The 2007 “Dunkin Donuts Newport Folk Festival” has announced its partial lineup. The classic East Coast folk festival — which takes place August 3rd – 5th, in Newport, RI — will feature some artists that could certainly stretches the limits of the “folk” label (although, I suppose Bob Dylan broke that barrier a long time ago).
The initial Newport Folk Fest lineup includes:
Saturday, August 4th:
Allman Brothers Band
North Mississippi Allstars
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine)
Assembly of Dust
Sunday, August 5th lineup:
Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
Emmylou Harris
Amos Lee
Alejandro Escovedo
Ralph Stanley
….additional acts to be announced.
Wow…this lineup seems a bit odd for a classic folk fest, but it is also surprisingly solid! There’s plenty of jam-oriented blues and rock on Saturday, and some seriously top-tier bluegrass and folk-rock talent on Sunday. But Tom Morello at Newport Folk Fest? Don’t get me wrong, I am all for quality musicians wandering into new territory, but this is just odd…..yet strangely intriguing. And it must be said that other big festivals like Jazzfest have been pulling off these types of genre-bending lineups for years and with much success.
The blatant “Dunkin’ Donuts’ corporate sponsorship is a bit much, though. Sure, I suppose Dunkin’ Donuts is pretty huge out in the East, but the name change is a just a tad prominent. Oh well.
Tickets are currently on sale at the main festival site.
