Great music, great venue, great weather. The Newport Folk Festival has succeeded in reinventing itself in recent years, adopting a broader definition of “folk” that has allowed for the inclusion of a wide range of what might be called “folk-inspired” bands, while still paying homage to its acoustic guitar-strumming roots.

Keller Williams stops at Marin County’s beloved Grate Room at Terrapin Crossroads on August 30 and 31 for two nights of very special shows.

Denver’s Fox Street Allstars (FSAS) are back on tour behind their highly acclaimed sophomore album Tough Talk and have announced their Fall 2013 Cowboys & Astronauts Tour. The tour will see the band return to Utah, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Additional dates are expected to be announced soon including new Florida shows and a return to Texas in November.

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After closing out its first two-day festival today with enormous success, and to a sold out crowd, Boston Calling, announces a second edition, which will take place just a few months from now, September 7 and 8, 2013, at the city’s historic City Hall Plaza [One City Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts]. Just before headliner The National played an unforgettable set on the Main Stage, Boston Calling further amped up fans by announcing that it will return to City Hall Plaza in September with Vampire Weekend and Passion Pit headlining.

It was the biggest and best small festival I have ever attended. There, I said it. I have started with a boom; a writer’s biggest mistake. There was no building to this statement. The opportunity to hook you with subtlety and humor was lost. If you stop reading now, I have only myself to blame.