Newport Folk 2016 Day 2: 5 Little Things (The Sequel)

Day 1 has us all a bit windswept and caked in dust, but at least it kept us a bit cool. Day 2 had folks striving to find any shade they could, chasing the dancing shadows of Fort Adams to hid from the summer’s sun while still taking in as much music as they could…and music there was. A whole host of glorious sets from a plethora of artists both old and new to the Newport Folk crowd.

Here’s just a taste of what we dug our teeth into on Saturday at Fort Adams…

The Cactus Blossoms (Harbor Stage): Well in the heat that Saturday contained we may as well have been amongst cacti. The brother duo of Page Bunkum and Jack Torrey took a growing audience at the Harbor Stage on Saturday morning time traveling to a place where The Everly Brothers sweet harmonies were delivered in sepia tone, enriched beauty. A timeless quality injects itself into their music, the kind of songs and singing that will never go stale and always leaves you with this sense of warmth and comfort unlike any other. The band confidently wound its way through songs from their latest release “You’re Dreaming”. The sounds emanating from the stage almost dreamlike in quality, harmonies that can only be mustered up by siblings and a backing band that could have been plucked out a 1960s dance hall laying the foundation for a true beaut of a set.

Rayland Baxter (Fort Stage): Baxter has this innate likability about him. You may have never met the guy or spoke a word to him but when he is up there on stage grinning and singing you feel like he is an old friend and you are rooting for him to just slay it. And slay it he did. With a collection of tunes off of his fantastic latest release “Imaginary Man” and crowd favorites like “Bad Things” he won the hearts of the crowd and kept things grooving for the duration. A polarizing set to his slightly more subdued and dreamlike performance two years back the band was rocking when they needed to be and engaged a crowd of thousands, keeping them moving even in the heat of the morning sun. The sly smile never left the songwriter’s face as they launched into some really killer jams and left the crowd wanting more.

John Moreland (Harbor Stage): Moreland’s ability to elicit feelings in a listener is as effortless as his soft, cracked croon. Doted as one of the best craftsman of songs doing it in today’s songwriting scene, his songs paint a picture of a man forlorn, distressed and downtrodden…and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Moreland is a true poet in how he crafts and performs his songs. Accomplished as a great rhythm guitar player and a voice that carries his soft arrangements even over a festival crowd of hundreds of folks watching on. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the crowd as he performed songs such as “You Don’t Care Enough For Me To Cry” and “Cherokee” with such heartfelt conviction it was like a cannonball hit your right in the heart, shattering it into pieces and leaving you to exhausted to even pick it up. Heavy stuff from one of the finest artists out there today. A beautiful and moving set.

The Texas Gentlemen with Kris Kristofferson (Quad Stage): When I missed the intimate acoustic set from Kristofferson the day before I was absolutely crushed. Luckily a little bird told me he may be making another appearance a band the following day and I should be at the Quad Stage. The Gentlemen on their own could have had me hooked. The band is super tight, a rollicking and dancing good old time. True Texas twang, infectious and foot stomp inducing goodness delivered through Stratocaster soaring tones and a two step bass thump. Joe Ely, Terry Allen and then The Highway Man himself joined the band on stage (and lets not forget our pal J. P. Harris as well). Time seemed to stand still as I stood there, breathless for what seemed like an eternity but only really lasted 3 songs. The first note of “Sunday Morning Coming Down” elicited a stream of tears out from under the shield of my sunglasses. This is the kind of stuff we are supposed to be seeing and feeling when we experience music. Kristofferson may have been a bit shaky and well work, but the heart and soul he put forth in his performance was one of the best things I have experienced at any music event ever. It was the epitome of beauty, grace and for those in attendance, something we will remember for the rest of out lives.

Sam Moss (Museum Stage): Perhaps one of the best parts of a festival like Newport Folk is when its not one of the legends or most popular bands of the festival that truly blows your mind, but one of your good friends that steals the show, wins over the crowd and forces them to erupt into standing ovations before they even complete their sets. Sam Moss was a late addition after winning the Converse Rubber Tracks/NFF contest and we were pretty stoked he was going to be at Newport. The Museum was the perfect spot for him and the place was packed to the brim during his performance. The crowd’s response juxtaposed Moss’s often times whisper delicate grace and he was welcomed into the family with arms wide open. To see him so appreciative and astonished with this was a wonderful hing to behold and he gave it all he had with a stunning rendition of the traditional “Working on a Building” alongside beautiful arrangements from his recent release ‘Fable’. Couple the ever growing audience with the fact he was up against the Ryan Adams set…well color us impressed but we wouldn’t have been any where else.