Music News Net

Newport Folk Fest Announces West Coast "Way Over Yonder" Fest

MUSIC NEWS- The Newport Folk Festival, America’s original music festival, follows Route 66 all the way across the country this fall to Santa Monica, CA for the inaugural edition of WAY OVER YONDER. 

Tickets for this music event are on-sale now.  A limited amount of Early Bird tickets at a discount will be available subject to supply.  Appearing at Way Over Yonder:

Neko Case   Conor Oberst   Brett Dennen  First Aid Kit   Justin Townes Earle  The Felice Brothers Calexico  J onathan Wilson    Shovels & Rope   Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

A  slate of solo acoustic acts will also perform in the Carousel. Full line-up can be found at wayoveryonder.net.

PATTY GRIFFIN Announces "American Kid" Tour

MUSIC NEWS - Patty Griffin has announced her late spring and summer 2013 tour dates. This tour of North America and UK will kick off in Asheville, NC on May 30 and make stops along the east coast, midwest, and west coast before heading to the UK on July 19.  The tour picks up back in America with a performance at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado on August 17.  Additional concert dates will be announced soon. Ms Griffin will be performing "Don't Let Me Die In Florida" from her new album, American Kid, (on New West) on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on release day, May 7.

American Kid, co-produced by Griffin and Ross, is her seventh and first for New West. It is her first album of mainly new material since the acclaimed Children Running Through in 2007.  In between then and now, she made the Grammy Award-winning Downtown Church in 2010 and became a member of Band of Joy alongside Robert Plant.

LAURA MARLING Announces Brief USA Solo Tour

MUSIC NEWS - Laura Marling’s much talked about fourth album, Once I Was An Eagle, will be released on Ribbon Music on May 28. The BRIT Award-winning, two time Mercury Prize nominee; who recently celebrated her 23^rd birthday, will be making a brief acoustic solo tour across the USA for a series of intimate shows this month.

Once I Was An Eagle enlisted producer Ethan Johns who helped Marling deliver a hugely impressive and deeply personal album. Yet more impressive is that Marling recorded all of the guitar and vocals parts in one day, spending a further nine days rounding out the record. Eagle’s release follows Marling’s relocation from London to the hills of Los Angeles where she’s made herself a home away from home.

BOB DYLAN, WILCO and MY MORNING JACKET to Embark on Summer Americanarama Festival Tour

MUSIC NEWS- Music legend Bob Dylan will be on tour this summer with My Morning Jacket and Wilco as the "Americanarama Festival of Music".

This morning, an announcement for the tour appeared on Dylan's website, along with the festival's logo, with the slogan "Meet me there – Beat me there!"  Besides Mr Dylan and his band and the other headliners, other music artists will include the Richard Thompson Electric Trio and Ryan Bingham at select venues.

The Avett Brothers, Feist and Beck Announced as 2013 Newport Folk Festival Headliners

MUSIC NEWS- Newport Folk Fest producers announced The Avett Brothers and Beck as headliners of the 2013 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island this July.  The three-day outdoor fest line up has been set with with Phosphorescent, Amanda Palmer, Jim James among others.  The Newport Folk Fest producer Jay Sweet provided this statement when announcing the North Carolina folk group as one of the headliners:

“The Avett Brothers were the first band I ever booked for this festival. I had worked with them on a festival in Jackson Hole, and after a memorable gondola ride up the mountain, I just knew they would find a home and a welcoming family at Fort Adams. You see, the Brothers are just that, Family. Since that first show, we have all grown up together both personally and professionally. They are loyal, they are kind, they have trusted me when they had no reason to and best of all they can flat out play. Whether it be on a stage, on the roof, on a scissor lift, or the backstage lawn just for fun, they’ve basically done it all at Newport except for one thing, headline. Thankfully that will change this summer. Please welcome home The Avett Brothers.”

DAWES Announces More Concert Dates

MUSIC NEWS - L.A. rock quartet Dawes have revealed additional tour dates for 2013. After recently wrapping up a life-changing trip to Rwanda where the band helped the UN charity Nothing But Nets raise awareness & funds to protect refugee families from malaria and a successful run at this year's SXSW Music Festival, Dawes are currently on the road touring a number of independent record stores across America, performing songs off their forthcoming full-length album, the Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Norah Jones)-produced, Stories Don't End (out April 9 via HUB Records). Immediately following the current tour, Dawes will then support the legendary Bob Dylan on a number of dates beginning Friday, April 5 at Alumni Arena in Buffalo, NY.

Jackie Guthrie, Wife of Arlo, Dies at 68

MUSIC NEWS - Folk singer Arlo Guthrie announced the death of his wife, Jackie, at age 68.  Ms Guthrie had inoperable cancer and died Sunday, 10/14 at the couple's winter home in Sebastian, FL, according to the news released by Arlo Guthrie's record label. The couple had recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary.

In a Facebook posting, Guthrie says his relationship with his wife was "a very great love." "We didn't always like each other," he stated. "From time to time there were moments when we'd have our bags packed by the door. But, there was this great love that we shared from the moment we met - a recognition - It's YOU! And we would always return to it year after year, decade after decade and I believe life after lifetime."

Searching for Sugar Man's RODRIGUEZ Gets "60 Minutes" Segment

MUSIC NEWS - The artistry of Rodriguez; a Detroit-based cult musician who'd written and recorded two obscure albums, Cold Fact (1970) and 1971's  Coming From Reality, before fading into the footnotes of underground American music, is being discovered anew thanks to Searching for Sugar Man, a critically-acclaimed documentary film directed by Malik Bendjelloul and the film's soundtrack album, available now from Legacy Recordings/Light In the Attic. 

The success of the Searching For Sugar Man film (trailer below) has led to an incredible renaissance for Rodriguez, the subject of a CBS "60 Minutes" segment airing on Sunday, October 7 (check your local listings).   The artist, who appeared at this year's Newport Folk Festival, has a 22-date American headline tour in the offing and a Facebook page devoted to his music. 

On Friday, September 21, Rodriguez played the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival in Columbus, Missouri, in a concert featuring Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes as backing ensemble.  Rodriguez will embark on a major tour of the United Kingdom, selling more than 8,000 tickets in London already, and Ireland beginning November 16.  NPR's popular "World Cafe" will air a Searching For Sugar Man special on October 18, and Sony Pictures will soon announce an early 2013 DVD/BluRay release of the film. 

DONOVAN To Make Rare Concert Appearance, in NYC

MUSIC NEWS - Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, legendary folk-rock & pop
troubadour and music legend, Donovan announced he will perform in New York City at the Concert Hall at New York Society for Ethical Culture on Friday, October 19th at 8:00pm.  Tickets are available now, via Ticketmaster outlets and online at Ticketmaster.com. 

Donovan truly is one of the preeminent members of British Rock Royalty and remains an
important part of popular culture since his career began in 1965. Between 1966-1969, Donovan scored a string of eleven Top 40 hits in a row: Mellow Yellow, Sunshine Superman, Epistle to Dippy, There is a Mountain, Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Hurdy Gurdy Man, Jennifer Juniper, Lalena, Atlantis, and Riki Tiki Tavi.  He was a close friend of The Beatles and has shared the stage with many musical legends, including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck.

Laura Marling Unveils USA "Working Holiday Tour"

MUSIC NEWS - BRIT Award winner, Laura Marling is choosing some roads less travelled this Fall as she brings herself to some "out of the way" venues on a special solo autumn tour she’s calling the “Working Holiday Tour”.   The trek for this UK folk-ster will kick off in Seattle on September 27 as Laura’s great American road trip will see her debut performance in, among other sites, Big Sur CA, Mobile AL, Gainesville FL, Savannah GA, and Woodstock NY.  With two much lauded USA tours under her belt already this year; including enthralling performances at Coachella and Bonnaroo, Ms  Marling is digging a little deeper into America.  Don’t miss this chance to see her in an intimate setting!

Marling’s third and most recent album, A Creature I Don’t Know (out via Ribbon Music), has garnered the most enthusiastic reviews of her career but it is in performance that Marling shines brightest as a captivating performer and storyteller.

Newport Folk Fest and Newport Jazz Fest 2013 Dates Announced

Music News - George Wein, Chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc., has
announced the dates of the 2013 Folk and Jazz festivals in Newport, RI.  The 2013 Newport Folk Festival will be held July 27 & 28 and the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management is set for August 2 thru 4. Additional information will be announced in the coming months.

"Following this year's Folk Festival that sold out three months in advance and one of the best Jazz Festivals ever, we want to make sure that music fans have the 2013 dates now.
More than 40,000 people attended the two festivals, many from throughout the area and from around the world. Music lovers are already looking toward next year's concerts and it is helpful to give them the opportunity to schedule travel and lodging plans as early as possible," said Wein, who has produced the Jazz and Folk festivals since their inceptions in 1954 and 1959, respectively.

For more information on the Newport Festivals, visit www.newportfolkfest.net and www.newportjazzfest.net.

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW On the Road for "Carry Me Back"

MUSIC NEWS - Old Crow Medicine Show released their fourth full-length studio album, Carry Me Back, on July 17, to much critical acclaim and to their highest chart position in their recording career.  The band just embarked on a tour in support of Carry Me Back, playing shows at capacity in many cities and will continue touring in the coming weeks, including a show this Saturday in Nashville with the reunited, original line-up of BR5-49 opening.

 

The Lumineers and The Milk Carton Kids will serve as openers for other tour dates.

 

Mumford & Sons Announce BABEL Release

Music News- Mumford & Sons are pleased to announce news of their forthcoming second album, Babel.  The new set will be released through Glassnote Records on September 25, 2012 and was produced by Markus Dravs.

The band said in a press release; "We are more than excited to release Babel into the world. We had started writing new songs well before we got into the studio to record. At first, we peeled ourselves off the road quite reluctantly. We love playing live, obviously, but it had also become an important part of our creative process, we had been writing and rehearsing in soundchecks, and sort of 'road-testing' new songs on our very gracious audiences. But then we fell in love with recording again. The album started to come together, and with the help of Markus Dravs once more (and engineer Robin Baynton), we started to relish the challenge of making this album. As a band, we've never been closer or more collaborative, all working to our strengths. And so we feel that this record is a natural progression that we're proud of, and we cannot wait to take it out on the road."

NPR Music Hosting Live Broadcasts of Newport Folk & Jazz Fests

MUSIC NEWS- For five decades, music fans have gathered in Newport, RI, over consecutive weekends to celebrate two storied genres. NPR Music, together ith partner radio stations, honors this tradition by continuing to mark a new one – bringing George Wein’s Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival to the world for the fifth straight year. The weekends of July 27-29 and August 4-5 audiences can enjoy exclusive digital and on-air broadcasts of dozens of concerts, beginning Friday, July 27 with the trifecta of Wilco, Blitzen Trapper and  Megafaun.

At the Folk Festival on July 27, 28 and 29, NPR Music teams with WFUV New York; FolkAlley.com (WKSU) Kent, Ohio; and mvyradio in Martha’s Vineyard and Newport to bring audiences an array of shows. The following weekend on August 4 and 5, NPR Music joins WBGO Jazz 88.3FM Newark and 89.7 WGBH Boston Public Radio to present performances from the Jazz Festival.

THE KENNEDYS Back with "Closer Than You Know"

MUSIC NEWS - In a music career that now spans two decades, New York duo Maura and Pete Kennedy have traversed a broad musical landscape, surveying power pop, acoustic songwriting, organic rock rooted in their early days in Austin, and a Byrds-inspired jangle that drew the attention of McGuinn, Steve Earle, and most notably Nanci Griffith. The duo co-produced Nanci’s latest CD, and are currently touring the USA and the British Isles with the Texas songstress.

Alan Harrison of Made in Newcastle said "Opening act, the Kennedys, had a nice line in Country-folk with a quaintly English edge to it and songs like When I go and The Midnight Ghost, won them plenty of new fans, as was witnessed by the long queue buying up their CD’s at the intermission."

On their new release, Closer Than You Know, out on August 21, 2012 via Burnside Distribution, The Kennedys strike out into new territory, this time inspired by a sojourn in Paris, where they immersed themselves in the turn of another century, the time when Debussy and Ravel were inventing the sonic palette of modern music. No strangers to reinvention, Pete and Maura came up with a cappuccino-fueled concept at a small café in Montmartre: music inspired by the Impressionist composers, married to the rock and pop sounds for which the duo have long been known.