Aug 05
by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: #eyeonthemusic, #folkyeah, #jimbrockphotography, #newportfolk, #preshalljazz, 90s music, Alynda Lee Segarra, Amanda Shires, Amy Ray, Benmont Tench, Billy Strings, Bonny Light Horseman, Brandi Carlile, Cedric Burnside, Charley Crockett, Colin Meloy, concert photography, Courtney Marie Andrews, D'angelico hollow body, Danny Clinch, Dawes, Decemberists, Dolly Parton, Eric Johnson, Eye on the Music, Fleet Foxes, Fruit Bats, George Wein, Gibson hollow body, Grateful Dead, Gregory Alan Isakov, Highwomen, Hozier, I'm With Her, If I Had a Song, Indigo Girls, Infamous Stringdusters, Jade Bird, jam bands, Jason Isbell, Jay Sweet, jazz photography, Jeff Tweedy, Jim Brock Photography, Jim James, JS Ondara, Judy Collins, Jupiter and Okwess, Kermit the Frog, Lake Street Dive, Leyla McCalla, Linda Perry, live music photography, Lucy Dacus, Lukas Nelson, Madison Cunningham, Maggie Rogers, Maren Morris, Mavis Staples, Milk Carton Kids, Molly Tuttle, New Orleans music, Nilufer Yanya, Our Native Daughters, Phil and Friends, Phil Lesh, Phish, Portugal The Man, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Promise of the Real, Rachael Price, Rambling Jack Elliott, Rayland Baxter, reggae, Rhiannon Giddens, Robin Pecknold, Sara Watkins, Sheryl Crow, Stephen Marley, Taylor Goldsmith, Trey Anastasio, Warren Haynes, Wilco, Wylie Gelber

NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL 2019, FORT ADAMS, RHODE ISLAND

July 26-28, 2019 As the sun dipped to meet Naragansett Bay a few Sundays back, the 60 years since the first Newport Folk Festival seemingly came full circle. The Fort Stage crowd serenading Rambling Jack Elliott, and the dozens of singers and musicians paying tribute to the spirit and songs of Pete Seeger (who appeared at the first Newport in 1959) with one last chorus of “Goodnight, Irene”. On what would have been the troubadour’s 100th birthday, it was producer Jay Sweet who encouraged the audience to have the last word and shower the stage with the love shared by all who performed and attended over the course of the three days. That the Lead Belly lyrics so simply convey love lost and always eternal, was a fitting coda to a closing set that left me more than a little teary. In a good way. Let’s just say that there are moments as a photographer when you have to put the camera down, and take it all in, and this was one of them. Welcome to Newport Folk. Newport 2019 was true to form. Full of collaboration, a few surprises and plenty of discoveries. But what was most different about […]
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Aug 17
by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: #folkyeah, #newportfolk, 12-string, alt-country, Americana, Ben Harper, Beneath the Sacred Mountain, Bermuda Triangle, blues guitar, blues music, blues photography, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Change Is Gonna Come, Charlie Musselwhite, Charlie Parr, Cheech & Chong, Chris Thile, concert photography, Coulter Wall, Courtney Barnett, Daniel Norgren, Eric Johnson, Eye on the Music, funk, Gary Clark Jr., Gibson SG, Glen Hansard, Glorietta, Hamilton Leithauser, Hiss Golden Messenger, indie folk, indie rock, Jason Isbell, Jay Sweet, JD McPherson, Jen Cloher, Jenny Lewis, Jerry Douglas, Jim Brock Photography, Jim Brock Photography. Newport Folk Festival, Jon Batiste, Kanene Pipkin, Khruangbin, Langhorn Slim, Leon Bridges, LMB, Lone Bellow, Lucius, Lukas Nelson, Maggie Rogers, Marcus Mumford, Margo Price, Mavis Staples, MC Taylor, Michael Rosenberg, Moses Sumney, Mumford & Sons, Nels Cline, Newport Folk Festival, Nicole Atkins, Passenger, Phoebe Bridgers, post, Promise of the Real, Rachael & Vilray, Rachael Price, reggae, Resonator, rock photography, roots music, Shakey Graves, Side Toure, St. Vincent, Stratocaster, Sturgill Simpson, Tank & the Bangas, Telecaster, The Weather Station, This Is The Kit, Toots & the Maytals, Valerie June, Wood Brothers, world music, Zach Williams

Newport Folk Festival 2018, Fort Adams, Rhode Island

July 27-29, 2018   In a recent podcast, producer Jay Sweet reflected on Newport Folk this way “if this festival for you is about the headliners, I don’t think this is your festival”. Not that the headliners were too shabby. Jason Isbell (with a David Crosby sit-in), Unannounced (aka, Mumford & Sons) and the closing Change is Gonna Come set, more than held down the Fort. But Newport Folk (and Jazz) is about discovery, collaboration and experimentation. It’s The War & Treaty, The Weather Station, This is the Kit, Charlie Parr, Phoebe Bridgers, and Glorietta, to name a few that stood out. It can be “a bunch of people from a bunch of bands playing a bunch of songs” as Eric Johnson said from the Quad Stage, during Saturday’s Beneath the Sacred Mountain set. If not for Newport, The Lone Bellow (Sunday) and Hiss Golden Messenger (Saturday) would not have worked their way into my world years ago. Not to mention all the goodness my ears and heart enjoyed in between the new and familiar.   The Fort’s four stages are close, but not tight, and stage times rarely compete like so many other festivals where you can’t tear yourself […]
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Jul 06
by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: #arroyosecoweekend, 80s music, 90s music, Alanis Morrisette, Alynda Lee Segurra, Arroyo Seco Weekend, blog, blues photography, Cesar Rosas, Chrissie Hynde, classic rock, concert photogaphy, concert photography, Dorothy Martin, Dwight Twilley, Eye on the Music, Gary Clark Jr., Gibson ES-335, Gomez, Gretsch guitar, Hooray for the Riff Raff, Irma Thomas, Jack White, jazz photography, Jeff goldblum, Jim Brock Photography, Kamasi Washington, Kay hollowbody, Led Zeppelin, live music photography, Los Lobos, Luther Dickinson, Margaret Glaspy, Margo Price, Mildred Snitzer, Milk Carton Kids, music photography, Neil Young, North Mississippi All Stars, Pharoah Sanders, Pretenders, Prince, Promise of the Real, Rickenbacker, Robert Plant, rock photography, Ryan Porter, Seven Nation Army, Shakey Graves, Susanna Hoffs, Telecaster, The Bangles, The Revolution, The Specials, Typhoon, Vicki Peterson, Wendy and Lisa, Wendy Melvoin, West Coast Get Down

Arroyo Seco Weekend, Brookside Golf Course, Pasadena

June 23-24, 2018 Arroyo Seco Weekend is not fussy. The beer is thick with local crafts, the something for everyone eats abundant with vegetarian options, and, yes, it felt like a day in the park with a rich soundtrack. The inclusive, relaxed setting and vibe made for one of most satisfying fest experiences I’ve had outside New Orleans. Goldenvoice worked out many of the freshmen kinks to bring us a uniquely L.A. area festival that was musically textured and easy to navigate, with zero attitude, when it so could have gone the other way. No need to pony up for VIP treatment here. Getting around was no issue, food and (pricey) drinks were never too far, Rose Bowl bathrooms were always an option, and while the Oaks stage was packed for headliners, it was manageable and easy to get close throughout most of the day. Oh, did I mention parking was included with entry? Even with only three stages, I still racked up 7-8 miles a day covering 30 of 36 acts over the weekend, but the 8th and 9th holes and driving range of Brookside felt like carpet compared to most fests. Near perfect June weather helped. Saturday highlights […]
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Jul 05
by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: Alabama Shakes, Americana, Andrew Bird, Arroyo Seco Weekend, Ben ellman, Bennie Maupin, Brittany Howard, Brottany Howard, Charles Bradley, Con Brio, concert photography, David Lindley, David Shaw, Dawes, Ed Williams, Erica Falls, Eye on the Music, Fitz & the Tantrums, Galactic, George Porter, Gibson Firebird, Gibson SG, Haley, Haley Bonar, Jade Jackson, jam bands, Jamtown, jazz photography, Jeff goldblum, Jim Brock Photography, John Mayall, Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Les Paul, Lettuce, Live, live music photography, Lukas Nelson, Marcus Mumford, Mike Campbell, Mumford & Sons, New Orleans music, New Orleans music. Erica Falls, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Press Here, Promise of the Real, Rich Vogel, Rivers Cuomo, Rob Ingraham, rock photography, Shamarr Allen, Stanton Moore, Stratocaster, Taylor Goldsmith, Telecaster, The Meters, The Meters. George Porter, The Revivalists, The Shins, Tom Petty, Weezer, Wiley Gelber, William Bell, Zack Feinberg, Zigaboo Modeliste, ZZ Ward

Arroyo Seco Weekend, Brookside Golf Course, Pasadena

June 24-25, 2017 Festival behemoth AEG and Goldenvoice are at it again, launching the inaugural Arroyo Seco Weekend after years of negotiations with the City and citizens of Pasadena, securing a 10-year deal at Brookside Golf Course, adjacent to the Rose Bowl. It’s a family forward music festival with free entry for kids under 10, a relaxed park setting, good grub and libations and a first year lineup that was more than just respectable, it had personality. Mixing big name headliners (Tom Petty and Mumford & Sons), Fest friendly mid-tiers (Dawes, Alabama Shakes), some 90s love (The Shins, Live), a hefty does of New Orleans (The Meters, Galactic, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Revivalists), quite respectable jazz, soul and and blues (John Mayall, Charles Bradley, Bennie Maupin, Roy Ayers), and a number of indie comers, there was also a refreshing lack of EDM or rap/hip hop to the lineup. The price point was fair, and keeping the inaugural event to three stages and two days (three days are planned in the future), was probably a pretty smart move, even more so with record breaking heat on Sunday that felt more Coachella than DTLA proximate. Freshman fests inevitably have a few […]
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May 23
by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: Aaron Wilkinson, Acura Stage, alt-country, Americana, Anders Osborne, BB King tribute, Ben ellman, Big Sam Williams, Billy Gibbons, Blodie's Jazz Jam, blues, Blues Tent, Bonnie Raitt, Boz Scaggs, Brandi Carlile, Brian Blade, Buddy Guy, Carl Dufrene, Chris Mule, classic rock, Clevenger, concert photography, Congo Square Stage, Cyril Neville, Dap Kings, Dave Malone, David Shaw, Derek Trucks, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Donald Fagen, Economy Hall, Efrem Towns, Elvis Costello, Eye on the Music, Fais Do-Do Stage, Gal Holiday, Galactic, Gary Clark Jr., Gentilly Stage, Gibson SG, Gov't Mule, Gregory Porter, Herbie Hancock, Herlin Riley, hip hop, Honey Island Swamp Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, J Cole, Jack DeJohnette, jam bands, jam bands Susan Tedeschi, Janelle Monae, Jarekus Singleton, Jazz and Heritage Stage, jazz photography, Jazz Tent, Jim Brock Photography, Jim James, Jimmy Vaughn, John Hammond, Kirk Joseph, Kristin Diable, Lauryn Hill, Little Freddie King, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Mardi Gras Indian, Matt Garrison, Michael McDonald, Midnite Disturbers, Monk Boudreaux, My Morning Jacket, Nathaneil Rateliff, Neil Young, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Nicholas Payton, Nightsweats, Paul Simon, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Promise of the Real, Radiators, Raw Oyster Cult, Revivalists, Rhiannon Giddens, roots music, Shannon Powell, Sharon Jones, Skerik, Snarky Puppy, Sonor, Soul Rebels, sousaphone, Steely Dan, Stratocaster, Subdudes, Tab Benoit, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Terence Blanchard, trombone, Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Walter Trout, Warren Haynes, WWOZ Jazz Tent, ZZ Top

Reflections and Musings of a Jazz Fest Photographer – 2016 Edition

  Yeah, it’s been a year of musical losses. But, Prince, the day before Jazz Fest 47 got underway? WTF? From the glyph etched in the blue above the Fair Grounds the first weekend, to the Treme second line the Monday following, to My Morning Jacket’s howling “Purple Rain” finish second Friday, Jazz Fest did its part, as it always does. “I am because he was”, Janelle Monae confessed to the Congo Square stage crowd. And whether Prince or Bowie or Toussaint or B.B. or Merle, and on and on, Fest is where the music is honored and celebrated like no other gathering on the planet, even when heaven and earth throw everything at you. And this was a Fest like no other, where Stevie Wonder’s only Fair Grounds performance was an acapella Purple Rain through a bullhorn in a deluge, and where it was impossible to tell the booming thunder above, from Neil Young and POR below. The music stuck like the deep muck of the infield and never let go. And whether on stage, dancing with a stranger, singing along, holding back tears, sharing a bite, sleeping it off, that’s just a Jazz Fest fact. This photographer took […]
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