2011 Folk Festival Headliners Announced!

One of my most favorite times of the year happens at the end of every January: the Ann Arbor Folk Festival put on by The Ark. I start to get super excited about it generally in late October when the line-up starts to be announced starting with the main headliners and slowly filling out the bills with smaller more regional acts. The first night of the festival is generally full of artists who are expanding the traditional folk genre. Past Friday night acts have been Ben Folds, Jackie Greene, Jeff Tweedy, Rufus Wainwright, and Jay Ferrar & Ben Gibbard. While the Saturday night headliners are usually the classic folk and roots music pioneers. Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Richie Havens, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and John Prine have all been recent Saturday night guests. You can read all about the history of the folk festival and see previous line-ups here.

The Ark began announcing the headliners last week, and I'm already getting anxious for January to be here. Headlining on Friday night is one of the best bands to see live, The Avett Brothers. Words cannot express how excited I am to be able to catch them live again. Also playing Friday will be Citizen Cope (I find it really odd that he's playing a folk festival, but maybe he's got some folkie gems hidden up his sleeve that I don't know about...) and local favorite Vienna Teng. Saturday night folk legend Judy Collins will play, along with Mavis Staples (!!!), and The Swell Season as the main headliner. I find it surprising that the main Saturday headlining spot didn't go to Mavis or Judy, but nevertheless I'm super excited to catch all three acts. There's also usually a "breakout" star of the festival, and I'm excited to see who that will be this year.

The countdown to January 28th, 2011 is on!

new obsession

A couple weeks ago, I caught Joe Pug at The Ark here in Ann Arbor. I've seen him a handful of times now, and he just keeps getting better and better live. He's really matured in the last year or so since I've seen him, and I LOVE the band he's playing with. The upright bass and pedal steel really add another layer of depth to his songs. I'm holding out hope that he might record a version of "Hymn 101" with the pedal steel because it was amazing.

But this post shockingly isn't about him. It's about his opener, Vandaveer. I had heard a couple of their songs before, and liked them ok, but seeing them live was unreal. Vandaveer is Mark Heidinger's folk project that brings in Rose Guerin for some of the best damn harmonies I've ever heard. Heidinger's lyrics pull you in and Rose's vocal additions effectively nail you to your chair and don't let you move until your ears are the happiest they've been in a long time. I've listened to "Dig Down Deep" at least 100x since the show. Seriously check these guys out. They just finished up a tour supporting Joe Pug, and will hopefully be back on the road sometime soon.

Woolgathering - Vandaveer (mp3)

Robert Allen Zimmerman

I was able to see Bob Dylan this past Thursday, and it was hands down one of the best shows I've ever seen. He played straight through for almost two hours, the band was tight, and it seemed like he was having an absolute blast on stage. I have a pretty sizeable obsession with Mr. Dylan, and had seen him live three times before, but this concert blew those out of the water.

Many people say Dylan should put a stop to his "Never Ending Tour" citing poor vocals and the reworking of his classics. Those people couldn't be more wrong. Sure, his voice has changed over the years but when he's on his game there's nothing like it. And to those who get upset about the reconstructing of some of his classics, I say shut the hell up. The man's been touring for 40+ years, he's allowed to do things differently. I'd get bored as hell playing the same songs the same way for that long. Stumbling through various reviews, I read something that pretty much sums it up. "Everybody struggles to make sense of Dylan, and all the while Dylan is stuck trying to make sense of all of us." Word.

He opened with a great rendition of "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" moved onto "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)". What a great way to start! Other highlights of the setlist include an awesome "Simple Twist of Fate," "Desolation Row," "High Water (For Charlie Patton)" and "Ballad of a Thin Man." I was able to sneak into the front row for the encore of "Jolene" and "Like a Rolling Stone" and seeing Bob up close was probably one of the greatest moments of my entire life. He was smiling the whole time, and I'm convinced we shared a moment when he looked right at me and smiled. Swoon. Three days later and I still haven't come down from the high. Here's hoping he continues the Never Ending Tour for years to come.

back!

Wooo. I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything but just wanted to take a quick study break and post a couple songs that I've recently acquired that I'm loving right now. First up is off of Justin Townes Earle's fantastic new album Harlem River Blues. This album is in my constant rotation, and I was really looking forward to catching him live next month, but it seems that he ran into a sticky situation in Indy and has suspended the rest of his tour (more on this here). But I wish him a speedy recovery and can't wait for him to be back on the road making people's ears happy. Definitely check out the album if you haven't already done so.

One More Night in Brooklyn - Justin Townes Earle

And the other track is off of Ra Ra Riot's new album The Orchard. I know I'm way late on the blog hype with this but whatever. I love Ra Ra Riot, I love the new album, and I can't wait to catch them when they're in Michigan in a couple weeks. Enjoy!

Boy - Ra Ra Riot

Well, that's it for now. But I'm sure I'll update again sometime soonish. October is looking to be an awesome month for concert-going. I've got Broken Social Scene, Ra Ra Riot, AA Bondy and The Walkmen, Joe Pug, Arlo Guthrie, Dr. Dog, and the one and only Bob Dylan on my radar so here's hoping school doesn't get in the way of my music enjoyment!

Namibian artist #1...Jackson Kaujeua..RIP

It seems I discovered him about 4 days too late. Influential Namibian musician Jackson Kaujeua passed away from kidney failure on May 27. I literally just discovered his music an hour ago, and it's very hard to find his songs online, so this weekend I plan on picking up an album or two at the music store here in town. Until I can get my hands on full songs, here's one of his songs on Youtube, "Kalahari." For a little more information about him, here's an article in The Namibian:






UPDATE: found a better video that has a compilation of a bunch of his songs...check it out!

terrible pop music and slow internets in Namibia

Oh boy. Do I ever need some good tunes. I'm currently in Namibia on an internship for grad school, and though it is totally awesome here, my ears are certainly paying a price. I am forever being bombarded by Celine Dion, Richard Marx, and Justin Bieber while I'm at the office working. It's usually the same 10 songs just repeated for 6 hours. I usually can't wait until I get home and can open my computer and play something that doesn't make my ears bleed. Glad I was able to snag Josh Ritter's FANTASTIC new album before I left, but in my haste (aka leaving EVERYTHING to the last minutes before I left the US) I didn't get a chance to grab the seemingly 4000 other new albums that came out in the last month or two (not to mention the ones being released in June). Now I'm left feeling like a junkie who just doesn't have the money for a fix. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but internet is so painfully slow it takes 20 minutes to download one song! Ack!

My aim while I'm in Namibia is to check out the local music scene and hopefully post some updates on what music (besides terrible terrible American pop) people are digging here. So stay tuned...hopefully I'll make some good finds! For now, enjoy a song off Ritter's new album. The whole thing is completely amazing, and if for some crazy reason you haven't bought it yet, do it NOW!

Another New World - Josh Ritter

Help with the ultimate travel playlist

Ok folks, I'm going to be doing an insane amount of traveling this summer. I'm spending most of the summer in Namibia (and possibly some time in Kenya) for my internship, and that equals DAYS spent on planes, trains, cars, and buses. I need your help in compiling the ultimate travel playlist (or playlists).

What are your favorite tunes to keep you sane when traveling? Comment here, email me, respond via twitter (@candy4ears), shout on last.fm (kari8306), whatever you choose. You have 2 months....ready GO!

trying really really hard to stay sane

If anyone out there is still reading/following, I apologize for the lack of posts. The past few months have been a gigantic ball of stress and calling them an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. It was mostly due to school, but now that I've nailed down an internship for the summer (and it's FUNDED!), I'm a much happier person. But enough about me, here's what's been keeping me happy and what I'm looking forward to:

The FOLK FESTIVAL. I never officially wrote a response. Well, it was BALLER. Even though Doc Watson couldn't make it (reason number 32849287234 to hate winter), it was still an amazing two nights of music. This year, like last, had a seemingly breakout crowd favorite, Hoots and Hellmouth. They were asked to come play the second night after Doc Watson cancelled and rocked out hard. I'm really looking forward to when they come back to Ann Arbor next month. Iron & Wine was mesmerizing the first night, and Richie Havens was wonderful the second night. Props to Rosanne Cash who "headlined" the second night, but I wish it was Richie. I could listen to him for hours and hours.

I got to catch The Avett Brothers in concert last week, and it was unbelievable. They are totally 100% awesome live. I had a bunch of their albums prior to the show and liked them ok, but holy shit. I've been listening to their music pretty much nonstop since the show. If they are playing anywhere near you (like 3 hour travel time radius) GO SEE THEM!!! The Low Anthem opened and they were great too. I'm probably going to see them on their headline tour in a couple weeks, so I'll try and get a more in depth review up for them then.
Slight Figure of Speech - mp3

And last little bit for this post, I FINALLY got Vampire Weekend's new album, Contra, last week and I like it a lot. I think I like it better than their debut. You can totally hear the Graceland undertones, but whatever. It's catchy and it makes me happy. And that's all that really matters. :)
Diplomat's Son-mp3

Quick note about what I'm excited about:

• Ra Ra Riot is releasing a new album this summer. It's about fucking time. I cannot wait.
• She & Him Vol. 2 is being released next week. I streamed it on NPR and loved what I heard.
• SXSW NEXT year. After being updated multiple times a day by my friend that got to go this year, I don't care what's going on with my classes. I'm going to be in Austin this time next year.
  
• Either the Deer Tick concert or The Low Anthem concert on April 7th. The concert gods apparently hate me and two of my favorite bands at the moment are playing on the same night 40 miles apart. I still haven't decided who to go see. Any thoughts?
  

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll come up for air from school again soon.

One of my favorite weekends!

It's here! It's here! It's here! Folk Festival weekend is finally here! The Ann Arbor Folk Festival is one of my favorite times of the year. For those who aren't familiar, The A2 Folk Fest is basically a giant fundraiser for The Ark which is this awesome super small and cozy music venue that showcases folk and roots music. The Ark is one of my absolute favorite places to see live music. Not a bad seat in the house, the hallways are lined with photos of artists (both legendary and up and coming) who've played there, and the dressing room walls are covered in their signatures. If you're ever in the Ann Arbor area, you definitely have to catch a concert there.

This is the 33rd year that they've put on the festival. It's a two night festival, with the first night focusing on the "new direction" of folk and roots music, and the second night brings in musicians playing more traditional folk and roots. Since I've been back in the area, I've had the awesome opportunity to volunteer for The Ark, which means I get to work the festival and see the concerts for free. Best. Gig. EVER.

This year they've got Jay Farrar with Ben Gibbard, and Iron & Wine headlining the first night. Rosanne Cash, Richie Havens, and Doc Watson are headlining the second night. Those are some damn good headliners if I do say myself. But one of the great things about the Folk Festival is they showcase lesser known acts throughout the nights as well. That's how I discovered my absolute favorite artist of the past year, Joe Pug (I've since seen him three more times live and can't wait until his first full length album comes out next month). I'm hoping I can make a similar discovery or two this year. Check out the full line-up here.

So, as a preview, here is some music by the artists featured this year. Brace yourself for some post-concert gushing about how awesome it was...


He is going to be awesome to see live. True story.

All Along The Watchtower - Richie Havens
LOVE seeing him live. I could listen to him play and tell his stories for forever.

Hickory - Iron & Wine
CANNOT WAIT to see him.

Sea of Heartbreak - Rosanne Cash w/ Bruce Springsteen
I honestly don't know a lot of her music but I really love her album, The List, and I feel like it'll almost be like seeing her dad right? ;)


Love it. It will be neat to have seen both main members of Uncle Tupelo at back to back festivals (Tweedy headlined last year)



Of the non-headliners, I'm most excited to see this band. I've gotten a few recommendations to check them out, but keep forgetting so yay for Folk Fest for giving me that chance. haha.

Whew. It's going to be a busy but crazy awesome couple of days.

This Too Shall Pass

I'll be honest. Aside from the epic treadmill video a few years ago, I don't really follow the band OK Go. I had no idea they released a new album recently. And I had no idea they released a new video. And surprise surprise, it's actually really really catchy. Their label won't allow embedding from YouTube (lame) but I was able to track it down on Vimeo. Head on over to their site to get the marching band version of the song for free (and to check out their new album, upcoming shows, etc.).

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

This Too Shall Pass

pursuit of happiness

Kid Cudi took a break from touring with Lady GaGa recently and made a stop in Ann Arbor. I was beside myself when I saw he was coming to town. He didn't disappoint at all. Though the barrage of opening acts almost made me go crazy...minus local rap legend One Be Lo...Kid Cudi was fantastic. The strobe light extravaganza blew my mind. The segue into Day N Night was amazing. I thought he was gonna do the remix version, but he broke it down into the slow burner that I love. The acapella "Daps and Pounds" was fantastic, and "Pursuit of Happiness" was pretty much perfect. DEFINITELY see this kid if he's performing in your area. He puts on one hell of a show.
Not the best quality but here's him performing Day N Night...trust it was amazing live...



Pursuit of Happiness


I also want to plug for local rapper One Be Lo. Not too many people paid any attention to his opening act, which is too too bad. It should have just been him and Kid Cudi. Def check him out. He was half of Binary Star, and has released three albums on his own label, Subterraneous Records. Def check out his album, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. It's time that he hit the national stage. He's way past due to be a breakthough star.

Evil Of Self

Tallest Man on Earth

Let me just start out by saying that I love me some folk music. Give me a song with an acoustic guitar and some make you think type lyrics and I'm pretty much in heaven. So imagine my delight when I came across The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson). He's got Dylan written all over him, which is probably subconsciously why I love him so much. After getting his album, Shallow Grave, and loving it, I came across his Daytrotter session and fell in love some more. His stripped down piano version of "I Won't Be Found" is absolutely gorgeous. He's got a great series of videos on youtube of him playing songs to a sunset (sigh...). Now he just needs to do another tour in the US so I can see him live.

2009.09.09 Tallest Man on Earth, Bardens Boudoir (Honey, Let Me in) from Tim Ferguson on Vimeo.

I Won't Be Found (Daytrotter)
The Gardener