Entries in willie watson (2)

Sunday
Feb222015

Willie Watson - Seattle -Tractor Tavern

Old Crow Medicine Show who? 

Willie Watson knows exactly what the people want when it comes to good ol' folk music. Watson played nearly every tune from his solo album The Folk Singer at the Tractor Tavern last Sunday. He also threw in a couple of gospel numbers for the Sabbath's sake. The album is an entertaining blend of old folk songs that still hold up today. Songs about women, workin'... and a poor cat.

Watson is one of the few who really "sings"! He had everyone in the place begging for more songs, more banjo, and more of that very recognizable hat. (He was spotted strolling Ballard before the show from a mile away). No one seems to get tired of Willie Watson and we for one cannot wait for him to come back.

 

See Willie on tour!

 http://www.williewatson.com/

 

Photo//Video by Adam Richert

Words by Vanessa Roberts Richert

Monday
Aug252014

Newport Folk Festival 2014 - Newport, RI

We look forward to the Newport Folk Festival every year. Late July in Newport, Rhode Island, hearing a cavalcade of interesting acts under the outstretched arms of the Pell Bridge. This year was no different.

We joined our friends - or perhaps, more accurately at this point, extended family - for another weekend of awesome music, memorable performances and warm company. We saw great acts perform awe-inspiring sets, like Jack White’s heart-wrenching, Seger-less singalong of “Goodnight, Irene”. We caught up-and-coming performers like Benjamin Booker and The Oh Hellos drop star-making sets. And at the end, as always, we marveled at our good fortune.

The Newport Folk Festival is routinely romanticized as a “pure” festival. It’s tough to discount the allure. Nary a festival on today’s bloated circuit scene can boast Newport’s rich, half-century history. It’s probably one of the few festivals that bands will take a pay cut to play. Due to the unique setting - the stage is situated on a national historic landmark - crowds are reasonable in more ways than one. The attendance is limited and as a result, the weekend sells out well in advance of line-up announcements, blurring the line between the bigger attraction - the festival or its acts. This also attracts a certain type of fan who respects not only the setting but the atmosphere. Positive vibes ring out as clearly as the tunes.

As any fan of “Mad Men” knows, nostalgia is a powerful drug. It’s easy to squint your eyes at just about any point during the weekend and imagine yourself at the same festival 50 years prior. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Mavis Staples is still the one bringing the house down.) It’s not just a festival but a weekend-long holiday - an intoxicating blend of history, tradition, familiarity and a healthy smattering of the unexpected. As it does every year, the holiday must end.

 


 

 Words by Brian Hodge of Visible Voice 

Photos and editing by Vanessa Roberts Richert

Photos and editing by Adam Richert