustic and then hitting a pedal to bring this wall of noise seemingly out of nowhere is just thrilling to me. Last week they announced Tommy Stinson to the line up. I don't know if that makes it more or less likely that The Replacements will end up being announced, but a guy can hope. It's also the t...

Photo Credit: Sarrah Danziger The Deslondes (formerly The Tumbleweeds) made my Newport Folk Festival 2014 Must See Bands list , and they were still one of my surprise favorite acts. They're part of the wave of Americana artists coming out of New Orleans, such as Benjamin Booker and Hurray for the Riff Raff. They have a really great roots country and blues sound, and "Fought the Blues and Won," the first single off their forthcoming debut album, fits that since it sounds like classic early rock and roll that's all but disappeared from radio. It's from back when rock and roll first came out of country and western. It's far too country and blues based to be rockabilly. It's from earlier than that. It sounds like it's from a time when Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly shared bills together.  The Deslondes' self titled debut is due June 9 on New West Records. You can listen to "Fought the Blues and Won" below. For more information, check out t...

If you've been reading this blog with any regularity, you'll know we love free music and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Now that Hurray for the Riff Raff have free music coming out, we're kind of obligated to tell you about it. To celebrate their upcoming headlining tour, they've released The Body Electric EP  which features 2 tracks from Small Town Heroes  (including the amazing title track), a Billie Holiday cover, and "Everyone Knows (For Trayvon Martin)." It's a great way to check them out if we haven't convinced you to yet. You're not going to find better country tinged folk for a better price than this. To download The Body Electric EP , check over to Noisetrade . For more information on Hurray for the Riff Raff including tour dates (I highly recommend their live show if you get a chance), go to their website .

As the Newport Folk Festival slowly starts rolling out there 2015 line up, and we sit under 4 feet of snow in the Northeast, it's a great time to look back at last summer's Newport Folk Festival. Suddenly, the absurd amounts of rain on Sunday start to seem quaint, and we start looking forward to this summer and this year's Newport Folk Festival. You can check out our Newport Folk Festival 2014 photo diary over at our Facebook page . Here's hoping to see you all at the Fort this year! For more information on this year's Fest (Friday tickets still remain), head on over to the Newport Folk Festival website . If you can't make it, there are some great Newport Folk Festival Presents shows coming up, mostly in Boston but also in Chicago, Nashville, Napa, and New York City. Check out these here .

The Newport Folk Festival often refers to their fans, crew, and bands as the "Folk Family." Quite often, the Fest features bands with family ties, from husbands and wives (Shovels & Rope), sisters (The Haden Triplets, First Aid Kit), brothers (The Avett Brothers), and even fathers and sons (Tweedy). This year, they'll bring a mother/son duo to their stage with Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear. Hailing from Kansas City, the pair just released their first single "Silent Movies." It's this great pairing of the son's gruff, almost barking voice with his mother's much more aged and sweeter voice, all put together in a down home ditty. It could have been a novelty act, but once you hear them together you realize that of course they decided to make music together. You can get "Silent Movies" right now on iTunes . You can follow them on Facebook , and watch their performance of "Silent Movies" from The Late Show With David Letterman...

For the past few years, the Newport Folk Festival has had a Spotify playlist updated by festival producer Jay Sweet. As acts get announced during their rolling line up announcement, songs will be added by each festival performer. I've been following each year's list for the past few, and it's a great way to keep up with bands that are playing, and to hear the lesser known bands before getting to the Fort. So far there are only 3 acts on the playlist (Courtney Barnett, Sturgill Simpson, and Haunt the House), but those are the only 3 bands announced for this year so far. You can find the Newport Folk 2015 Spotify playlist here . An added way to prepare for the festival this year is a new podcast. The Newport Folk Festival podcast debuted last Friday. Based on the description, it will be an ever changing format, helping to introduce new bands (the 1st episode profiles Rhode Island natives Haunt the House), give a behind the scenes look at the festival, and showcase memorie...

The Newport Folk Festival has been the highlight of my musical year ever since 2007 when an ex convinced me to bring her. The Allman Brothers headlined that year, and despite that, I had an amazing time and have been every year since. Nowadays, Jack White and Beck headline the fest which is an amazing improvement. Back in 2007, you could decide to go the same week of the festival depending on the weather. Thanks to the amazing work done by Jay Sweet, Newport now sells out months and months in advance, even without most of the lineup being announced. Because of this, I want to make sure you all know that tickets go on sale TOMORROW for the 2015 Newport Folk Festival. You can either buy early bird tickets for all 3 days, or just individual day tickets. Do this ASAP, or you will regret it. Even without a single 2015 performer announced (although if you check out certain websites, there is 1 Friday performer listed), I can guarantee you will regret missing it. Tickets go on sale tomor...

You've Got the Wrong Man  might be the best album you'll hear all year. While I've always appreciated Joe Fletcher as an artist, I've never quite been a fan. This album changes it all, and has make me the most gushing, obsessive fan possible. The album was self-recorded on a 4 track, first at his home in Warren, RI, then a farmhouse in Georgia, and finally at Fletcher's new home in East Nashville, TN. The majority of the album features only his voice and guitar. The effect is something that sounds so gritty, raw, and lo-fi in the best possible way. It feels more like you're hearing him play in the corner of some smokey not quite up to code dive bar for maybe 7 people who are just there to drink.  It's an album of murder ballads, shanties, and songs of love lost that's closer to Johnny Cash and Hank Williams than anything else in decades. The most recent album that has this feel is Nebraska . Yes, that is absurdly high praise, but it's far past ...

After missing Friday's edition of the Newport Folk Festival, I entered Fort Adams State Park on Sunday determined not to miss a single thing. Of course, with 4 official stages all going at once, such a thing is impossible, as I re-learn every year. Starting the day off at the Quad Stage, The Haden Triplets came on bright and early at 11:05 am. Considering the last time I saw Petra and Rachel perform live, it was at the Middle East in Cambridge with That Dog, the circumstances couldn't have been more different. Instead of 90s post-grunge guitars, they performed beautiful 3 part harmonies over classic country and folk songs. Dedicating their set to their father, the recently departed Charlie Haden, they covered classics like Bill Monroe's "Voice From on High" and The Carter Family's "Single Girl, Married Girl." After The Haden Triplets, I headed down to the Harbor Stage for John Reilly & Friends. Yes, it's that John Reilly of such films a...

To prepare fans for the upcoming release of their new album ( Swimmin' Time , due out August 25), Shovels & Rope have released the Swimmin' Time Primer  for free through Noisetrade! The six songs come from the upcoming album, their debut ( O' Be Joyful ), and other previously unreleased music. It also includes the first single from Swimmin' Time , "The Devil is All Around," and their collaboration with J Roddy Walston, "Boys Can Never Tell." Based on "The Devil is All Around," the new album features even more of their hyped up rockabilly and alt-country. Plus, everyone loves free music! To download your copy of Swimmin' Time Primer , head over to Noisetrade . It will cost you your email address, but Noisetrade is totally worth it. For more info on Shovels & Rope and tour dates (including the 2014 Newport Folk Festival!), check out their website .

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...

Boston's own Kingsley Flood have one of the traits of my favorite bands: While their albums are good, their live show is amazing. They basically blend the popular neo-folk movement of the day with the fun and edge of pop punk. (And by pop punk I mean the kind found on Lookout Records back in the 90s).  That being said, imagine my joy when Kingsley Flood surprised us all earlier this week by announcing a new live album ( Live at the Armory ) would be out next week ! And that right now you can download a sampler of the album for free through Noisetrade! By now, you all know how much we love free music at If It's Too Loud..., so this is a complete no-brainer for us. The two songs of theirs I saw last year at the Newport Folk Fest were a highlight of that day, so this is almost a consolation prize for missing their full set. To download Live at the Armory Sampler , head on over to Noisetrade . For more info on Kingsley Flood, please check out their website  and catch them li...

Since today is May Day, Tom Morello has decided to let you download his "Union Town EP" for free. I was skeptical when I first heard he was going to release acoustic singer/songwriter material under the name The Nightwatchman, but it's been shockingly good. Plus, throw in three stellar Newport Folk Festival appearances and I've become an obsessed fan. Here is Morello's statement about the EP: Here is my Union Town EP available for free download this May Day. This record is dedicated to working people of every nationality, age, color, and religion who have the courage to stand up for justice and dignity in the workplace...and beyond. Enjoy the tunes and fight the power! In Solidarity, Tom Morello To get your copy of "Union Town EP," head on over to  morellomayday.com . For more information on all things Tom Morello, check out his website .

Ever since it was announced that he was playing the Newport Folk Festival, I've been obsessed with Benjamin Booker. With only two videos on all of YouTube, you couldn't help but wonder where he came from, and listening to his music was a revelation. It combines equal parts Delta Blues and the MC5. It's a combination that doesn't break new ground while somehow sounding completely fresh and vital. Today, we finally see the premiere of a new official video from Benjamin Booker for the song "Violent Shiver." It's a song that showed up on a previous YouTube video, but it means that we're that  much closer to an official release. You can even now download the song off iTunes . I absolutely can't wait for this album, or even an official release date for it. Right now, you can go over to Benjamin Booker's page on the ATO Records website for more information. We can all hope that an album release in Fall 2014 means as early in the fall as possible...

Photo by Brian Lima It's been a while since I've updated everyone with the Newport Folk Festival line up, and it truly just keeps getting more and more outstanding. Since I last gave an update, Newport has added classic musicians such as reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, established current stars such as a reunited Nickel Creek and Conor Oberst, to next big thing acts like Phox and Reignwolf. I'm particularly excited for Reignwolf, who sound like a more raw version of The White Stripes and The Black Keys. They've also added Rodrigo y Gabriela (somehow making their Newport debut), Puss n Boots featuring Norah Jones, Newport favorite Dawes (pulling double duty as Conor Oberst's backing band), Lucius, Lake Street Dive, The Milk Carton Kids, Gregory Alan Isakov, Lucero, Aoife O'Donovan, Willie Watson of Old Crow Medicine Show, and more! If you're planning on attending Saturday or Sunday and haven't bought tickets, you...

I know virtually nothing about Benjamin Booker. He was one of the first acts announced for this year's Newport Folk Festival, and he seems to have come out of nowhere. When he was announced, he had less than 500 "likes" on Facebook, and two videos on YouTube. I mean, what musician has only two videos on YouTube? Your 14 year old nephew's band has at least a dozen, and they haven't played a show yet. How does someone so virtually unknown get added to one of the most prestigious festivals in the country? By being amazing. His influences range from Blind Willie Johnson to T. Rex. His sound is like early blues recordings mixed with MC5 and Death. It's one of the most raw and unique sounds I've heard in years while still being straight up rock n' roll. It fits completely into everything you already know and love but mixes it up in a way you've never heard before. At this point, I have no idea when his debut albums comes out, but I need it. Now. Be...