Vetiver @ Lovin Cup

When I first saw Vetiver, opening for Akron/Family two summer ago, I was prepared to dislike them. But I was pleasantly surprised, hey they weren't half bad. I haven't really listened to them too much since that introduction, but I decided to go see them again on their return to town last Thursday night.

They added a woman on keys since I last saw them. She was from Rochester, as was the drummer. Which might have explained some of the oldest and youngest in the crowd.

So if the last time they surprised me, this time they simply amazed me. Incredible show. For some reason I was reminded of the Low Anthem set I saw at Newport last summer. Reminded by contrast, not by similarity. Both bands could be lumped into a new brand of folk music. The Low Anthem really went out of their way to introduce new twists into the fray, with unusual instrumentation etc, whereas Vetiver followed the more classic principles of simplicity, letting the songwriting take center stage. Sitting through the entire Low Anthem set I kept thinking I should really love it, but it became too much of an effort. They were trying too hard for my attention, and I was trying too hard to enjoy it. But with Vetiver, their songs, which I am mostly unfamiliar with, became instantaneously familiar and enjoyable. The sounds were subtle, nothing standing out too much, a true group effort. The keys for example, a potential earsore, fit in perfectly, adding just enough to the overall sound without overdoing it. And this was a folk band, like Hot Tuna, that didn't underestimate the power of great bass playing. Speaking of the sound, the quality was incredible for that size space. It was my first time in Lovin Cup, and I was quite happy with it, a very nice place to see a show, other than the out of the way location.

Lead man Andy Cabic poked fun at the bass player because he let him write the set list and it was a bit different than usual, switching between electric and acoustic and covers and originals. But in my opinion, the set list was masterfully put together. It just had a really nice flow, with a subtle build to the end and enough variety to keep it sounding fresh all night.

Time for me to purchase some Vetiver albums...

Oh, and George Wein, if you're listening, book these guys for Newport this summer.

Catching up: August and September

A quick rundown of some stuff from late summer, boiled down to one (mostly run-on)sentence recaps.

Newport Folk Fest
It was one of the most stacked lineups in recent memory for the fest, celebrating its 50th year, with a great mix of old and new (take a listen over at npr.)

The zoom on my camera broke that week so video offerings are limited.

Ben Kweller: They were missing their bassist, but it didn't bother me one bit, quite enjoyable set.

Avett Brothers: They continued to impress in advance of their fantastic new album from the big stage, and then gave a select few (not I unfortunately) a treat from atop the Fort Adams. (They perform about 3:30 into the coverage)


Del McCoury Band: Surprisingly and a tad disappointingly, the only bluegrass heard all weekend, here mixing it up with a some sousaphone from Preservation Hall Jazz Band.


David Rawlings Machine/Gillian Welch: Gillian Welch, as expected, was phenomenal on Saturday with her husband David Rawlings, and then he, with Gillian at his side, equaled and then surpassed her set on Sunday. Together, they were the hands-down highlight of the weekend.



Iron & Wine: Never met a Sam Beam song I didn't instantly fall in love with, remarkable.

So much more to get excited about from the weekend, but let's leave it at that for now. Hope to make it again next year.

Phish @ Darien Lake
I've been to all four of Phish's Darien visits, and this was probably the worst, which isn't saying much since the first three were some of the best shows I have ever seen. (Saved by a late but GREAT GREAT Antelope, and this Drowned wasn't too shabby either)


Felice Brothers @ German House
The German House seems to suck the energy out of a show, maybe it would be different if it were packed, still they are a ton of fun to see live, with a tad too much tossing water into the crowd. (insert Gallagher joke here)

Akron/Family, Slaraffenland @ Mohawk Place
(It's official, I drank the kool-aid and it tastes like Akron/Family... LOVE LOVE LOVE) As much as I enjoyed Slaraffenland's rhythmic pop tapestries in their opening set, they didn't do too much (or not nearly as much as Megafaun previously I should say) to add the Akron's set and were somewhat underutilized (considering their multi-instrumental prowess I wondered why they were only used as a horn section.)



David Grisman Quintet @ Water Street Music Hall
Man, I haven't seen Grisman in ages, I think I figured it's been about 8 years, and the man's still got it.

Newport Folk Fest

Two weekends ago (has it been that long already?) I attended my 3rd Newport Folk Fest. It's a great little festival and I would recommend it to anyone living up in the northeast. It's a folk fest, but they mix it up quite bit and stretch the definition of folk, at least in the years since I've been going. But they also introduce you to a lot of smaller folksy type stuff that you've never even heard of half the time. And then of course the opportunity to see some classic old timer always pops up. This year's fest was no different. No wait, it was very different. Just check out the first days lineup. Folk fest? Are you serious? More like big time rock concert. The Allman Brothers, Grace Potter, John Butler. North Mississippi Allstars, Assembly of Dust, Dirty Dozen Brass Band?...now don't get me wrong, I enjoyed these sets, and enjoyed that they were there, but honestly, one or two would've done the trick. It was a little too much for this festival in my opinion. I don't want to sound folk elitist or old school, but I think they should stick to the formula of a couple anomalies surrounded but more rootsy bands. It was as much a volume issue as anything else. My suggestion though, is to cram a midweek rock festival in between the Folk and Jazz festivals that share the same beautiful site for 2 consecutive weekends every year. Both are world class fests, but add a rock fest in between and you've got yourself one helluva festival week going on there. I know I'd be in for the whole shebang. One of the 3 of you reading this...pass the word on to someone that can make a difference!

Fortunately for you, it is too far away for me to remember the details of the sets too well, so I will leave you with some visual aids, and perhaps a little commentary if I see fit. For a much better rundown of what went down, go read yourself some Neddy. (Day 1) (Day 2)

Duane Andrews Trio
He referenced Django at every break. With good reason.


Lonesome Brothers
Great American bluesy rock.


Assembly of Dust
Much jammier than I was expecting, but I still really enjoyed it. They brought a good chunk of their own fans who were really getting down.


Carolina Chocolate Drops
A better Charleston you will not see. These guys not only are a freaking excellent string band, they are VERY entertaining. And not in a cheesy bluegrass way either.


Vishten


Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Every year at least one band I had never heard prior sends me home itching to hear them ASAP. A few years ago that was Jim White. This year it was Elvis Perkins. Loved it. A nice mix of Beatles, Buddy Holly, and Bob Dylan, with a nice energetic and fun stage presence. These guys deserve two vids.




Ralph Stanley
It was like an Americana museum exhibit. Live and in the flesh. Classic.

And not to be outdone by the Chocolate Drops they threw in their own dance moves...

Newport Jam Fest?

Following up last week's post, the Newport Folk Fest just let out an early announcement for this year's schedule. Hot Damn! You can check out the official release, but I'll spell it out for you here:

Saturday

• The Allman Brothers Band! (full show!)
• Dirty Dozen Brass Band
• North Mississippi Allstars
• Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
• Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine)
• Assembly of Dust

Sunday

• Alison Kraus and Union Station (with Jerry Douglas AKA The Man)
• Emmylou Harris
• Amos Lee
• Alejandro Escovedo
• Ralph Stanley

and others to be announced soon of course, including some I revealed previously.

More festival talk

More Langerado
First, some more thoughts on Langerado. What? More about Langerado? Haven't you said enough? Guess not.
Just wanted to clarify that pervasive negativity aside, I thought the fest was a smashing success. Overall it was a great great time! I'm not a huge festival goer, so I don't have a ton to compare to, but it was run very well, the lineup was great, and the weather was perfect. Florida in March is a whole lot more comfortable than Austin in September and New Orleans in April. And it was as easy in/easy out as the Roscoe Diner, we didn't have any traffic problems all weekend. I'm just glad I wasn't camping out, the campgrounds looked horrid. Just a small fenced in area right off the parking lot with no shade! The tents were set up with practically no breathing room, just one on top of the other.

Newport Folk Fest
The next festival I'll be hitting is the Newport Folk Fest. It will be my 3rd visit in the last 4 years. It is a nice little festival on a beautiful piece of land right on the water. They always attract a few nice big acts, but there are always some great surprises sprinkled in, I have discovered some great music there, from Jim White to the Mammals.
The official lineup won't be announced until next month, but here are some early peeks via Pollstar: Emmylou Harris (she actually had to cancel last minute 2 years ago, but they somehow got Gillian Welch and David Rawlings to fill in which was not a bad replacement at all), Ralph Stanley (another classic guy I'd love to get the chance to see), Alejandro Escovedo, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (who would probably be better suited for the following week's Newport Jazz Fest). Also, some smaller acts, or at least people I have yet to discover: Carolina Chocolate Drops, Diana Jones, and Sierra Hull. Plus Sound Effects (Boston Globe music blog) is reporting that there will be big headliner news coming in the next few weeks. I'll be keeping my eye out for news and will keep you posted.

Beantown Shows Calendar
Something I'm trying out for the time being, is keeping a Boston music calendar going on the new Google calendar feature. The current week will be updated weekly on Sunday or Monday, and I will try to start filling in some other shows for the future, but that will be kind of spotty for the time being. Any suggestions or show tips would be greatly appreciated. There is a link to the right and also a way to subscribe to it, not sure what that does for you exactly, but its there if you need it.