Paul Robicheau
A relatively short-but-sweet night that struck just enough highs and no real lows – as long as one accepts that Van Morrison gives more heed to covers than his own hits.
This version of Beach Road Weekend marked a huge step to the event joining Newport Folk and Solid Sound among New England’s marquee mid-size festivals.
To some degree, everything fit under the resilient umbrella that the late George Wein raised at the edge of Newport Harbor.
The Newport Folk Festival’s biggest secrets were cleanly hidden and tightly executed with the day-capping revelations of Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell.
Northlands lacks the infrastructure, diversity, and history of some of New England’s finest music fests, but its two-day debut provided a rustic oasis for jambands.
Solid Sound is like a family picnic for stylistically open-minded musicians and fans alike within the brick-mill infrastructure of MASS MoCA.
Big Thief is a largely somber folk-rock outfit fronted by introspective singer/songwriter Adrianne Lenker that doesn’t care much about showmanship.
This is the quintessential Club d’elf album, smartly arranged and surprisingly accessible without losing any of the group’s improvisational edges or exotic breadth.
Forty years down the line, looking both backward and forward with its latest formation, Gang of Four still knew how to live a bit dangerously.
Both experimental and welcoming, the double album proves more spontaneous in feel and expansive in style than past Big Thief outings.
Arts Commentary: The Orchestra Gap — Europe vs. the US