Newport Folk Festival

After day one at Newport Folk Festival, attended by me, my daughter Julia and sister Jenn, we are a bit sunburned, have sampled great foods and have heard much awesome music. The music has been consistently great, and the venue, while leaves us bare to the heat of the sun, is right on the water and allows a nice breeze. Some highlights, for me, included Pete Seger, of course, though the crowd seemed shy and really took some time to warm up and sing along. His musical selections are as relevant today as they must have been when the folk festival started 50 years ago.

Ben Kweller was wonderful, a breath of fresh air, and Julia's favorite. She has loved Ben Kweller's music for a long time. He incorporates a steel pedal guitar that is so special. Fleet Foxes were my favorite, and reminded me of some of CSN's early acapella, complex harmonies. Since this is my thing, I absolutely loved them.

Some other notables include Brett Dennen, The Decemberists, the really fun Avett Brothers and Iron and Wine. My sister Jenn caught Mavis Staples and said she was awesome. I honestly could not get around to every stage, but heard that Ramblin' Jack Elliott inspired many of the younger musicians there yesterday. Today should be another great day of tunes! To listen live, click here http://www.npr.org/music/newportfolk/index2.html