Over the course of three measly days, Gab, Jessie and I spent every waking moment running up and down the Bowery, East Houston and Bleecker in hopes of squeezing into the packed venues that hosted the stellar shows of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon.  Given that we were there to pay close attention to the Boston acts billed for CMJ, we made it a point to check out our local favorites first before booking it over to the Bowery Ballroom, the Delancey and other hotspots for national acts that are making some serious blips on our musical radars lately.

We arrived back in Boston last night exhausted and incredibly content, so we have yet to conclude our experience at CMJ with a comprehensive wrap-up post.   Saturday, October 24 will forever be known as the day that Bodega Girls stormed a five-story East Village mansion for a sick dance party and the night where we somehow wound up scarfing burger prepared off a grill in a van in the Bronx, but… that’s a story for another time.  [We'll be writing it up ASAP; stay tuned for more details.]  In the meantime, check out our thoughts and photos on Boston bands playing CMJ on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23.

-Hilary Hughes

3 Girls + 3 Days + 75 Venues + 4786823 Bands: TeaParty Boston at CMJ ‘09, Part I

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3 Girls + 3 Days + 75 Venues + 4786823 Bands: TeaParty Boston at CMJ ‘09, Part II

Our first stop in the CIty was Rockwood Music Hall to check out an acoustic set from the usually hard-rocking, amped-up Aloud. The intimate setting of the small club showcased the duo’s talent for vocal harmonies and their darling on-stage dynamic.

We arrived at Crash Mansion smack in the middle of the usual ruckus that comes along with a set from Bodega Girls. A neon melange of lights, bass, facepaint, tambourine and bodyrockin’ cemented the Girls into the Ones To Watch category– and booked them several more shows this weekend. Stay tuned for more!

A scheduling change meant that we got to inadvertently catch a set from Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Jesse Merchant, known as JBM.  The dashing Canadian captured our attention with his enthralling guitar work and heartbreaking melodies.

The Hush Now delivered all you’re looking for in a Boston band in a Brooklyn bar. Their boyish exuberance and lush sounds took over the small space, leaving our heads swirling along with all those crazy colored lights.

Noise-rockers Ho-Ag exploded out of the Nag Champa-scented nook that the Lit Lounge stuck them in. Guitars, keys, drums, a bullhorn and a beard set the scene for the packed basement show.

The only thing more disarming than the pipes on Mieka Pauly of The Mieka Cannon was the sheer number of diehard fans packed into the tight space of Rockwood Music Hall. Lyrics were sang, requests were shouted, and the band happily obliged by switching up their setlist to pack it with crowd favorites.

For the new kids in town just finishing up with fall semester registration, this weekend is an excellent opportunity to receive a proper introduction to the Boston music scene if you’re itching to stumble off campus.  Forget Passion Pit.  Forget the Dropkick Murphys.  Forget anything anyone ever told you about what “Boston music” is, because chances are they’ll direct you to one of these two bands in hopes of defining the city’s sound by going with the most recent Boston bands that have been picked up by major labels.  With incredible indie acts rocking venues all over the city on any given school night, it’s no surprise that a shindig of sorts would come to fruition in hopes of getting the fresh blood of Boston’s students tuned in to the sounds of local bands on the scene.  The folks over at Boston Band Crush, still reeling from the incredible success of One Night Band, have done it again and will be presenting What’s Your Major? on September 18 and 19 at Church.  This “rock lecture” series includes performances by our dear friends The Motion Sick and Aloud, as well as a slew of other talented folks.  We’ll be chatting up The Future Everybody at the event, as well as Brendan Boogie, who’s actually one of the masterminds behind this college-oriented two-night run of rockness.  What’s Brendan looking forward to the most about What’s Your Major?  Surprisingly, it’s not the sick lineup, even though he’s thrilled to be sharing the stage with some of his absolute favorite people: “I’m really looking forward to the comedians we have scheduled to perform, because you don’t get to see them in this environment alot,” Boogie says.

“Basically, the only perimeters are that their routines need to fit the format of a guest lecture and they’ll have subjects for each.  If the comedian gets biology, well, that mean they’re going to be making ten minutes of dick jokes or something.  For me, it’s going to be interesting to see what they do with that little amount of direction and the creativity that thrives in a rock show environment.”

For Boogie’s post-show commentary, check back on TeaParty Boston next week, as we’ve got a pretty silly interview with Mr. Brendan to share with you that’ll go along quite nicely with the ridiculous photo spread we have planned for him regarding his performance at What’s Your Major? tomorrow night.

On top of this rock n’ roll homecoming that’s sure to be an indie interpretation of Animal House, we have two shows, one in Allston and one in Cambridge, that we’ll be paying close attention to as well:  Static of the Gods will be opening for Bad Veins at O’Brien’s on September 18, and the David Wax Museum will be celebrating their CD release at Club Passim in Harvard Square tonight as well.  After hanging out with Static of the Gods at a Ryan’s Smashing Life showcase a few weeks back, we can undoubtedly say that the wiles of Jen Johnson [and the dudes in that band too] have won our hearts and that we can’t wait for their new album to come out this winter.  The David Wax Museum is a band to be excited about as well, as their inspiring, innovative take on Mexican-folk infused Americana will have you clapping along in Passim’s packed listening room.

So, folks, there’s your Friday afternoon weekend roundup from TeaParty Boston!  As you can see, we’ve got a full plate o’ musical goodness in store for us between 5pm today and early Monday morning, and we couldn’t be more excited about that.  Be sure to check out our exclusive interviews with Static of the Gods and David Wax of the David Wax Museum below, and if you’re looking for extra credit we’ve re-posted our interviews with Aloud and The Motion Sick for your reading pleasure.

-Hilary Hughes

New Releases and A Need for the Open Road: What’s Up Next for Static of the Gods

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The Mexicamericana Musical Stylings of the David Wax Museum

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The Search for White Jeans and Other Adventures with Aloud

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Where Play-Doh leads to music, and the music is about Waffle House: Gab and Jessie spend some time with The Motion Sick

Well, it’s officially that time of year again: Your sweaters and scarves will start creeping back into your wardrobe in the place of cut-offs and flip flops, your commute will be packed with chatty high school kids in ties and uniforms heading off to their first day of school, and your stoops in Allston will soon start collecting puddles of vomit and overturned Solo cups.  It’s BACK TO SCHOOL TIME, FRIENDS!  Though yes, we’re more of the eye-rolling sort when it comes to the 200,000+ person influx that descends upon Boston come September 1st, we can’t deny that there’s a breath of fresh air in this city and that fall brings about plenty of exciting things for Bostonians of every age.

This weekend is a perfect demonstration of this renewed exuberance, as there’s a plethora of shows, fashion frenzies and culinary events to keep you busy.  Below, we’ve got a few interviews in Tunes for you to check out to prep you for the incredible performances in store between this afternoon and Monday morning.  First, Mark Zaleski, who’ll be playing the second of his homecoming shows since returning from a West Coast tour with his band last week, will be headlining tonight (September 11th)  in Providence at Tazza’s.  After that, we’ve got an impromptu chat with Keegan DeWitt, who will be joining Wakey! Wakey! and Parachute Musical at Cafe 939 on September 12th for the Ryan’s Smashing Life Keys Showcase.  Also playing Saturday night are the ferociously talented Bo and Jen of MEandJOANCOLLINS, who are set to awe the crowd Upstairs at the Middle East along with Midatlantic, The Russians and Topheavy.

Looking to give your ears a rest after all of the rockness?  Check out Jessie’s posts in our Threads and Tastes sections.  In Threads, we’ve got a giddy rundown on Design Hive, a showcase for some of the best handmade, artsy and vintage wares in the city, which starts up again this Sunday, September 13th.  If you’re feeling particularly festive and liberated after Design Hive, head on over to the intersection of Washington and Essex Streets to join the LEGALIZA CACHACA! march around 5:30pm.  The march, which promises delectable Brazilian cocktails and information regarding the incorrect labeling of the Brazilian spirit, will cover lots of ground and hit Rumba, The Beehive, Tremont 647, Vox Populi and Eastern Standard before the close of the evening.

So, there you go folks!  That’s your weekend rundown, brought to you by your favorite loudmouth/lens-totin” ladies.  Tonight, we’ll be trekking a little south of town to interview a band that’s pretty much exploded over the past year [their name may or may not rhyme with "Flings of Neon"] and we’ll be back in action tomorrow to document all the crazy goings-on happening in Boston and Cambridge as usual.  Stay safe, stay pretty and stay the hell away from the B line if you can help it as the BU freshmen haven’t had time to build up a tolerance to Bud Lite yet.

-Hil

Root Beer Floats and Back from the West Coast: Table Talk with Mark Zaleski

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What His Mama Doesn’t Want You to Know About Keegan DeWitt

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Ode to Cambridge: Waxing Poetic on MEandJOANCOLLINS’ Favorite Place

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Design Hive: The Vintage / Craft Mayhem Starts Sept 13th

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Legalize Cachaça! March For Booze-Related Justice on Sunday, Sept. 13th

This is their story.

–Jessie Rogers

Papers were signed.

Interviews were conducted.

Envelopes were opened.

Chaos ensued.

Connections were made.

New bands were born.

Check out the band line-ups at BostonBandCrush.com!

This Saturday, August 29th, we’re gonna be running around Boston like chickens with our heads cut off and there’s NO GOOD REASON why you shouldn’t be, too, as this is one EPIC EVENING OF MUSIC!  It doesn’t matter if you’re situated way the hell out in Forest Hills or you’re twiddling your thumbs in the suburbs getting ready to watch your DVR’d episodes of Weeds and Mad Men for for the umpteenth time: Boston’s got a lot going on tomorrow, and we here at TeaParty Boston will be taking it upon ourselves to make sure that you guys get in on what’s sure to be an incredible night.

Unfortunately for us, all three major music events we’ll be following in this city Saturday night are happening simultaneously: While the Boston Band Crush event of the summer, One Night Band, which the Globe referred to as a game of “rock n’ roll musical chairs”, will be raging from 8pm until the wee hours of the morning, the Rex Complex will be celebrating their CD release before they leave Boston for Brooklyn and McAlister Drive will be just warming up before their set at the ‘Dise opening for Michael Bernier + the Uprising.  We’ll be biking/driving/training in between the Middle East, the Lizard Lounge and the Paradise between the hours of 7-God knows when, so if you see a big-haired loudmouth chasing rock stars around with a tape recorder, a chic, willowy-type getting all up onstage for some sick concert photos and a cute lil’ bespectacled girl taking a picture of your sick outfit and double-checking the spelling of your name, well, that’s us.

To prep yourselves for tomorrow night’s musical marathon of awesome, we’ve got two shiny brand new interviews.  The first one on the list below with The Rex Complex is probably our most hilarious “WTF?!”-inducing interview yet, and we’re gonna be sad to see these fellas go when they leave their beloved Cambridge/Somerville scene behind for a chance at breaking it big in Brooklyn.  Our second interview, which took place in the pool room at TT’s with Aloud before their awesome show on August 6th, gives us the back-story of one of Boston’s most exciting bands to watch as they prep for an upcoming album and gush about The Beatles.  Also, we’ve got McAlister Drive photos up the wazoo over in the TeaParty Boston Gallery, so if you want to see Christoph work  it in white skinny jeans while belting out some good ol’ fashioned pop/rock, check it out.

After that, we figured we’d remind you that we have some of the silliest interviews on record with dudes of The Luxury and The Motion Sick.  Reps from both bands will be joining Jen and Henry onstage for One Night Band, so brush up on why exactly Travis of The Motion Sick broke into a rendition of a NKOTB hit mid-interview and learn how Justin Day changed the meaning of Gaiking forever.

-Hilary Hughes

“I WANT TO SQUEEEZE YOU!”: A Candlelit Conversation with The Rex Complex

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The Search for White Jeans and Other Adventures with Aloud

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Where Play-Doh leads to music, and the music is about Waffle House: Gab and Jessie spend some time with The Motion Sick

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The Luxury TPB Interview: Girly Drinks, Gaiking Tattoos and All “In The Wake of What Won’t Change”

(for our thoughts on Day 1 of Folk Festival 50, click here.)

Josh Ritter’s Contagious Glee, 11:30am:

There couldn’t have been a more appropriate kick-off for the second day of the Newport Folk Festival than with Josh Ritter’s morning set.  The singer/songwriter, who hails from Idaho, was grinning from ear to ear throughout the duration of his performance, as was his backing band, which was made up primarily of musicians hailing from the Greater Boston Area.  Ritter seriously looked like he was just gonna bust into cartwheels out of sheer joy, and his infectious ray-of-sunshine ways couldn’t have gotten the festival off on a better foot. I practically chased the poor guy onto his tour bus to catch up with him briefly before he and his band had to pack up and head off to New York for another show, but I was able to snag some details about how he thought the show went, what he’s working on now and what he have to look forward to from Josh Ritter in the future:

So, how does it feel, man?!  How did your set go?

Josh Ritter: It feels great!  It’s an amazing thing here.  It’s amazing to be included on a list of performers that I really respect.  I mean, Guy Clarke is about to start over there, and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Neko Case, all these people… it’s amazing!

Were there any songs that you played today that just popped for you?

JR: When you’re playing the Newport Folk Festival, you’re carrying a lot of weight and history behind you, so you can plan to do a nod to that, but you can only do your best and hope that people understand the spirit in which your music is offered.  For that reason, I really loved playing “To the Dogs or Whoever” and my new song, “Another New World” because today was a chance to show off a bunch of stuff that we’re really happy to be playing.  This is the last show of our tour, so we’re very, very happy.

Wow, what a great way to end a tour, then.  You played the festival a couple of years ago, right?

JR: I did; I played the Newport Folk Festival a couple of years ago in a much smaller capacity.

And you were on the main stage this year-

JR: Yeah!

Well, that’s a cool way to come full circle!

JR: Yeah!  It’s great.

You’ve got a very packed schedule the next couple of months.  Can you take us through some of your future plans?

JR: Well, I’m finishing up a record right now, which will hopefully be done in August.  We’re going to be doing a show in a couple of weeks out at Mass MoCA.  After that, I’m off to the UK with Ray LaMontagne and then I’ll be doing some stuff around Ireland and then just running around like crazy!

I noticed that your band today was made up of a bunch of musicians from Boston.

JR: Yeah, they were crazy.  I got the best band, and they were mostly musicians from Boston.  They made it here with a minute to spare!

Let’s talk about the new record.  When can we expect the latest release from Josh Ritter, and how is this album a departure from previous work you’ve done?

JR: The record comes out in January.  The last record is kind of like blowing things up, and this one is put together more like a portrait with big, lush scenes, and no little details are left out.  I’m really excited about it and I feel like we’re onto something big.

So, are you saying that this album is going to be more of a concept album?

JR: I wouldn’t say concept; I just feel like that’s how the songs are coming out.  There’s no thread to the story and it’s more organic that way.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland and Their Awesome Bass-Drum-Wielding Drummer, approx 4:30pm

Jessie is a HUGE fan of Elvis Perkins, so imagine her delight when she got to squat in front of the Harborside Stage to check out their early evening set just as the sun was going down on Day 2 of the Newport Folk Festival.  “Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville” was a favorite number in the set, and Elvis Perkins in Dearland put on one of the most rejuvenating, energetic shows in Newport that weekend.  Special props go out to Nick Kinsey, who worked a strap-on bass drum better than a seasoned marching band geek.

Roaming Around Fort Adams with the Ice Cream Man and Deer Tick, approx. 2:30pm:

As previously mentioned, Jessie and I had the privilege of tagging along with Matt Allen [aka the Ice Cream Man], his merry band of AV guys and Deer Tick as we sat in on the video they were shooting for Matt’s web series,  Road Trippin’ with the Ice Cream Man.  With a sailboat-speckled harbor as the backdrop and as the festival continued beneath us at the bottom o f the hill, Deer Tick’s John Joseph McCauley III and Christopher Dale Ryan were joined by Liz Isenberg for a rendition of “Friday XIII”, which is one of our personal favorites off of Deer Tick’s latest release, Born on Flag Day. I got to catch up with John on one of the cushy couches in the media tent right after their set on Sunday, so here’s his thoughts on the folk festival, what’s next for Deer Tick, and Deer Tick’s strong connections to Rhode Island AND Boston.

What did you first think when you were asked to play the fiftieth Newport Folk Festival?

John: It’s a tremendous honor to be asked to do this, being that we’re all native Rhode Islanders.  I was born in Providence; I’ll probably die there.  A lot of people with local ties are playing, like The Low Anthem and Elvis Perkins, and I guess David Rawlings is from here, too.

Now, you’ve been to the Newport Folk Festival before.  How does it feel, sharing the bill with other folk performers you respect and enjoy?

J: It’s crazy!  I’ve only been to the festival twice before.  The first time I was either three or four.  My parents took me because I loved the La Bamba soundtrack that Los Lobos did and they played [the festival] one year when I was a little kid, so my parents took me to that.  I went again as a teenager, I was either 13 or 14, so that was about ten years ago, and I came because [Bob] Dylan was playing.  I wanted to see himeven though I knew nothing about Bob Dylan, besides “Everybody Must Get Stoned”.  At the time, the song made a lot of sense to me. (Laughs)

Were there any songs that felt really good or stick out to you from the set you played today?

J: I think it was just cool watching the difference between when we were at our loudest at the beginning and then at the end.  Right in the middle, we kind of got a little softer and played more folk-y tunes.  Our set was kind of ridiculously, sonically overwhelming for a folk festival, but yeah.  I always love guest singers come up, like Liz did today, and I guess everyone else did, too.

Is there anyone playing Folk Festival 50 that you would love to collaborate with in the future, or any particular artist that you were thrilled to share the bill with?

J: I was really excited to find out that Guy Clarke and Billy Bragg were playing.  I’ve wanted to see them for a long time.  I mean, there are a lot of people here I would love to collaborate with.  Where do I start, you know?

Do you get the sense that the older generation of these festival performers is passing a metaphorical torch to the bands and artists of your era?

J: In a way; I mean, what we do, I don’t know if it’s really carrying the torch of the Newport Folk Festival, but maybe we can start the Newport Rock Festival.

What do we have to look forward to from Deer Tick in the coming months?

J: We have a big tour coming up that’s gonna take us through the US, Canada and Europe.  I’ve been pushing hard to get us a gig at the Hard Rock Café in Cairo, but I don’t know if it’s gonna work (laughs).  We’re gonna be on the road pretty much until Christmas.  We’re putting the finishing touches on the third album, and in the winter we’re gonna record a new album.  I’m going to do a side project with Taylor Goldsmith, he’s the lead singer in this band Dawes, and we’re going to get together and make a shotgun album and write it and record it as fast as possible.  Our album that we’ll be recording in the wintertime, that’ll be coming out early next year in time for a tour down to South by Southwest.  We’ll see about that.

How is the album you’re putting finishing touches on different from previous work you’ve done with Deer Tick?

J: The album is a lot darker, and we have enough material recorded for a proper album and an EP as kind of a companion piece that don’t really fit on the record.  I kind of had to bring myself back to being an emotionally tortured teenager to do it, but something about the studio and the setting and being isolated and having it be snowy in upstate New York where we recorded it, it worked out pretty well.  It’s way different than anything else that we’ve done.  I think it kicks ass.  When we record the new album this winter, it’s going to be much more of a group effort with everybody writing and singing and kind of sharing the frontman responsibilities and let everybody really create something.

Are there any particular songs that stand out in your catalog that you love playing live?

J: We have a lot of fun doing that song, “Straight Into a Storm”.  I think it’s just because me and Andy trade guitar solos and it’s something we can run around and be maniacs during it.

About Fort Adams: How do you feel about it, as the venue for Folk Festival 50?  I was lucky enough to chase you guys up the hill with the Ice Cream Man for your secret set, so can you take us through the experience of playing here?

J: It’s a gorgeous piece of land.  The building is so awesome.  It’s surprising that some of it’s still standing.  It’s pretty cool to be at the largest coastal fort in the United States.

I know that you guys have played Boston a lot, so I kind of want to tap into your history withProvidence’s “neighbor to the North.”  What’s your connection with your Boston fan base, and do you have any favorite venues in town?

J: One of my favorite rooms to play is Upstairs at the Middle East.  We did pretty well at Harper’s Ferry.  I hear that a lot of people don’t like playing that room, but I can’t figure out why.  My father’s actually born in Allston, so Boston feels a little like home to me, in a way.

Judy Collins, a Guitar, a Piano and a TON of Fog, approx. 6pm:

With cascading white tresses flowing over her black dress and the same piercing eyes that earned her a nickname and a song written just for her by Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Judy “Blue Eyes” Collins took the stage, and I mean the whole stage, just before the concluding sing-along of Folk Festival Fifty on Sunday, August 2^nd.  Her presence alone filled the space that had been occupied earlier that weekend by bands with enormous amounts of equipment and numerous band members, and she mesmerized people with her renditions of folk classics and songs of her own just as she has been for the past fifty years.  Collins’ performance of “The Blizzard (Colorado)” left us stunned as we watched her from behind the stage at Fort Adams, and when Joan Baez joined her onstage towards the end of her set it was an instance that reminded us all that we were there for the fiftieth celebration of some pretty unique voices.  Collins on Folk Festival 50 and this year’s lineup, in particular: “In general, I think the idea behind the festival remains the same: A group of people coming together, who play all kinds of different music, and different slants on what people feel passionate about, and I’m sure there are some new songs that are being heard for the first time today and some other surprises coming along.”

As the fog rolled in off of Narragansett Bay and onto the main stage of the Newport Folk Festival, Jessie and I found ourselves scurrying up one of the hills contained within the walls of Fort Adams in hot pursuit of Deer Tick and the Ice Cream Man. We met Matt Allen, the big -haired smiley guy responsible for doling out free treats across the country as the host of Bablegum’s Road Trippin’ with the Ice Cream Man video series, when he parked his truck next to the media tent for the duration of the Newport Folk Festival.  Seeing as Jessie and I can’t resist frozen deliciousness, let alone free frozen deliciousness, we knew that we’d become fast friends with the man with the sugar, and the dude’s likability factor only increased when he invited Jessie and I to tag along with the Ice Cream Man crew as they explored Fort Adams with Deer Tick to shoot an exclusive one-song performance on the festival’s second day.

I won’t go into details here as Deer Tick’s impromptu jam is definitely Matt’s story to tell [which he does, here], but the whole point of sharing this little anecdote is just to say this: Jessie and I were thrilled to witness the work of the raw, uninhibited talent on display at George Wein’s 50^th Newport Folk Festival.  Our experience, both as music lovers and aspiring arts & entertainment journalists, was one made up of remarkable little moments, onstage and off, that really drove home the fact that the Newport Folk Festival is a time-honored tradition where some of the most respectable musicians and folk artists in the country come to this gorgeous stretch of seaside to make the most of their time together onstage.

Whether we were chatting up Matt about what kind of ice cream Neko Case opted to snack on or tearing up in the photo pit of the main stage as nearly every act on the bill joined Pete Seeger for the best sing-along ever, we encountered a slew of passionate, pleasant professionals who were as elated to be there for this fiftieth year of celebrating American singers and songwriters as we were.  We’ve compiled a list of our favorite moments at Folk Festival 50, divided up between events which occurred on Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2: They include our jaunt with the Ice Cream Man and Deer Tick in fuller detail, as well as conversations with the timelessly gorgeous Judy Collins, the giddy Josh Ritter and even a heartfelt hug from Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers.  Folk Festival 50 had one of the most exciting indie/folk lineups in the festival’s 50-years-and-counting run, so even though we’re only giving you our favorite few, trust us when we say that each and every minute of our two days spent in Newport was filled with throaty yells, haunting refrains, hearty hooks, melodies chock full o’ raw emotion and a chance to catch generations of this country’s most promising talent in action.

-Hilary Hughes

(and hey! after your done reading up on our Folk Festival 50: Day 1, check out our writeup of Day 2.)

Day 1 of the Newport Folk Festival – August 1, 2009

The Low Anthem Play to High Numbers,  12:40pm

Jessie had her first unpleasant interaction as a concert photographer during The Low Anthem’s set: Shortly after they took the Waterside stage on Saturday afternoon, Jessie tried [politely, I may add] to make her way to the front so that she could score some sick shots… and an uppity fan was essentially really snippy with her.  Pro:  Ben, Jeff and Jocie of The Low Anthem are just as talented as they were the night we saw them play selections from their album, Oh My God Charlie Darwin,  at the Brattle, and clearly they’ve got some die-hard fans who were really looking forward to their performance at Newport.  Con: This woman was just mean for no reason.  She’s gotta take some pictures, lady.  Chill out and she’ll get out of your way in two seconds, geez.  On a more positive note, we were able to catch up with Jeff and pick his brains about becoming one of the newest members of the Newport Folk Festival legacy.

So, how did it feel, playing on the waterfront for hundreds of people?

J: We didn’t know what to expect because there are three stages here and we were booked on the smallest one, so we thought, “Oh, no one’s gonna see us, especially because we’re playing at the same time slot as Gillian Welch!  Man, WE want to go to Gillian Welch, and we’d choose Gillian over us!”  (Laughs) We thought that we wouldn’t see anybody, but we were happy that so many of our friends and people we knew from Providence could come out, and I think that the music was well received, so I can say on record, don’t worry if you get booked on the small stage, it’s still great!

Being a Rhode Island band, how does it feel to be reppin’ the state at such a significant festival with such a fantastic history?

J: We’ve been living in Providence for eight years and we love Providence, but our connection is more to that city.  Since we didn’t grow up here and spend our time traveling around outside the city, we do a lot of playing and working within the city, and not so much on the state level.  To play this festival, from our perspective, what’s great is that so many of our friends from Providence could come and see us here, whereas usually if we’re playing a major festival in Chicago or New York, they can’t make the trip.  I think it’s great.  And hey, maybe one of these days Boston can have a major festival!

How does it feel to be a part of the Newport Folk Festival’s legacy?  You guys seem pretty thrilled to be here, especially during Pete Seeger’s sing-along when everyone was up onstage.

J: I’d like to believe that this means that we’re accepted into the community.  It probably does in some way, but really, the relationships build from artists knowing each other and telling each other that so-and-so is a good musician.  Like, the old times, it’s by word of mouth and recommendations.  It’s a little weird; I was standing next to, say, Gillian Welch, and I don’t know Gillian Welch, and I wish I did, and maybe in the coming years I’ll get to meet her and we’ll become friends, but it was kind of forced because it was kind of like, “Hey! Everyone come up here.”  I’ve never met Pete Seeger, so it was like, I can’t say, “Yes!  The initiation is complete!”-

You don’t feel like you’re varsity folk yet, basically.

J: (Laughs) Yeah!  But it was an amazing experience, and I think that in the years to come I’ll look back on it fondly and I’ll be like, “Remember that time I was standing next to these great musicians and I was so nervous?”  It was a big deal for my father because he grew up listening to Pete Seeger, and when he saw me up there standing next to him it was a very emotional experience for him.

On the topic of initiation and meeting new artists within your musical community that you respect, do you think that your performance at the Newport Folk Festival is a kind of a new beginning for The Low Anthem?

J:  When we were booked it was definitely a significant event.  It was the same day we were booked at Bonnaroo, too, so can you imagine that day? (Laughs)  When that happened and we knew that some people were enjoying our music and gonna take a chance on us, it was great.  It was like a minor league baseball player getting a chance to play in the big leagues: Maybe he gets an at-bat in the big leagues and he’s sitting on the bench next to Manny Ramirez and Big Papi, and he’s still a rookie, but he gets his chance and he gets his cuts, that’s kind of how we feel right now.  We’re finally getting the chance to take a few cuts, and it feels good.

An Intimate Harborstage Serenade with Iron & Wine, 4:55pm

An enraptured audience swayed from side to side and sang along and half the bands on Day 1’s roster, including Ben Kweller and Tom Morello, looked to the stage as the voice of Samuel Beam, aka Iron & Wine, soared over the chorus of his cover of the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights”.  Though each and every one of the performances seen at the Newport Folk Festival this year had their intimate, heartfelt instances of beauty in song, it was Sam who delivered a sincerely touching set that had many a festival-goer wiping tears from their eyes before its conclusion.

[Editor’s note: Naturally, I couldn’t just sit in awe like the rest of the crowd at the Harbor Stage and enjoy the music of Iron & Wine, no way.  I was standing backstage and away from the tent’s protection and I had the distinct pleasure of having one of the dudes from Fleet Foxes tell me that a seagull had chosen a most inopportune moment to relieve itself on my arm.  And leather purse.  And sunglasses.  So much for sentimentality, Mr. Seagull.]

A Spinning Bass and Stomping Feet from the Avett Brothers,  1:20pm:

Between their heel-hammering/banjo-strumming/bass-thumping/octave-soaring/tight harmonizing/chord-picking skills and the resonating melancholy of their poetic lyrics, the Avett Brothers were a tough act to follow on the first day of the Newport Folk Festival.  They played a few fan favorites from their 2007 hit, Emotionalism, as well as material from their highly anticipated I And Love And You, which is scheduled for a September 29^th release.  [Editor’s note: Of all the acts on the bill for Folk Festival 50, the Avett Brothers were the band to beat for me: Emotionalism and Four Thieves Gone are two of my favorite albums of all time and “The Ballad of Love and Hate” is the only song that can move me to tears.] The Avett Brothers will be hitting Boston on October 18^th touring in support of I And Love And You, and if the roar of the crowd in Newport that day was any indication of the  imminent success of the Avett Brothers, you’ll want to suck it up and pay the LiveNation service fee now to secure your spot at the House of Blues.

The Decemberists and their Reenactment of Bob Dylan Going Electric, approx. 6pm

The Decemberists have been good to New England this summer in that they’ve shown up in and around Boston multiple times since Memorial Day.  With that said, they blew Newport out of the water on August 1, and it surely was due in part to the fact that they were thrilled to be performing with a little help from their friends (like Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond).  Starting off the set with “The Crane Wife III” [which also happens to be my favorite song of theirs, original, I know], The Decemberists plowed through some favorites in addition to entertaining the crowd with a hilarious theatrical interpretation of a moment at the Newport Folk Festival fifty years ago when Bob Dylan plugged in his guitar and shocked the crowd.  The audience ate it up, and it’s no wonder why as the Decemberists offered up one of the most enthusiastic sets of the day.

The Most Epic of Folk/Rock/American Music Sing-Alongs led by the One and Only PETE SEEGER!, 7pm

The sun was sinking into the bay in the background, the crowd was on their feet, and the stage was chock full of the most influential folk artists along with some indie, folk and rock acts who were directly influenced by their work, and TeaParty Boston was there to see it all.  Pete Seeger, who recently celebrated his ninetieth birthday, led the festival-wide sing-along with his grandson, Tao Seeger, and had thousands of people belting out the chorus of “This Land Is Your Land”, “If I Had a Hammer” and “This Little Light Of Mine.”   What more could any music lover ask for, honestly?  We were standing in the photo pit gazing up at Ben Kweller, the Fleet Foxes, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, the Low Anthem, Gillian Welch, and nearly every other artist on the bill for Newport’s Folk Festival 50, and George Wein, the man who’s responsible for creating such a monumental musical tradition, was in the wings and singing along as well.  You can’t blame us for getting a little misty-eyed during this one.  With guitar-wielding artists across the country raising their voices today because men like Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie and women like Judy Collins and Joan Baez took  a stand through the use of their lyrics and steel strings, it was nothing short of amazing to see some of the most influential and innovative musicians on the scene sharing the stage with the artists who are partially responsible for the cultivation of their creativity.  The fiftieth incarnation of George Wein’s Newport Folk Festival was an event that celebrated the excitement of new talent while honoring the timeless, classic music of American singers and songwriters, and there wasn’t one person, onstage or off, in Newport that day who didn’t leave Fort Adams feeling as though they were the part of something much, much bigger than themselves.

We’ve got some exciting news for you folks. Here at Teaparty Boston we recognize that most of our readers are, in fact, humans and, because of that fact, need to eat some damn food from time to time. So, we’ve teamed up with food guru / human restaurant database, Ryan Weaver, to bring you kids some pointers on gastronomical conundrums ranging from where to go when you’re feeling a bit fancy (cocktails!) to where to get your snack on at 3AM (falafel!).

It’s just one more step on our quest to fulfill our dream of being the most kick-ass arts and entertainment guide that has ever kicked ass all over Boston. Thanks so much for your continued support.

Check out TPB Tastes here, and let us know what you think!

–Jessie