Sweet jesus, it’s brilliant! The brain-people behind Newport Folk Festival are bringing the beloved Rhode Island festival out to the westival, locking down the Santa Monica pier on October 5th and 6th to present what seems like a good sized handful of this year’s folk lineup to the folks in California. If you’re thinking to yourself “sucks that this is happening in October, it’s cold in October and the best part of Newport Folk Festival is that it’s really warm and sunny and ocean-side and nice and breezy,” then you might be forgetting that California is warm year-round. Bastards.
Confirmed artists include Conor Oberst, Neko Case, Bret Dennen, First Aid Kit, Shovels & Rope, Justin Townes Earle, Calexico, Jonathan Wilson, The Felice Brothers, and Thao & the Get Down Stay Down. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 14th at 10AM via Ticketfly.com, with a very limited amount being released at a special early-bird price.
Jay Sweet was quoted saying, “Allston Pudding, feel free to fly out + stay in a five-star hotel so you can attend this one as well, instead of sitting inside with a case of FOMO as the cold October air forces you away from your Allston porches and your winter depression sets in. We’ll reimburse you for your travels.”
Just kidding. He was, however, quoted saying, “We are thrilled to bring Newport Folk Festival to the West Coast, and look forward to meeting new friends and expanding the Newport Folk Family. I am humbled that we are able to partner with people who respect the history of our festival and share the dream of making sure this fabulous music continues to evolve and reach new audiences.”
Just curious… What do the AP guys REALLY think about expanding the Newport experience outside of New England?? I’m glad they picked a cool spot, great bands and are keeping the prices low, but I’m still not completely sold on this idea. I love the NFF and I think Jay Sweet has done a great job reviving the Newport Festival over the last 6-7 years. I also love music festivals and have been attending festivals since Lolla 96, but I think they are getting a little bloaded and “watering down the market”. I feel the same way about ACL and Coachella expanding to two weekends… Just curious how you all feel. Thanks
Jeff,
I think you nailed it in that Newport Folk is more an “experience” than anything. The location and atmosphere seem to make it a different event than others that try to be like it. I think festival culture in general these days has led to a watering down. The same 4 or 5 bands seem to do every festival in a given summer. I’ve always thought that Newport Folk, while they’ve derived a bit from the classic folk structure of yesteryear, have still remained true to a certain audience. If that mold carries over to the west coast, it’s interesting to see how this will translate. If it’s put together like all the other new festivals that have cropped up, I don’t think it will necessarily stand out from the crowd. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for your reply and your thoughtful insight. I’m sure the festival will go over well in Santa Monica at the Pier. I’ve been out west 3 of the last 4 years to see shows around LA (Greek Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, Troubadour, Royce Hall and a couple other venues outside of LA county), ironically the same time of year, late Sept/early Oct. It makes sense and I’m sure it will be a pretty cool experience. That part of the coastline is beautiful in the same way Newport has its beautiful coastline. I guess my main beef is the expansion of the American festivals. Within 10 years there will be a Bonnaroo in China, an ACL in Portugal and a Newport in the Philippines… Hopefully I’m wrong!