Newport defends bringing diverse 'folk' to fest
When Bobber Dylan went electric at the 1965 Newport Family line festival, he earnestly irked some hoi polloi. Not just the traditionalists wHO booed him, merely the masses wHO have had to book the festival since. Bob Dylan plugging in created a split in the ethnic music setting that Newport organizers get had trouble reconciling. The number remains for the festival’s new direction squad, San Francisco-based Fete Network, which purchased longtime Newport Common people (and Jazz) producer and fall through George VI Wein’s Festival Productions close year.
Jay Sweetness, a 37-year-old editor in chief at medicine magazine publisher Paste and newly appointed elder producer for Newport, loves the festival’s complicated post-Dylan legacy. Merely the folk fest has taken high temperature - specially this year’s Aug. thirteen event - for accenting so-called non-folk artists in an obvious attempt to boost the sagging attendance figures of holocene epoch age. Sweet passionately defends the ’08 batting order and its family relationship to the iconic event’s legacy.
Hail: This batting order has raised eyebrows with traditionalists. Is that warranted?
Sweet: Which artists are you looking for at?
Foretell: Considerably, Jimmy Buffett is the obvious 1 masses accept been talking about, just besides Cat World power and the Negro Crowes.
Sweet: If you do your prep, you’ll learn Buffett began as folk creative person. His number 1 few albums were folks albums. And I’ll assure you this: Jemmy Buffett is showing up with only an acoustic guitar. This is non departure to be a Parrothead point.
Harbinger: And the other artists on the bill?
Afters: I look at M. Mary Augusta Arnold Ward and Willy James Mason and recollect of deuce of the best folk artists qualification music today. I think of Bobsleigh Robert Nesta Marley as single of the top basketball team ethnic music artists of totally time so how can buoy his sons (Damien and Stephen Robert Nesta Marley) doing his music acoustically non be considered common people. Chan Marshal (True cat Power) came out of the coffeehouse scene, I don’t sympathize how she got the non-folk label. And I lately saw Jim James (My Forenoon Jacket) play solo acoustic in a church and it was ace of the moving music experiences I’ve had.
Foretell: So you’re intellection of this year as a year like any other?
Sweet: This vizor is just about artists taking risks and doing things they don’t always do. That’s wherefore multitude play Newport. From Bob Dylan sledding electric to the Pixies going acoustic. If we put Megadeth on they’re not loss to show up and play care they usually do. We’re non reinventing the wheel. This year is in the custom of old age past.
Herald: Any worries approximately losing old fans that won’t recognise the edward Young name calling?
Sweet: Multitude mightiness be upset because the names on the festival aren’t what they’ve seen in the past. Merely we’ve created something for people that ar open to fresh experiences. I can’t order you how many multitude hold written us telling us how happy they are because the festival finally speaks to their experience.
Newport Tribe Festival, Newport, R.I., Aug. 13. Tickets: $69-$89; 877-655-4849.
