Posts by Maeri Ferguson

In a strange turn of events, Saturday at Newport Folk Festival might have been one of the coldest on record. The temperature barely broke 70 degrees and the wind blew relentlessly as festival-goers wandered the grounds in hats, scarves, coats and even gloves. It wasn’t until a late afternoon set on the main stage by […]

Though the first day of Newport Folk Festival typically begins on the smallest of the three stages, with an early start time and a lesser-known act, this year’s opening set felt like the most important of the weekend. Matt the Electrician took the stage for a long overdue performance at the fort. As an artist, […]

Newport Folk Festival prides itself on offering something new and fresh every year, not to mention the countless spontaneous performances and collaborations that inevitably take place over three days of artists wandering the grounds of spectacular Fort Adams. This year will bring the addition of a live recording of Joe Pug’s phenomenal new podcast The […]

The mood always changes on the final day of any festival. There’s a vague hint of sadness in the air, as a weekend of bliss comes to a close. We’ve all put our lives on hold for three days, returning again and again to the same place, which eventually begins to feel like some sort […]

When the weather’s on your side for a festival, there’s nothing quite like it. And on day two of Solid Sound, the sunshine felt damn good after damp and overcast Friday. Spontaneity was in the air, with pop-up performances taking place throughout the day in various buildings of Mass MoCA, and the crowd was abuzz […]

Now five Solid Sound festivals in, the team of Wilco and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) have settled into a groove. They’ve had two years since the last one to dream up improvements to an already fabulous festival, and in 2017, they have clearly stepped up their game. This year, the three-day event […]

[rating=8.00] If you’ve ever been to a live show and heard an incredible acoustic version of a song you know really well, and just wished more than anything that you could hear it like that again and again, Jeff Tweedy’s new record will be a crucial one to add to your fast-growing Wilco collection. On […]

[rating=8.00] Every so often you hear a record that makes you think, “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore,” and that is consistently the case with Steelism’s stellar new follow up to their 2014 debut 615 to Fame. Ism is a continuation of the duo’s 70s-inspired instrumentals, with the addition of an impressive group of […]

[rating=7.00] Fans of their beloved 2011 record Helplessness Blues have been waiting anxiously for the Fleet Foxes to make a triumphant follow-up record that would continue to speak to their increasing millennial angst. In fact, a lot has changed in the six years since its release, including the explosion of said angst and the term […]

[rating=6.00] Though he’s been known to channel an Appalachian style folk sound, Sam Amidon is getting more playful. On his latest record, The Following Mountain, Amidon gets experimental with his arrangements and his vocals, creating an oddly pleasant dissonance that is intriguing and thought-provoking. And for the first time, Amidon has made a record of […]

[rating=9.00] Dan Auerbach never seems to tire of flexing his musical muscles, taking on countless projects outside of the Black Keys, both as a performer and a producer. In 2015, he released his excellent debut record with his band The Arcs, and now he’s back with his second solo record (a follow up to 2009’s Keep it […]

On May 24th at Bowery Ballroom in New York City, Kevin Morby was finally coming home. His sold out show at this venue was something he’d only ever dreamed of, and with the upcoming release of his stellar new record City Music, a love letter to cities like New York, it was the perfect culmination. […]

[rating=7.00] It is fitting that power roots duo The Mastersons called their latest record Transient Lullaby, as its songs seem to find them in a state of in between, of brevity and constant change. The husband and wife, Chris and Eleanor, know the road well. They’ve been touring as part of Steve Earle’s band The […]

[rating=8.00] If you’ve ever been to a Low Cut Connie show, you’ve been a part of that infectious, booty-shaking, head-banging energy they bring to every performance. It is undeniable and impossible not to get sucked up by when you’re watching front man Adam Weiner dance like a madman atop his piano, conjuring up a kind […]

[rating=8.00] John Moreland blew through like an Oklahoma tornado when his 2015 record High on Tulsa Heat came out, breaking hearts everywhere with his stunningly gloomy prose. The songwriter’s anticipated follow-up Big Bad Luv will continue to break your heart, but it might make you smile through the tears, too. It is clear from the […]

[rating=7.00] Matthew Logan Vasquez is all grown up. The Delta Spirit frontman is continuing his journey as a solo artist, following up last year’s Solicitor Returns with his newest release, Does What He Wants. Vasquez explores the next phase of his life on Does What He Wants, while still maintaining that rambunctious spontaneity we’ve come […]

[rating=8.00] Sarah Shook is not concerned with sounding pretty for you. But that’s what makes her music so damn beautiful. On her new record Sidelong, Shook and her band the Disarmers have created a throwback punk-country love letter to drinking. Shook has a rough-around-the-edges twang with a slight quiver that shows itself in unexpected places. […]

[rating=9.00] Andrew Combs is one of the most compelling voices in country music today. If only he realized it. At a recent performance at Brooklyn’s Rough Trade, Combs quietly stated “I can’t believe people know my stuff,” before launching into another flawlessly gorgeous tune with that warm rasp of his. With each record, Combs continues […]

[rating=6.00] It’s safe to say we may have reached peak Father John Misty fatigue as he’s been on the promotion trail for his new record Pure Comedy. However, if you can get past that unmistakable feeling of being rubbed the wrong way by the Father John Misty public persona, Pure Comedy can be appreciated as […]

[rating=7.00] Will Johnson is having a dark night of the soul, and lucky for us, it sounds pretty damn gorgeous. Though he’s known for being a member of Centro-matic and the Undertow Orchestra, Johnson is a brilliant and prolific solo artist. His latest release finds him brooding and solitary, independent but alone. Without a side project tying […]