My Newport Folk Festival Lineup Wish List

With tickets already purchased and the lineup still several days away from being announced, I have been killing way too much time thinking about my wish list of performers for this years Newport Folk Festival. Although it's a ridiculous exercise, its enjoyable because there is a solid chance that I land on 1 or 2. And if not, I am certain to be pleased with some of the great surprises they line up for 2014 (Beck last year?!?!)

Below please find the top 10 performers I'd like to see at Fort Adams this year. Keep in mind that I did not include anyone I have already seen during my 4 attended NPFF's nor did I include anyone I thought had no shot of being announced.

10. Josh Ritter - Ritter is tailor made for NPFF and I am borderline shocked that he hasn't surfaced up to this point. I've seen him headline smaller festivals and have no doubt that he would command a huge prescience on any stage.
9. Mike Doughty - I am reluctant to put the former Soul Coughing front man on this list because I have seen him so many times and think his shows lend themselves to small, intimate venues. But far be it from me to keep him in a cage, so let's see him Bust up a Starbucks with the Pell bridge in the background.
8. Jack Johnson - This seems like an odd choice, because JJ hasn't really been in my listening queue lately. But if I am matching artists with the setting, this is a perfect fit.
7. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Consider this a "missed opportunity" selection. I absolutely love the new album and am disappointed to not catch any of his local shows (all soldout), so here's hoping I get a shot this July.
6. The New Pornographers - I'm not even sure this is possible considering they haven't played together in ages, but this will be shot in the dark choice. Please note, I'll gladly accept Neko, A.C. Newman or Destroyer as well.
5. Brett Dennen - My wife and I have been on a huge Dennen kick and I am really crossing my fingers that this red haired troubadour is on the NPFF radar screen.
4. Van Morrison - On the list of icons I have yet to see live, Van is on the top.
3. Phoenix - Not sure they fit the mold, but I didn't think the Decemberists did either. I think they have just the right amount of alternative to headline the fest without being out of place.
2. Martin Sexton - I know he has played this festival before, but he has eluded us the last few years. I saw him last week in CT and was reminded how his voice is perhaps the most perfect and powerful out there. Kind of need to hear him crank out "golden road" as the sun sets on the festival.
1. James Taylor - JT has been my favorite singer songwriter of all time, and although I'm unsure if he has ever played the festival before, I think he makes perfect sense. I'm just not sure the festival can afford him but hopefully he has wiggle room for the best festival on the planet.

Review: Mike Doughty at City Winery (7/31/13)

I wasn't ready for the live music buzz of the Newport Folk Festival to be over, so I decided to head into NYC last night to catch Mike Doughty's first show at City Winery. Although I have seen Doughty almost a dozen times, I was excited to hear him playing Soul Coughing songs for the first time in quite a while and I was dying to check out the venue.

Before I get to describing City Winery itself, I must say that this may be the most poorly located music venue in all of the city. I used to think that the Wetlands was bad (right at the exit of the Holland tunnel) but turns out being at the entrance to the Holland tunnel is far worse. After cruising through the first 60 miles of the trip from CT, the last 5 miles took me well over an hour. Ultimately, I ended up parked 10 blocks away and I definitely learned to avoid trying to get close to the venue next time.

As for City Winery itself, I would say that I really liked it, but not quite loved it. For starters, it is significantly bigger than I was expecting. Several of the tables in the back would be further away than the farthest points in most venues of this size (Joes Pub, BB Kings).Because of that, it wasn't nearly as intimate as I was expecting (unless you were seated with strangers as my friend and I were, and in that case it felt very intimate). That being said, the tickets were affordable, the food was solid, and the sound was terrific.

At this point in Mike Doughty's solo career, I'm not exactly sure why he would dip into the well of Soul Coughing songs. He has made his feelings abundantly clear that he wanted to separate himself from the band and their songs, but maybe this was a way to sell some extra tickets. Or perhaps he is tired of people screaming out requests for "Circles" and he just caved. Either way, it worked because the room was filled with people eager to hear both solo and Soul Coughing material.

This was a solo acoustic show which, although definitely missing something without Andrew Scrap Livingston, is always an enjoyable and raw experience. Before engaging with the audience, he launched into Ruby Vroom's "Janine," which was a great start and by no means an accident as it references the nearby Holland tunnel. He also later played other fantastic SC songs including "True Dreams of Wichita," "Sleepless," "St.Louise is Listening," "Unmarked Helicopters" and "Circles."

But the real treat of the show was how heavily he relied on Haughty Melodic. It was one of the 3 solo albums he chose for the first show, and he played "I Hear the Bells," "You're Misfortune," "Looking at the World From the Bottom of a Well," "Sunken-Eyed Girl," "Bustin Up a Starbucks" and "American Car." Sprinkle in "27 Jennifers," "Take me Home (Country Roads)," "Mistress" and a few others and it was a set that I would have handpicked myself.

The biggest complaint I have is that it was way too short of a show. Although he can cram 20+ songs in 80 minutes, it definitely left me wanting to hear more. In fact if the lag time in between the early show and the late show wasn't as long as the actual concert (it was also 80 minutes) I might have considered staying for both. All in all, a fun night but next time I'll get tickets for both shows and take the subway.