Newport Folk Festival 2019 Preview

The festival where Bob Dylan went electric, Newport Folk Festival returns to Rhode Island, Friday-Sunday, July 26th-28th:

FRIDAY, JULY 26th

Fort Stage Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM After the demise of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead, the various members have done a lot else, but perhaps the most consistent has been Phil Lesh as ‘Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band’ (QRO photos at a festival). The founding and only bassist of the many-membered Dead, of course Phil Lesh comes to headline Newport Folk (QRO photos at a festival).
Sheryl Crow, 4:40 PM – 5:45 PM You already know hit songstress Sheryl Crow (QRO photos outdoors). She’s mixed country, pop, and rock to become a Top 40 mainstay for far more years than most women in music are allowed. She’s racked up Grammy nominations & wins, appeared on everything from Cougar Town to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Kid Rock. She (QRO photos outdoors) comes to Newport Folk behind this year’s Threads.
Kacey Musgraves, 3:10 PM – 4:10 PM There’s always room for country, when you’ve got a country singer like Kacey Musgraves (QRO photos at a festival), who has received acclaim across the spectrum. She comes to Newport Folk (QRO photos at a festival) behind last year’s Golden Hour, which managed to win ‘Album of the Year’ at the Grammys, Academy of Country Music, and Country Music Association.
Warren Haynes, 1:50 PM – 2:40 PM Longtime guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band (QRO photos at a festival) and founding member of Gov’t Mule (QRO photos at a festival), Warren Haynes (QRO photos) brings his massive pedigree to Newport Folk.
Parker Millsap, 12:35 PM – 1:25 PM Country-blues artist Parker Millsap (QRO photos at a festival) comes to Newport Folk after shifting to electric on last year’s Other Arrangements.
Adia Victoria, 11:20 AM – 12:10 PM The gothic blues of Nashville’s Adia Victoria (QRO photos at a festival) moves from Appalachia to New England (QRO photos at a festival).
Quad Stage The Highwomen, 5:40 PM – 6:45 PM Amanda Shires (QRO photos at Newport Folk ‘18), Brandi Carlile (QRO photos at Newport Folk ‘18), Maren Morris (QRO live review), and Natalie Hemby combine to form country supergroup The Highwomen.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, 4:10 PM – 5:10 PM Rivaling Sean Lennon and Jakob Dylan in fatherly shadows to get out of, Willie Nelson’s own son Lukas (QRO photos of them together at the elder Wilson’s 80th birthday celebration) has established his own country name with his band, Promise of the Real (QRO live review). He plays his second Newport Folk in a row.
I’m With Her, 2:40 PM – 3:40 PM Sarah Jarosz (QRO photos outdoors), Aoife O’Donovan (QRO photos at Newport Folk ‘16), and Sara Watkins (QRO photos) have known each other since they were kids, forming their own Americana supergroup, I’m With Her.
Also: Cooks In the Kitchen, 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM Liz Cooper & The Stampede, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM – QRO spotlight on Black Belt Eagle Scout, 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM
Harbor Stage Todd Snider, 5:40 PM – 6:40 PM Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter Todd Snider (QRO photos) adds wry humor to his folk-rock, whether riffing on the nineties Pacific Northwest alt-scene on “Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues”, in his band Hard Working Americans (QRO photos at a festival), or this year’s Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3.
Also: Amy Ray Band, 4:15 PM – 5:10 PM Benmont Tench, 3:05 PM – 3:55 PM Charley Crockett, 1:50 PM – 2:40 PM Cedric Burnside, 12:40 PM – 1:25 PM Yola, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Museum Stage The Future Is Female, 3:30 PM – 6:15 PM For Pete’s Sake, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Open Mic, 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM

SATURDAY, JULY 27th

Fort Stage The Collaboration, 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM Newport Folk has a Supergirl collaboration to headline Saturday.
Jeff Tweedy, 4:40 PM – 5:45 PM One of the biggest & best names in alt-country thanks to his work fronting maybe the biggest & best bands in alt-country, Wilco (QRO photos at Newport Folk ‘17), Jeff Tweedy (QRO photos at a festival) has done some fine work outside of the Wilco juggernaut as well, such as teaming up with Stax Records legend Mavis Staples (even playing The Daily Show/The Colbert Report’s ‘Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear’ with her). In 2014 he teamed up with his son as Tweedy for Sukierae, and in 2017 he did his first full-on solo record, Together at Last. This year came follow-up Warm (QRO review), and his return to Newport Folk (QRO photos at a festival).
Maggie Rogers, 3:10 PM – 4:10 PM Maryland’s Maggie Rogers (QRO photos at a festival) broke out when her single “Alaska” was played to Pharrell Williams at an NYU master class. She’s since become a big name in her own right (QRO photos) with this year’s full-length debut Heard It In a Past Life, and has been playing bigger & bigger stages (QRO photos at a festival).
Gregory Alan Isakov, 1:50 PM – 2:40 PM Mixing indie and folk is the well-traveled festival mainstay Gregory Alan Isakov (QRO photos).
Jade Bird, 12:35 PM – 1:25 PM Newport Folk welcomes the next generation of songstress in the awesome Jade Bird (QRO photos at a festival), who comes to the festival behind this year’s charting self-titled debut.
Also: Devon Gilfillian, 11:20 AM – 12:10 PM
Quad Stage North Hills (Dawes & Friends), 5:30 PM – 6:35 PM The up-and-coming Americana indie outfit (QRO photos) that’s come up, Dawes (QRO photos at a festival) hail from Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon (QRO photos outdoors), out last year with fifth release Passwords. They come to Rhode Island (QRO photos at a festival) after having also served as opener & backing band for Conor Oberst (QRO photos together at a festival). They return to Newport Folk (QRO photos at Newport Folk ’14) with Friends under the name “North Hills”.
Lucy Dacus, 4:05 PM – 5:00 PM Norfolk’s Lucy Dacus (QRO photos) has fans from Senator Tim Kaine to her fellow members of boygenius, Julien Baker (QRO photos at Newport Folk ’16) & Phoebe Bridgers.
Rayland Baxter, 2:40 PM – 3:35 PM Son of Bob Dylan favorite Bucky Baxter, Nashville’s Rayland Baxter (QRO photos at a festival) comes back to Newport Folk behind 2015 third full-length, Wide Awake.
Also: Jupiter & Okwess, 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM The Nude Party, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM – QRO photos outdoors Illiterate Light, 11:10 AM – 11:50 AM
Harbor Stage Mountain Man, 5:05 PM – 6:10 PM The female a cappella singing trio of Mountain Man (QRO photos) brings Appalachian folk to the valleys.
Kevin Morby, 3:45 PM – 4:40 PM Formerly the bassist for The Woods and frontman for The Babies, songwriter Kevin Morby (QRO photos at a festival) has since struck out on his own, most recently with this year’s Oh My God.
Also: Ruston Kelly, 2:30 PM – 3:20 PM Susto, 1:15 PM – 2:05 PM To Be Announced, 12:05 PM – 12:50 PM Haley Heynderickx, 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM
Museum Stage Outside Folk, 3:00 PM – 5:15 PM For Pete’s Sake, 11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Open Mic, 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM

SUNDAY, JULY 28th

Fort Stage If I Had a Song, 6:10 PM – 7:30 PM Celebrating what would have been Newport Folk co-founder Pete Seeger’s (QRO photos at another festival he founded) 100th year with a giant sing-along to close out the weekend.
Hozier, 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Ireland’s Andrew Hozier-Byrne (QRO live review in England) comes back to Newport Folk (QRO photos from Newport Folk ’15) off of Wasteland, Baby!, this year’s follow-up to 2014’s massive breakthrough single “Take Me To the Church” – which had seen him being impersonated by Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live!
Trey Anastasio, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM If you’re going to Newport Folk, you already know who Trey Anastasio is. If Phish (QRO photos) has made themselves into the next generation Grateful Dead, then Anastasio is the next generation Jerry Garcia. He’s done everything from play above the marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater to get a Tony nomination for his orchestration of Broadway musical Hands on a Hardbody. Anastasio (QRO photos at a festival) returns to Newport Folk.
Lake Street Dive, 1:50 PM – 2:45 PM After meeting at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music (QRO photos at a Boston festival), jazz-soul outfit Lake Street Dive (QRO photos outdoors) became, “Two girls, two guys, and a whole lotta feelings.” They return to Newport Folk Festival.
Stephen Marley, 12:30 PM – 1:20 PM Newport Folk welcomes the son of Bob Marley, as Stephen Marley (QRO photos) comes to the festival, mon (QRO photos at a festival).
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM New Orleans’ Preservation Hall has been preserving the iconic city’s jazz tradition not just in the Big Easy but also around the world thanks to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (QRO photos), who having been bringing Dixieland to other lands since the founding of the hall back in the sixties, including previously at Newport Folk.
Quad Stage Portugal. The Man, 5:35 PM – 6:35 PM Newport Folk draws from very farther up north with Alaska’s Portugal. The Man (QRO photos at a festival). The rambling grunge outfit garnered new fans with 2007 sophomore release Church Mouth (QRO review), and its unhinged alt-rock (QRO live review), though slipped somewhat since then, even while finally playing Europe (QRO photos at a European festival) and becoming a festival favorite (QRO photos at a festival). Their major label debut In the Mountain In the Cloud (QRO review) was more psych-lite, but they still bring it live (QRO live review), and even went Down Under (QRO photos at a festival) after 2013’s release of follow-up Evil Friends (QRO review), hitting both the festival circuit (QRO photos at a 2013 festival) and live gigs (QRO 2013 live review). They come to Newport Folk (QRO photos at a festival) touring 2017’s hit Woodstock (QRO review), which has vaunted them in popularity (QRO photos at a 2018 festival) thanks to big hit, “Feel It Still”.
Phosphorescent, 4:10 PM – 5:05 PM Alt-country/indie-folk has been booming, especially on the festival circuit, so there’s gonna be a slot for Athens, Georgia-by-way-of-Brooklyn, NY (QRO photos outdoors at a festival in Brooklyn) Phosphorescent (QRO photos outdoors). After playing Europe (QRO European tour review) & America in 2013 behind the Muchacho, they’re less jam & more touch than their contemporaries, and love to play outdoors (QRO photos outdoors) and at festivals (QRO photos at a festival). They come back to Newport Folk behind last year’s C’est la vie.
Also: Our Native Daughters, 2:45 PM – 3:40 PM The Infamous Stringdusters, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM – QRO photos at a festival Bonny Light Horseman, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM The O’My’s, 11:05 AM – 11:50 AM
Harbor Stage The Milk Carton Kids, 5:05 PM – 6:05 PM Check out the flat-picking harmonies of the kids, The Milk Carton Kids, as they return to Newport Folk.
Billy Strings & Molly Tuttle, 3:40 PM – 4:35 PM Country-bluegrass stars Billy Strings (QRO photos at a festival) and Molly Turtle team up at Newport Folk.
Also: Courtney Marie Andrews, 2:25 PM – 3:15 PM – QRO photos at Newport Folk ‘18 J.S. Ondara, 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM Nilüfer Yanya, 12:05 PM – 12:50 PM E.B. The Younger, 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM
Museum Stage Outside Folk, 2:40 PM – 5:00 PM For Pete’s Sake, 11:00 AM – 2:20 PM Open Mic, 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM