Dear people who a&r or whatever for Newport Folk Festival,
Now, I’m not a native Rhode Islander, I didn’t even grow up there- but my mother has been living on the Island for almost ten years- none of which I have ever actually lived there, but I have spent quite a bit of time visitng and grown to love it despite that fact that you guys have no decent chinese food and I get looked at like a I have three heads because I have no qualms about not shaving my legs and wearing shorts all summer long.
I also happened to grow up in a family that LOVES music. Not just casually, but, like, legit professionally- my dad has been working in audio/live sound since well before I was born. I grew up being taken to concerts and festivals and encouraged to seek out new music- as well as learn the history of the music I love. Newport has a lot of history that I love; I’ve been invested in NFF for a long time. It’s a thing in my family. My mother and I go every year- we’ve been going every year since before she lived in Newport. I can barely afford to feed myself most weeks, but I always time my annual visit home so I can go to the festival. We buy tickets even before the line up is released, we don’t really even care who plays ultimately, because it gives us an excuse to be together and doing something we love. But, that being said, I gotta say something about this:
It’s cool that two artists I like are collaborating and all for some set at the fest, I really have enjoyed seeing both of these people play at Fort Adams in years past, they’re great musicians, I’ve loved them both for what feels like most of my life. I remember when Sam went electric with Woman King and everyone’s mind was blown- brings to mind Dylan and Seeger in ‘65, no? Or, like, damn, I was so upset when I found out Carissa’s Wierd was breaking up, but it all turned out okay because so many good other projects came out of it- like, you know, band of horses.
BUT FOR FUCKS SAKE, I AM SO GODDAMN SICK OF SEEING THE SAME PEOPLE PLAY IN NEWPORT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SERIOUSLY. I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD, PLEASE STOP ASKING ARTISTS WHO I REALLY LIKE BUT HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE TIMES ALREADY IN NEWPORT TO PLAY AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR NOT ASKING ANDREW BIRD TO PLAY THIS YEAR. THANKS FOR KEEPING THE COLIN MELOY/DECEMBERISTS OUT OF IT, EVEN THOUGH THE NEW ALBUM IS HONESTLY REALLY GOOD. I AM SUPER STOKED I DON’T HAVE TO FUCKING HEAR DAWES PLAY AGAIN, ESPECIALLY SINCE LAST TIME THEY PLAYED THEY WERE EVEN MORE MEDIOCRE BECAUSE THEY PLAYED RIGHT AFTER THE ALABAMA SHAKES WHO MELTED MY FACE OFF. THANKS FOR HAVING THE ALABAMA SHAKES PLAY SO I CAN USE THEM AS A REFERENCE IN THIS RANT, BECAUSE IT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT POINT-
The people I’m most stoked about in the line up released so far? The smaller bands, the ones I haven’t seen yet. The ones that are blowing up as we speak. And I don’t mean Shakey Graves, who I saw last year and loved- because that’s my point. I fucking saw him play last year. LAST YEAR! And sure, he blew me away- but I want to be blown away by different people. I don’t want it to feel like I’m standing in the middle of a self-congratulatory circe jerk of white dude americana- But if that’s what you guys want, it’s cool, I’ll still fork over my money and show up even if I hate the line up and I grow increasingly more curmudgeony. Because I love the festival and I am excited to see what these two do together, but I gotta say- I am sure it won’t be as good as getting to say I saw Leon Bridges before he had a full album out. It won’t be as good as the countless musicians I have stumbled upon over the years and loved because newport gave new people a chance. And if you guys need some new blood that, well, maybe isn’t even that new, I can happily come up with a list of mid-career artists who would fit in lovely and haven’t already played in the last few years.
stormborns
germansingergirl
