Newport Folk Festival Announces 2012 Lineup

Article Contributed by Drew Granchelli | Published on Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Newport Festivals Foundation has announced the lineup for the 2012 Newport Folk Festival set to take place July 28-29 once again at the picturesque Fort Adams State Park.

Tickets go on sale worldwide Thursday, March 1, at 10:00 am at www.newportfolkfest.net.

The Newport Festivals Foundation continues to celebrate the festival’s historic past by featuring emerging young artists alongside some of folk music’s most venerable names. This year’s festival features: My Morning Jacket, Jackson Browne, Conor Oberst, Iron & Wine, Patty Griffin, Guthrie Family Reunion, Dawes, The Head & The Heart, Deer Tick, Punch Brothers, City & Colour, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Tallest Man on Earth, tUnE-yArDs, Tom Morello, Trampled by Turtles, Gary Clark, Jr., Alabama Shakes, Blind Pilot, Of Monsters and Men, original music from: Jay Farrar; Will Johnson; Anders Parker; & Yim Yames set to the lyrics of Woody Guthrie, Sharon Van Etten, First Aid Kit, Sara Watkins, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Brown Bird, Jonny Corndawg, Jonathan Wilson, Spirit Family Reunion, Deep Dark Woods, Carl Broemel, Ben Sollee, Robert Ellis, Frank Fairfield, The Apache Relay, Spider John Koerner & His Rag Tag Boys, Joel Rafael, Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, Elizabeth Mitchell, honeyhoney, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, The Kossoy Sisters, The Berklee City Music Choir and very special guests to be announced.

Building on the success of last year’s sold out event, Newport Folk Festival producers will bring the freshest and brightest musicians in the folk world to the annual festival by the sea. Known for its extremely loyal “Folk Family,” the Newport Folk Festival has continued to stay at the forefront of the nation’s musical tastemaking. In recent years, the festival has introduced a number of burgeoning stars to the national consciousness while luring established favorites to Newport thanks to the reverence these admired artists have for the traditions of the Newport Folk Festival. The careful curation of the Newport Folk lineup has brought the festival to the forefront of live music which, in turn, allows the festival to continue to enhance the experience year after year.

"There’s nothing better than knowing that there are thousands of people who love the Newport Folk Festival as much as we do and they want to see it live for years to come,” said Jay Sweet, festival producer. "Our Folk Family proved it last year and they are proving it again as we listen to and read the many wonderful comments from people who have already planned to attend the festival even before this announcement. We are extremely humbled to have the support of the fans and the artists who help to make Newport the best place in the world for our annual Newport Folk Festival Family Reunion."

“I, too, was overwhelmed by the tremendous showing of love from the festival’s fans. Not only did they turn out in full force to hear the music, selling out both days, they also contributed to the legacy of the festival by supporting a benefit for the Newport Festivals Foundation." added George Wein, festival Founder and CEO of Newport Festivals Foundation.

Often likened to “coming home” to the very roots of the folk-music tradition, the Newport Folk Festival is an annual favorite of fans and musicians alike. The laid back, at home feel has been known to inspire artists' spontaneous, on-stage sit-ins as well as unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime, impromptu performances throughout the festival grounds.

"Having been fortunate enough to play Newport Folk a number of times by myself, and with a number of different artists and friends, I'm now super excited to have the opportunity to play with my oldest pals in My Morning Jacket!,” said Jim James, who is also confirmed to take the Newport stage with bandmates Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, and Anders Parker to perform original music set to the lyrics of Woody Guthrie.. “This is a wonderful occasion for us to play a unique set in the spirit of the festival, and create some new memories together alongside our friends in Newport."

Since 1959, the Newport Folk Festival has presented the very best of this country’s blues, roots, gospel, country, bluegrass, Cajun and traditional folk music. This year's edition once again pays tribute to the great performers who wrote the proud history of this festival. As in recent years, the festival continues to welcome the next wave of folk voices.

The Newport Folk Festival welcomes the return of Alex and Ani as sponsor of the Harbor Stage. Alex and Ani offers eco-friendly, positive energy infused products that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit, designed by Carolyn Rafaelian and Made in America with love.

The Newport Festivals Foundation was founded by George Wein in 2010 to build up and continue the legacies of the famed Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival. Under the auspices of the Foundation, the Newport Folk Festival presents performers who respect and honor folk music traditions, and at the same time reflect the changes in today's musical trends. Through the establishment of partnerships with local schools and colleges/universities, the Foundation will present programs to educate young people primarily from RI and New England, but also from around the globe, about folk music as presented at the annual festivals. For more information, please visit www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org.

TICKETS & OTHER INFORMATION

Tickets for the Newport Folk Festival go on sale worldwide Thursday, March 1, at 10:00 am at www.newportfolkfest.net and www.ticketmaster.com, by phone and by mail. A limited number of adult two-day passes are available now for $ 135.00 for Saturday and Sunday. Single day adult tickets are $74.00 in advance and $ 84.00 at the gate, if available. Children’s tickets for ages 3 - 15 are $ 15.00 per day. Children under 3 are free. Parking passes are also available on-line for $12.00 Service charges apply to all tickets purchased on-line or by phone.

Single day tickets also can be purchased in person at the Newport Visitor Information Center, located at 23 America’s Cup Avenue. Visit www.gonewport.com for Visitor Center office hours and information.

There will be a festival office in the Newport area where tickets can be purchased in person at a later date. For general information, craft vendor information or to leave a message for festival staff, call the festival hotline at (401) 848-5055. For more information, log on to www.newportfolkfest.net.