Hear live shows from Spiritualized, Andrew Bird, Wilco, Bon Iver, Alabama Shakes, Beirut and many more. Recorded by NPR Music at venues and festivals across the country.
It's not often you find a band with three lead singers who each sound as impressive on their own as they do together.
Brandi Carlile's Newport set was a pure celebration, as if she soaked up all that sunshine and love and poured it back over the crowd.
A power trio of an entirely different kind, the Houston band led a journey through globally-influenced funk, jazz, surf and psych-rock — before creating a live, instrumental hip-hop mixtape.
The Nashville-by-way-of-Brooklyn band repeatedly took the Newport audience from joyful, foot-stomping singalongs, to a rapturous hush.
Darlingside's dark songs are full of light, illuminated by voices that come from on high.
The jazz duo opened its set with "Heaven Right Here," one of the early '90s tunes that had Tuck and Patti on the charts and all over jazz radio.
Lucius' fifth appearance at Newport saw the group outdo itself, with choreography, a tribute to Richard Swift and many, many friends.
"If you came to this set looking to be cheered up, you're screwed," White deadpanned from the stage. His music can give goosebumps, even on a sunny summer day; hear his set at Newport now.
The folk-rock singer from Australia's Blue Mountains makes music that confronts all the anxieties a 20-something feels about getting older. Hear songs from her debut album, Don't Let The Kids Win.
The Portland trio, composed of sisters Natalie, Meegan and Allison Closner, makes music that invites its audience to share in its bond of sisterhood. Hear Joseph's set at Newport Folk now.
The band kept up a keen-edged commentary on xenophobia, censorship and racism throughout its set of gritty Southern rock. Hear its set now.
Hear the band play its tender songs about home, friendship and growing up, live at Newport Folk.
The folk-rock singer performed songs from her acclaimed debut album — plus some new tracks — at Newport.
Though he was new to many in the audience, the New Zealander's lonesome set was the one festival goers were talking about for the rest of the weekend. Hear it now.
Hear one of Americana's most influential songwriters perform some of his timeless tunes alongside special guests Margo Price, Roger Waters, Justin Vernon and more.
The rising indie-rock band performed some new, unreleased songs during its Newport set.
The Georgia-born roots musician's songs tell detailed, easy-paced stories of family and close friends. Hear his Newport Folk set, with special guest Jade Bird.
The charismatic husband-and-wife duo returned to Newport after a three-year hiatus.
Mackenzie Howe, Sharon Silva and Kinsey Lee's set at Newport Folk was assured and robust, a testament to potent voices made more powerful when united.
"I'm ready for the world," Alynda Lee Segarra sings in the chorus of the rousing "Hungry Ghost" — and her band's set told that simple truth again and again. In the past seven or eight years, Hurray For The Riff Raff has blossomed slowly but fully, transforming its sound from intense-but-delicate one-woman bedroom recordings to the rip-roaring full-band jams that dominated the group's set at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas. Setlist: 1. Life To Save 2. Nothing's Gonna Change That Girl 3. Hungry Ghost 4. Rican Beach 5. The Navigator 6. Living In The City 7. Fourteen Floors 8. Pa'lante
If you've only heard Lizzo's hit "Good As Hell" you might think the Twin Cities singer is a funny and ingratiating but fairly straightforward purveyor of self-affirmation and charismatic confidence. But as her joyful and explosive live show unfolded, complete with the arrival of the ecstatic backup dancers she calls "The Big Girls," it became clear that Lizzo has something more powerful going on: 1. Worship, 2. Phone, 3. Bam Bam, 4. Deep, 5. Drone Bomb Me, 6. Easy Easy, 7. 'Scuse Me, 8. Coconut Oil, 9. Good As Hell
When PWR BTTM takes the stage, it doesn't take long to figure out what you're going to get. From the first glitter-smeared seconds of the set-opening "Silly," the band came to shred and swagger with infectious joy, complete with backbends and solos and spangly outfits — at least one of which wouldn't survive the band's set at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas, recorded live for NPR Music on March 15, 20217.
Hear the country singer blaze through a set that demonstrates she's forging her own path.
Baker's ragged-edged voice and ringing Telecaster were all it took to win over the Newport audience.
The Beyoncé and Jack White collaborator combined vulnerability with swagger in her Newport set.
Hear Costello perform with several special guests, including Glen Hansard and Middle Brother.
"These are the smallest songs you'll hear at this folk festival this year, I think," Shelley said of her set with guitarist Nathan Salsburg. Small songs, perhaps, but each one contained a world.
The folk-pop band builds mountains out of sensitive harmony lines at the Newport Folk Festival. Kam Franklin of Houston soul band The Suffers joined them on a Woody Guthrie-Wilco cover.
The rootsy soul band worked through simmering soul grooves and hip-swinging honky-tonk.
The off-again, on-again rock band from Milwaukee, Wisc., built a careening, playful set around mainstays like "Blister In The Sun" and new songs like "I Could Be Anything."
Listen to the rollicking soul band perform songs from its upcoming sophomore album, Sea Of Noise.
The Newport favorite brought along some special guests for Saturday's most anticipated set.
Southern California's Chicano Batman sent waves of velvet-sounding Chicano soul out over the audience at Stubb's — think 1970s-era guitar and organ funk played by a band outfitted in quicenera tuxedos. When the band shifted into a high energy cumbia I saw spontaneous dancing breaking out on the dirt floor of the outdoor venue.
Without a doubt, Anderson .Paak is the new "it" guy of that place where R&B and hip-hop overlap. It sort of happened overnight, and we can kind of credit Dr. Dre, who gave .Paak permission to leave his fingerprints all over Dre's long-awaited return to music, 2015's Compton. But the palpable, feverish excitement in the breezy night air at Stubb's during NPR Music's SXSW showcase in the moments leading up to .Paak's set was all his own.
Brandi Carlile Tim Hanseroth – backup vocals and guitar Phil Hanseroth – backup vocals and bass Raise Hell Wherever Is Your Heart The Story Hard Way Home Again Today That Wasn't Me The Things I Regret Beginning To Feel The Years That Year Pride And Joy The Eye Murder In The City
LORD HURON Ben Schneider - guitar, vocals Mark Barry - percussion, vocals Miguel Briseño - bass, keys, percussion Tom Renaud - guitar, vocals Brandon Walters- guitar, vocals 1. Love Like Ghosts 2. Until The Night Turns 3. Dead Man's Hand 4. Lonesome Dream 5. She Lit A Fire 6. Hurricane (Johnnie's Theme) 7. Meet Me In The Woods 8. The World Ender 9. Fool for Love 10. The Stranger 11. Ends Of The Earth 12. Time To Run
Courtney Barnett-vox/Guitar Bones Sloane-Bass/vox Dave Mudie-drums Setlist: 1. Dead Fox 2. Depreston 3. Debbie Downer 4 . Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go To The Party 5. Avant Gardener 6. History Eraser 7. Pedestrian At Best
Barely a week after releasing Something More Than Free, Jason Isbell took the stage at Newport Folk for a set that highlighted many of the new songs from that album. Isbell has attained star status in the alt-country world, but his performance channeled the best of the southern rock tradition that emerged in north Alabama and Georgia in the 1970s — two places where Isbell lived and worked before relocating to Nashville.
Kristian Matsson aka the Tallest Man on Earth's brilliant performance at the Newport Folk Festival 2015
Here this inspired set from The Lone Bellow from the Newport Folk Festival 2015 LONE BELLOW: Zach Williams-/vox Kanene Donehey Pipkin-Vox/Keys/Bass JasonPipkin-Bss/Keys BrianElmquist-Elec. Git Justin Glasco-Drums Set List: 1. Then Came The Morning 2. Fake Roses 4. Cold As It Is 5. Green Eyes And A Heart of Gold 6. Heaven Don't Call Me Home 7. Watch Over Us with Leon Bridges 8. When Will I Be Loved (with Holly and Jess of Lucius) 9. Call To War 10. Teach Me To Know 11. You Never Need Nobody 12. If You Don't Love Me 13. The One You Should've Let Go with New Breed Brass Band
The last time Sleater-Kinney played the 9:30 Club, a transformer threatened to blow in the midst of a summer heat wave. Or maybe the Washington, D.C., club just couldn't handle Corin Tucker's pipes. That was nine years ago, on a goodbye-for-now tour that caught the trio at the top of its game. The show was rescheduled and taped for NPR Music, and we had our closure, crossing fingers that it wouldn't be the last we'd hear from Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss. In the intervening years, all three put their energies into other projects, musical and not, sometimes even with each other. But Sleater-Kinney has an electric chemistry of its own. As Brownstein says, "I really think Sleater-Kinney is a singular band with no clear predecessor or successor, so I don't think we started out creating music that you could see the palette of colors that we were using, and maybe draw a lineage." On the first night of a two-night gig at the 9:30 Club, Sleater-Kinney went all-in with its set list. Tracks from the band's monster of a new album, No Cities To Love, felt natural alongside songs like "Oh!" and "Words And Guitar," obliterating the band's timeline by demonstrating a catalog that's always present, always on fire.
Hear Mavis Staples perform as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Sunday, July 27 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Aoife O'Donovan perform as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Featival, recorded live on Saturday, July 26 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Band Of Horses perform as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Friday, July 25 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer perform together as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Friday, July 25 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Dawes perform as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Saturday, July 27 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Shovels & Rope perform some of its new songs and some old favorites as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Saturday, July 26 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Deer Tick perform live in concert at the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Saturday, July 26 in Newport, R.I.
Hear Ages and Ages perform as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Sunday, July 27 in Newport, R.I.
Backed by his touring band and vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig — the co-leads of the band Lucius — Jeff Tweedy surveyed his career onstage as part of the 2014 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Sunday, July 27 in Newport, R.I.
Nickel Creek recently reunited to put out its first album in eight years, A Dotted Line, which naturally reflects its members' creatively ambitious recent pursuits.