Newport Folk Festival 2024: America’s Favorite Festival

Posted on 08/07/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Review by Abby Stanicek & Emily Gardner
Photos by Emily Gardner

Abby

On a sunny, dragonfly-filled weekend, Newport, Rhode Island’s Fort Adams State Park hosts the 65th Newport Folk Festival. Tevas, Birkenstocks, and Hokas made up the majority of shoes lined up to get through security. Upon entrance, the boats, paddle boards and kayaks are all huddled together in the water, forming the first crowd visible at the festival. As one expects at this festival, the Yerba Mate stand was sold out by the early afternoon. Jewelry, food, clothing, and radio vendors lined the path to Fort Stage, the festival’s main stage. Just before the main stage, you’ll find the Harbor Stage and the entrance to the Quad Stage.

The Quad Stage is inside Fort Adams, with towering stone walls surrounding the inner space. On Friday, the main stage hosts a notable afternoon lineup: Wednesday, a highly anticipated To Be Announced set, MUNA and Adrienne Lenker. Underneath the stage tent, people can sit in chairs if they snag one or stand within the allotted area. Outside of the tent, attendees set up chairs and blankets on the grass, lounging and taking in the atmosphere of the historic festival.

Hozier

Wednesday starts the afternoon at Quad, playing an impassioned set that fills the entire quad with sound. The set ends with guttural screams from vocalist Karly Hartzman, which she warns the crowd about before starting “Bull Believer”. Once the stage was in transition, the inside of the fort flooded with people eager to find out who the To Be Determined act would be. The names Paul Simon and Beck came from a group trying to guess who it is. Soon after, the man who guessed Beck whoops amongst a roar of cheers while the singer takes the stage as a surprise

After arriving at the festival via police escort due to an accident, Beck puts on a show full of folk classics. He claims to have made the setlist based on some of the great historical moments from the festival. Some selections on his setlist include “Maggie’s Farm” by Bob Dylan, “Other Side of This Life” by Fred Neil, and “Waiting for a Train” by Jimmie Rodgers. Just as he begins his hit “Loser,” a swarm of dragonflies appears over the crowd out of nowhere. Between the crowd’s vocals joining Beck and dragonflies everywhere, the folk festival theme was on full display.

Muna takes the stage after Beck for their first Newport Folk appearance, playing a selection of their slower songs, which they describe as their “most Newport setlist”. Guitarists Jo Maskin and Noami McPherson support vocalist Katie Gavin with impressive harmonies and instrumentals. The band also has Katie play one of her solo songs before her set on the bike-powered stage on Saturday. For “Anything But Me,” they play the same arrangement from their NPR Tiny Desk concert, which features gracefully layered harmonies. To end the set, they play their hit “Silk Chiffon” and have McPherson take over on Phoebe Bridgers. Due to the festival’s frequent surprise guests, I couldn’t help but peek at the side of the stage to check if Bridgers was waiting to enter.

Adrianne Lenker enters the stage shortly after, sitting calmly on a chair with her acoustic guitar and getting right to tuning. She puts her solo music aside and begins with Big Thief’s “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You,” the title track from the band’s most recent album. Lenker continues to focus on Big Thief by playing some unreleased songs she’s been working on for the band and welcoming bandmate and long-term friend Buck Meek back to the Quad Stage after his set earlier in the day. Meek and Adrienne reflect on the duration of their friendship, mentioning their time living in a van and writing songs together. She also entertains the crowd by playing “anything” and “not a lot, just forever,” enchanting those within the Quad and eliciting a low hum of the crowd softly singing along. Her unique vocals and impressive finger-picking abilities make her set a definite standout.

Friday ends with a captivating set by Hozier that receives a stunning sunset backdrop. Hozier is joined by his talented band that effortlessly translates his music to live versions, which pairs nicely with his unwavering, spacious vocals. The setlist is full of his hits, but surprisingly focuses on his earlier work, such as “Cherry Wine,” “Jackie and Wilson,” and “From Eden.” For “Work Song,” he brings out his tour opener and fellow Fort Stage performer Allison Russell to perform the second verse and harmonize. During “Would That I,” Hozier’s belting stretches beyond the crowd and sounds like it will make the attendees in the water just outside the park feel as though they are front row. To bolster the guest list, Russell returns alongside Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, The Lumineers, Madison Cunningham, Nathaniel Rateliff and others to perform “The Weight” by The Band. With a handful of the guests remaining on stage, Hozier finishes with a captivating cover of Pete Seeger’s “We Shall Overcome.”

Joan Baez

Though only the first day of the historic festival, the stacked lineup and all-day sunshine made for a great start to the weekend. Attendees gambled by selling out tickets before the lineup even dropped, but were overjoyed by the outcome. With a surprise appearance from Beck, two opportunities to see some Big Thief live and a Hozier set full of notable guests, Friday was an incredible way to start celebrating the festival’s 65th anniversary.

Emily

If you were wondering why Newport was filled with traffic and the smell of sunscreen last weekend, Newport Folk Festival settled into its normal spot at Fort Adams for its 65th anniversary. Thousands of attendees shuffled their way into the entrance, some waiting up to 90 minutes in the heat (though the wait was remedied on the third day). Once inside, the grounds were full of vendors, beach blankets, and lawn chairs. As always, the music was well worth the wait. This year, the big acts were the incredibly talented Hozier, legendary folk icons Joan Baez and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, and the mysterious set composed of Conan and “Real Musicians”. However, some real gems were hidden in the undercard. To be fair, it’s hard not to find an enjoyable set to vibe to throughout all three days.

Newport Folk is a great hub for music discovery, even outside of the folk genre. Wednesday and Friko brought some much-needed energy to the Harbor stage, while La Lom and Reyna Tropical heated up their stages with some Latin flair.

Newport is also notorious for its special guests. Beck was one of many surprise sets of the weekend, playing some classics from his album Odelay. Mavis Staples joined Hozier during his headlining spot to perform their song together “Nina Cried Power”. Rising star Sierra Ferrell invited comedian slash musician John C. Reilly to join her for a tune. For the much-anticipated Conan set, the late-night host brought along Langhorne Slim, Nick Lowe, and a familiar face of the Folk family, Jack White. Unfortunately, press wasn’t allowed to snap a photo of any special guests, but Emily Gardner captured some of the our favorite acts of the weekend. Check out the photos below.

Check out all of Emily’s photos below.

Lunar Vacation Swing Thru Royale to Support Sophomore LP

Posted on 08/02/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review by Cam Cavagnaro

Lunar Vacation visited Boston’s Royale for one of five shows supporting Vacations on their “No Place Like Home” tour. Their highly anticipated sophomore LP, Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire, will be releasing September 13th on Keeled Scales. The ATL-based indie band has blurred genre lines for the past eight years, incorporating elements of fuzz, jangle and synthpop into their music, creating an eclectic atmosphere that has become their signature sound. Their brief set spanned a pretty good amount of their discography, including the leading single off their new record, “Set the Stage,” which was incredibly well-received by the Boston audience. Lunar Vacation finishes their run with Vacations on 8/1 in Brooklyn and headlines a few of their own shows before joining to support Manchester Orchestra and Thrice.

Check out all of Cam’s photos from the show below.

Have A Nice Life Lead Stellar Lineup at the Dise

Posted on 07/31/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review by Donovan Jermyn

On 7/21, The Paradise felt like a portal to another world, as Have a Nice Life, Planning for Burial, and Oldest Sea took the stage. The haunting visuals and palpable darkness in the venue created a perfect atmosphere for a night steeped in melancholic soundscapes and raw emotion. Have a Nice Life’s set, featured tracks from Deathconsciousness, and frontman Tim Macuga interacted with the crowd deeply situated within each song while Planning for Burial’s immersive performance and Oldest Sea’s haunting melodies added layers of intensity and introspection to the evening.

Check out all of Donovan’s photos from the show below.

Xana Connects With Fans at Brighton Music Hall

Posted on 07/30/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review by Greg Wong

On 6/23, rising pop artist Xana sold out Brighton Music Hall when she came to Boston for her tour in support of her sophomore album The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t.

With a line of fans stretching down the block and around the corner before the doors opened, the anticipation for the night’s show was undeniable. Early arrivals were treated to a captivating set from opener DEZI, who brought her Ares energy to the stage and primed the crowd for the main event. That said, Xana’s fans needed little prodding to show their excitement as she moved front and center. She delivered an impressively strong performance despite recovering from a recent illness that forced her to reschedule a couple show dates as recently as three days prior. The crowd celebrated the unapologetically fierce showcase of The Sex Was Good Until It Wasn’t, and Xana connected with her audience by frequently taking the opportunity to hop off stage and get up close and personal. If the relationship that Xana has with her fans is any indication, her next Boston concert will likely be at a bigger venue, and she’s one to keep an eye on.

Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.

Ben Howard Walks Backwards to Boston

Posted on 07/24/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review by Wendy Schiller

The House of Blues was packed for Ben Howard’s first Boston show in six years. Psychedelic projections and an enthusiastic crowd gave him and his band the ideal backdrop for a dreamy summertime show. Performing a majority of songs from his 2023 album Is It? locked in for “Walking Backwards” and “Couldn’t Make it Up”. Older tunes “Keep Your Head Up” and “Small Things” balanced out his newer, more hypnotic sound with campfire acoustics. He was supported on tour by John Francis Flynn.

Check out all of Wendy’s photos from the show below.

Levitate Music & Arts Festival 2024 Recap

Posted on 07/24/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review by Greg Wong

The first weekend of July marked the 11^th edition of the Levitate Music & Arts Festival in Marshfield, MA. The 3-day festival featured over 30 musical artists, including a few surprise performances, but the single most obvious draw was undoubtedly the resurgent Sublime.

The festival vibes were chill, but the muggy weather throughout the weekend however, was decidedly not. Nevertheless, day 1 got off to a good start with a festival-opening set from Worcester natives Blue Light Bandits. Some performances of particular note on the opening day of the festival included the teenaged guitar virtuoso Grace Bowers, alt-rockers/plant enthusiasts The Moss, reggae rockers Dirty Heads, the acoustic trio Orebolo (an offshoot of Goose, who made a splash at last year’s Levitate), and of course Mt. Joy, making their debut as a festival headliner and rising to the task with ease.

Day 2 got off to a somewhat rocky start, with ominous overcast skies and a shortage of security personnel that caused a notable bottleneck at the main security checkpoint. The day’s first performers, Snacktime, bore the brunt of that slowdown with many potential listeners stuck in line well after gates opened. The main stage also seemed to be initially plagued by a different delay, with G. Love making his way on stage to join his band 4 songs into their set due to traffic. As the day progressed, the issues melted away and so did the threat of rain. Levitate alumni Ripe made a surprise appearance early in the day and delivered a unique performance from the deck of the VIP enclosure. Other performances of the day included Cory Wong and his 10-piece band, Massachusetts-born reggae rocker Joe Samba, and popular Marshfield locals The Elovaters. Tash Sultana overcame significant technical difficulties to demonstrate their impressive talent as a multi-instrumentalist, and headliners Lake Street Dive delivered a polished, crowd-pleasing set to round out the evening.

The third and final day of the festival had none of the hiccups of the previous day, and began with a set from Gracie Grace & All the Good Boys that ended up with an on-stage engagement between the eponymous Grace and her partner. The day’s lineup featured a double-dose of Daniel Donato, who performed a set with his band Cosmic Country and a solo set in the VIP area. The indie hip-hop duo Little Stranger and indie folk rockers Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners both drew a large crowd to the main stage early in the day, and other standout performances included a solo set from Ziggy Alberts, and an energetic full-band set with Karina Rykman. Charley Crockett also drew a large crowd as he closed out the mid-size stage for the weekend with his twangy Americana. Immediately following that show, Sublime was slated to close out the festival at the main stage, and the hype was palpable. The crowd roared as Jakob Nowell took his place on stage and settled in to lead Sublime through a shorter-than-expected set that nevertheless ran through enough of the band’s classic hits to keep the audience happily singing along all the way. They took the time to work in Sublime’s first new song in 28 years, “Feel Like That,” and that special performance featured a surprise appearance from Duxbury’s own Scott Woodruff (of Stick Figure, a Levitate staple band and one of Levitate 2023’s headliners). The whole concert was over by 9:30 PM, leaving just about everyone craving more, but that was inevitable given how long many in the audience had been waiting to see Sublime performing again. With that cathartic headline set, so ended another edition of Levitate Music & Arts Festival; it was not without its blemishes, but undeniably worth experiencing.

Check out all of Greg’s photos from the show below.

non- is Dropping The Album After All

Posted on 07/19/2024 by Dillon Riley

By Dillon Riley

Photo courtesy of non-

While’s there’s no getting around the celebrated pedigree of Allston black metallic screamo troupe non-, the four-piece caused quite a stir of their own accord with a series of singles and EPs that thrillingly stretched further and further from the lo-fi black metal classicism of the group’s initial (solo) demo. An album recorded over 5 years ago was teased, and belabored upon, and then subsequently shelved while band principal Jack Whelan tinkered and fretted over their purest musical vision/venture to date while still logging time in various bands around town. As such, non- seemed to slowly drift slowly away from the purview.

Many (myself included) just sorta tallied the now mythic album-to-come as yet another classic Boston album that was never to be, content with the precious recordings that did trickle out during their time together. Cut to last weekend when Whelan tweeted out a Bandcamp link with little fanfare pointing towards a preorder for said album. A stunning turn! We now know that said album is called Gestalt, and there’s already been two songs previewed from it: an updated version of the prior loosie “The Hanged Man” and a recorded version of “Two Archers”, which astute listeners will have heard in an earlier, more embryonic live version. While the future of non- beyond the album remains cloudy, a quick review of the Bandcamp page for the album hints at a possible return in easrnest. We will keep our eyes and ears peeled in the interim.

As for today, Allston Pudding is proud to be premiering non-‘s third (and presumably final) single, “Procession”. While NOT a New Order/Joy Division cover, the track does bear plenty of the latter’s crushing existential dread and white knuckled tension, but, you know, with blast beats. Whelan had this to say about it:

This track, Procession, is about my father. He was and wasn’t a father in his own way.

Gestalt, the album, is a story of self identity, self discovery, self discipline, self harm, and self acceptance. It’s a record I hope people listen to front to back. I feel like that’s the only way to really grasp the story.

Hit the stream below to listen.

<a href="https://notblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/gestalt">Gestalt by non-</a>

Gestalt is out Friday, August 2nd, and you can preorder a digital copy right here.

Meet Me at the Altar, Mother Mother, Cavetown at MGM Music Hall

Posted on 07/15/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review by Donovan Jermyn

Sunday night on 7/7, I had the amazing opportunity to capture the thrilling performances of Mother Mother and Cavetown on their co-headlining 2024 summer tour with opening pop-punk power trio Meet Meet Me At The Altar. Even as the opener kicked off, there was something different about the audience, as many concert-goers shuffled in early to hear the opening act. Early on, the venue felt full, and at a capacity of just over 5000, max occupancy at doors is no easy feat.

Meet Me At The Altar was power-driven pop punk at its finest, reminding me of the sounds of the late 2000’s emo wave. Formed in 2015, the group developed their sound remotely through the internet and were signed to Fueled by Ramen in 2020. Their performance was a great way to kick off the night, interacting with audience members and paving the way for excitement to build for Mother Mother.

In between sets, the audience sang along boisterously to the house mix while a handful of fans gave out bracelets to the photographers and bouncers working the pit, a first for me and a testament to the community and positivity in the air throughout the show.

Mother Mother’s set was a dynamic masterclass in live musicianship. Started in 2005, the band has been playing for just shy of 20 years and has become ever more popular after a resurgence on social media in 2020. Ryan Guldemond, their guitarist and frontman recalled the band playing at TT’s The Bears, a former hotspot venue for smaller acts in Boston, for 10 years consecutively and never being able to fill up the venue. This performance was quite the contrast and the band’s gratuity was afoot as they played like it was their last night as a band. Mother Mother opened with Nobody Escapes, their latest release from the album Grief Chapter. The entire lineup moved around and explored the stage, with countless dramatic expression. Their set continued countless evolutions, proving the band’s sound to be truly indie. The crowd roared in reception to their performance and the energy continued to build throughout their performance until it was time for Cavetown.

Cavetown was a great act to wrap up the night. Robin Daniel Skinner’s project is the perfect blend of introspective and compassion that we need more of in the world right now. The harmonious blend of bedroom pop and gentle ballads brought the audience together and was a powerful thing to witness. Throughout his lyricism and transgender identity, Cavetown’s fanbase has found sanctuary and comfort through his art. Robbie took a moment during their set to address this, acknowledging the dark place they were in when they wrote This is Home.

stating they were once in a really dark place when they wrote the song they were about to perform and that things do get better and continue to get better. A sort of reminder to stay strong and persevere through any challenges that may stand in your way in relationships, intrapersonally, in life. Towards the end of the show, some amazing things happened. Someone got engaged, and as Robbie came to a close in playing through the last tunes of the night, they incorporated a trans flag from the audience and tied it around their neck as a cape.

The show was captivating, memorable and electric. In every sense it’s what a good concert should be, where there is variety, great music and most importantly an audience that enjoys themselves.

Check out all of Donovan’s photos from the show below.

A Warm Welcome Back!! – Camera Obscura at the Paradise

Posted on 07/12/2024 by Harry Gustafson

Photos & Review By Steph Larsen

Boston excitedly welcomed back Camera Obscura at the Paradise touring their latest record Look to the East, Look to the West, their first album in 11 years. Fans were thrilled to reunite with the band and were transported to their warm, dreamy, twee pop world that we’ve been in love with since their early records in the 2000s. Photo Ops opened the show with a beautiful, stripped down set that cut through and connected. The joy and love that filled the room made for a memorable evening.

Check out all of Steph’s photos from the show below.

Up on Top of Solid Sound Mountain

Posted on 07/10/2024 by Dillon Riley

Words By Dillon Riley

Photos By Wendy Schiller

Solid Sound? more like Upside Down

We saw “It Never Rains at Solid Sound” emblazoned on a tote bag right as we walked into a particularly sunny first day of Wilco’s Solid Sound festival. Unaware of the lore that surrounds this bi-annual celebration of all things experimentally twangy, we would come to learn that it does in fact rain at Solid Sound, almost uniformly. But a little precipitation doesn’t stop the masses from Solid Sound Crowd turning at MASS MoCA‘s sprawling North Adams campus every other year in droves to take in the splendor. The weather is simply part of the charm, and with a robust program that offers as much (if not more) sheltered entertainment than not, who’s bothered by a little rain? You see this is a fest replete with its own kinda in-jokes, down to the local EMS unit even rebranding (and donning Wilco-ified t-shirts) to boot and pins that leave a blank line for attendees to boast how many prior editions they’ve attended. However, for all its quirks and traditions we must say that as first-timers, Solid Sound 2024 was also an extremely warm and inviting experience. Everyone from vendors to staff to fellow show-goers was friendly, chatty, and more than willing to accommodate by whatever means fit the situation. Which to say nothing of the sheer number of artists we saw floating the grounds before and after performances who went out of the way to have little moments with the masses.

With little-to-no cell service and almost no overlapping sets on any of its three main stages, the fest encouraged an attentive and hearty helping of music across genre, era, and mood. While Friday night’s promise of a Wilco “Deep Cuts” headlining slot seemed to bring out the biggest crowds of the weekend, there was a steady stream of punters along the grounds all three days, while rare was the dangerous crowd crushing and over-capacity woes that often inflict a summer fest of this scale. What struck me though most was the patience and respectfulness of the Solid Sound audience. We naturally saw rapturous applause for Wilco when they played their song off the SpongeBob Squarepants movie soundtrack on Friday, but the response was just as rabid by those that braved the late night slot for avant jazz quartet Horse Lords. Surely there were hundreds if not thousands hearing the limb- Solid Sound Grounds flailing interlocking puzzle that is a Water From Your Eyes set, and yet the crowd hung on their every chord long before Jeff Tweedy came out to help a laryngitis-ailed Rachel Brown battle through the harmonies of their “When You’re Around”. Most importantly, for a crowd that (politely) skews older than the average, Solid Sound folks show early and hang late. To wit, sets from contemporary alt-country leaning acts like Fenne Lily and Ratboys (at noon and 12:45 respectively) were packed out full of nodding heads and swaying cans of brightly-colored Treehouse Brewing beer, while Sylvan Esso‘s two-night DJ stand had folks more than twice my age throwing ass well past midnight.

It feels pertinent to also highlight the generosity of Solid Sound’s extracurricular programming. While already top-to-bottom one of the season’s most expertly curated lineups, the beauty of having an entire museum at your disposal alongside the designated festival area is executing artist signings, talks, themed exhibits, live painting, and pop-up acoustic sets from artists also playing (or at times even not) playing one of the main stages. We’d also be remiss not to gas up the robust food and drink offerings, and we wanna give a special shout out to Broccoli Bar food truck who absolutely brought the house down for me after a scorching opening set from Horsegirl on Friday.

Vibes were electric we get it: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC. Well dear readers of this esteemed music publication, in a word: it rocked. Gonna highlight a few killer sets from each day and then link to Wendy’s amazing photographical as well below, thanks for reading.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Friday)

We jokingly tweeted that Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit‘s Friday slot at Solid Sound concluded their 2024 tour of Massachusetts (having headlined Roadrunner and then opened for Zach Bryan at Gillette Stadium on days prior, for those who didn’t get the joke), but their early evening sermon on Joe’s Field felt like a coronation. While obviously in the wheelhouse for Wilco fans of any stripe, Isbell and co.’s hour went off remarkably well by any metric. While plenty of guitar pyrotechnics came courtesy of the rockier end of last year’s Weathervanes LP, Isbell seemed to have the crowd most captivated during the gentler numbers of season’s past. While a rousing take on R.E.M.’s “The One I Love” got the blood flowing, you could hear a pin drop during the delicate “Cover Me Up” at set’s close, and that’s real-deal star power.

Horse Lords (Friday)

We had Baltimore post-rock (or maybe post-jazz) quartet circled as the sleeper set of the fest on the ride up to North Adams, and the Horse boys did not disappoint. Using the rigid-but-explorative framework of their 2022 LP Comradely Objects as a mere jumping off point, the group spun its wheels over a captivating high-drama hour that toed the line between freak out improv and white-knuckle tension, we saw droves of (only somewhat confused) punters wander over to Courtyard D in daze only to lock in with the haphazard grooves within mere seconds. While it’s kind of hard to tell where one stops and another begins, Horse Lords ran through some foreign sounds (to these ears at least) that pointed towards another sterling collection of challenging but effortlessly rhythmic tunes to come

Ratboys (Saturday)

We had to hustle to wade through the early Saturday crowds to catch Ratboys’ Saturday turn at the Courtyard D stage, but man they shook the scaries straight off with a fabulously workmanlike set. Wasting no time getting into their groove as the sun struggled to burst through the thick, grey clouds hovering above, Ratboys whipped up tracks from across their discography into a slurry of squealing guitar solos and ride cymbal washed goodness. We saw more than one older gentleman in head-to-toe Wilco fits raise their eyebrow and/or tallboy in hootin’ and hollerin’ glee. While we missed the window to shoot the band on stage, Ratboys’ Julia Steiner also played a hotly-tipped (and hauntingly great) pop-up inside the museum later that day that we did manage to squeeze into, and there’s the picture proof above.

Soul Glo (Saturday)

Those that braved the elements (that is a torrential downpour that blissfully held off on any thunder or lightning) were treated to what we can comfortably say was the weekend’s rowdiest set when Soul Glo took the Courtyard C stage on. Saturday afternoon. The Philly based hardcore crew tour through a particularly thrash-y set (at least in comparison to what was still a mightily heavy turn at The Sinclair back in May), running through most of 2022’s Diaspora Problems as well as a host of other tracks. For all the metallic signifiers and fronter Pierce Jordan’s impressive cookie monster growl, Soul Glo are also a band that emphasizes groove and movement beyond the typical pit crushers (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Jordan periodically swung over to a midi setup to tap out percussion hits or play sketches of hip hop or house beats during tuning moments or to catch a blow, but these elements are but a window into the subtler pockets of the harrowing music they play as a unit. Watching a bunch of forty and fifty something bearded country guys be won over in mere seconds by the fury (and mix it up in the pit despite the slippery ground, no less) was a beautiful thing.

Water From Your Eyes (Saturday)

As mentioned above, Water From Your Eyes’ Rachel Brown admirably battled through the set at Courtyard D on Saturday evening despite losing their voice. If we’re being honest, Brown’s raspy talk-sing hybrid led a sort of detached cool to the proceedings as the band’s calculated chaos thrashed and churned around the margins. Donning a choice vintage Chicago Bulls leather jacket, Brown’s swaying and careful stage prowling while the band attacks their instruments with noticeable glee remains some of the most captivating presence in indie rock of the moment. The most movement-heavy numbers off last year’s Everyone Crushed got plenty of punters on their side, but Jeff Tweedy’s relief pitcher like assistance on the topsy-turvy ballad “When You’re Around” was surely a special moment for everyone involved.

ALSO I’d be remiss not to mention the fact that Wilco surprise dipped into all of Ghost Is Born for its 20th anniversary midway through their Saturday headline set at Joe’s Field. That was the exact sort of absolute head trip that’s promised by a festival like this.

Iris DeMent (Sunday)

We admittedly caught most of living legend of folk Iris DeMent‘s Sunday afternoon slot at Joe’s Field from the shade up on the hill as the sun beat down hard, but the effect was still stunning. DeMent’s voice has lost little (if any) power over the years, and there were several heart-stopping runs throughout her set. Flocked by a few guests who popped in and out to strum and pluck a variety of instruments, the focus nonetheless was on her voice and the arresting lines on which she’s helped build an entire genre. While there were plenty of young acts this weekend that make music to wrap your brain around that got the Wilco faithful involved, it was truly moving to see a master like her command a huge crowd with gut feeling alone.

Jeff Tweedy & Friends (Sunday)

While the rain finally turned to thunder and lightning (unfortunately cutting short a set from The Autumn Defense and negating Wednesday’s turn entirely), the skies opened up enough for Jeff Tweedy‘s fest closing solo set to take over Joe’s Field just a half hour or so late. Everyone on stage and in the crowd was in good spirits, including the boys from Wednesday standing right behind us and graciously chopping it up with fans despite the weather switch up. Tweedy and co. tore through a set that dipped into the Wilco man’s extensive solo catalogue, and Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman even popped up to help Jeff sing a tune early in the set, as well. The & Friends end of the band ballooned into the double digits by the encore, with friends and family and well-wishers alike all grabbing an instrument or a mic or both to help send off the bleary eyed crowd. A fitting end to a festival that has truly built its own community in the hills of Western Massachusetts.

You can view the rest of Wendy’s photos right here.