Come Out for Folk

The Mighty Good Boy's

Jonathan Beller

Warmer weather means the return of music festivals, and I for one could not be more excited to kick off my outdoor season right on College Hill at this year’s Brown Folk Festival (April 13). Currently in its fifth year, the student-organized celebration brings the community out and onto the campus for a day and night of harmonicas, vocal harmonies and some of the best musical storytellers around.

Drawing on Providence’s impressive young music base, and no doubt inspired in-part by Newport’s historic festival of the same genre, the Brown Folk Fest brings together up and comers exploring the various incarnations of contemporary ‘folk.’

Held outdoors in Simmons Quad and moved inside to Sayles Hall at night and in case of rain, the festival is free and open to the public. Last year’s folk fest tallied more than 2,000 attendees, bringing out the local neighborhoods and the Brown community alike.

More than a gathering of music lovers, Brown folk organizer Julia Longoria, ’13, calls the festival a true “celebration of Providence,” with its support of local music, creative arts and businesses. Every year the Folk Fest hosts a number of local vendors, selling crafts, locally designed and produced merchandise, and of course food and beverages provided by Thayer Street’s beloved food trucks. I’m not sure whether Mijos Tacos or Mama Kim’s Korean BBQ go better with folk music, so there might have to be some taste-testing going on the day of.

This year’s Brown Folk Fest lineup includes alums Tallahassee and Kyle Anne Carey, local favorites Smith&Weeden and The Mighty Good Boys, and local singer-songwriters Ian Fitzgerald and Hayley Reardon who will be performing a set specially crafted for the festival. Prior to the festival, folk organizers will hold a competition for current student bands to earn a spot in the lineup.

Brown Folk Festival set times are yet to be announced, but you’ll find me up front for the following must-see acts:

TALLAHASSEE
Tallahassee’s 2011 release Jealous Hands is an album I’d put in the car to head out on a cross-country road trip. The band’s blend of rich, lyrical feel-good folk hasbrought them back to headline this year’s lineup. Music buffs will appreciate their nods to their predecessors (the band’s first EP was aptly titled Tallahassee Schmallahassee). For those asking who is Harry Nilsson, the band’s backstory also piques interest. Lead singer Brian Barthelmes left his spot as an offensive lineman on the New England Patriots practice squad to form the folk rock band. 

VUDU SISTER
Vudu Sister roared onto the scene last year with Bastard Children, an album that showcased lead-singer Keith McCurdy’s serious vocal chops, dark, deep and poignant songwriting and artistic range. It also stood as a testament to Providence’s music community, with McCurdy collaborating in the recording studio with a huge cast of local artists including Joe Fletcher, Michael Samos, Jesse Burdick, members of The Famous Winters and Tig & Bean. McCurdy’s early music revisits folk music’s roots with an unmistakable sincerity, and with an upcoming album produced by The Low Anthem’s Ben Knox Miller, McCurdy’s reincarnated Sister is gearing up for what looks to be a bigger, grungier year. Catch him while you can. 

THE SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA
The Sugar Honey Iced Tea’s four-piece female harmonies are as sweet as the band’s name would suggest, with some serious soul to match. Their timeless vocals channel back to the Andrews Sisters, with the synchronized dancing swapped for an immaculate banjo-ukelele-cello-mandolin combination. It’s always a pleasure to see these lovely ladies collaborate. 

THE MIGHTY GOOD BOYS
If you’re looking to dance, you’ll want to find The Mighty Good Boys’ on-stage honky tonk party. If you see a man in overalls playing a bass, you’re headed in the right direction. Hailing from Barrington, The Mighty Good Boys never fail to draw a crowd and raise a good-time ruckus. 

GILL MOSS BAND
With RISD roots, the Gill Moss band’s male/female vocal dichotomy of singers Naushon Hale and Leanne Luce, has that inviting quality that brings folk fans around a campfire, or in this case, a campus stage. The band’s sound adds a jazzy filter to the traditional finger picking, story-telling folk, while still maintaining a distinct sound. Though the folk festival will be my first time seeing the band in action, I have a feeling it won’t be the last.