Newport folk fest blends musical generations
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NEWPORT, R.I. -- The lineup for George Wein's Folk Festival 50, announced on Monday, features a mix of the historical figures of American folk music as well as some of the new generation of rock-influenced singer-songwriters who have made their presence felt in the festival over the past couple of years. There are also a couple of Rhode Island acts on the bill. What the festival doesn't have, at the moment anyway, is a Friday-night concert at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The schedule released Monday by New Festival Productions LLC sees Pete Seeger, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Gillian Welch, The Avett Brothers, Billy Bragg, Iron & Wine, Mavis Staples, Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Ben Kweller, The Low Anthem, Tift Merritt, Brett Dennen, Tao Rodriguez Seeger and Langhorne Slim at Fort Adams Saturday, Aug. 1. On Sunday, Aug. 2, Pete Seeger with special guest Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Neko Case, The Campbell Brothers, Josh Ritter, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Tim Eriksen & Shape Note Singers, The Del McCoury Band, Guy Clark, The David Rawlings Machine, Balfa Toujours, Dala Girls, Deer Tick and Joe Pug will play. Festival impresario George Wein said Monday that the mix of older and younger artists was particularly important for the folk festival. "That's the name of the game now. You've got to reach out to young people, you're gonna die." The jazz festival in Newport, which Wein also runs, plays "to a fixed audience - the real jazz public. You're not trying to cross over. In the folk world, you've got to." Wein gave credit to associate producer Jay Sweet for scouting and booking the younger acts on the bill. Sweet, for his part, said that the newer artists were particularly respectful of the traditions of Newport. "It really is a testament to artists who understand the heritage of the place," Sweet said Monday, "that they are the continuation of a tradition that began decades ago." Co-producer Bob Jones has worked on the festival for 50 years, and says that "we wanted to cover most of the genres the festival has been known for." The festival - as well as the jazz festival, known as George Wein's Jazz Festival 55 and scheduled for Aug. 7-9 - went through some uncertain moments earlier this year. Tickets for the festival go on sale Wednesday. Prices and more information can be had at www.folkfestival50.com or by calling (800) 514-3849. Wein sold his original company, Festival Productions, to a new corporation known as Festival Network in 2007. Festival Network ran the festivals in 2007 and 2008, but its license was terminated by the state Department of Environmental Management, which operates Fort Adams, in February for late payments of the state's share of festival revenues. In March, Wein announced that he was looking to return to running the Newport festivals. He was kept on as an employee of Festival Network when he sold his company, but says he hasn't been paid since November and considers himself a free agent. He was granted a license by the DEM last month. Jones said that the late start meant that some artists had already planned their summer schedule, but that some changed commitments around to make it to Newport. Sweet, who had worked for Festival Network, had started booking the festival under their auspicies. He says he had to ask many of the artists he had already booked to stay with the festival through the uncertainty. He said, "I have to give great credit to the artists who stayed with me." The Friday-night show hadn't been well attended in recent years, and Wein said the organizers couldn't find the kind of blockbuster name that would fill the 2,000-seat Casino at the tennis hall of fame, particularly on relatively short notice. He left open the possibility of doing a smaller Friday-night show in one of the Newport hotels, which was the Newport tradition for years. Sweet called Low Anthem and Deer Tick "the greatest story out there." Members of Low Anthem were working on the cleanup crew at last year's festival, slipped a CD to the producers, and now they're on the festival stage. "It's really a testament to taking care of your own." And Deer Tick is "going through the roof," Sweet said. "They're the real deal." 
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