The Newport Folk Festival lives to celebrate it’s 50th Anniversary!

Although it will bear a different name this year, make no mistake – the Newport Folk Festival will take place AND return to a form that will rekindle memories of the original event. Now called George Wein’s Folk Festival 50, the fest will take place August 1 and 2nd on three stages at Fort Adams State Park.

After selling his production company in 2007 to the New York-based Festival Network, Newport Folk Fest producer and founder George Wein remained involved with the event. The 2008 edition drew severe criticism in some corners as the focus turned to contemporary artists with arguable connections to “folk” music. Festival Network had financial issues and earlier this year the state of Rhode Island found the organization in default of their contract. JVC and Dunkin’ Donuts dropped out of their sponsorhip as well.

With the events in jeopardy, the 83 year old Wein stepped up to the plate and has announced plans to stage both the Folk and the legendary Jazz Festival on successive weekends this summer. Both festivals will celebrate milestone anniversaries this year – the 50th anniversary of the folk gathering and the 55th anniversary of the jazz fest.

Without a major sponsor, Wein is pumping his own money into the event. He continues to look for sponsors, but he has acknowledged that producing this event is more than just money – it has taken on a life of its own and is important to Wein.

On Thursday, a special session of the Newport City Counci Newport City Council with a vote of 5 to 0 approved a city permit for the shows at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Fort Adams.

George Wein’s Folk Festival 50 will feature original Newport Folk Fest co-founder Pete Seeger along with a mix of classic “folk revival” artists as well as contemporary singer-songwriters including The Decemberists, Arlo Guthrie, Fleet Foxes, Joan Baez, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, Campbell Brothers, The Avett Brothers, Josh Ritter, Gillian Welch, Judy Collins, Del McCoury, Iron & Wine, Joe Pug, Tao Rodriguez Seeger, Balfa Toujours, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Tim Eriksen & Shape Note Singers, Langhorne Slim, Ben Kweller and Low Anthem. The complete festival programs will be announced later this month.

Tickets for George Wein’s Folk Festival 50 go on sale Wednesday, May 6, at 10:00 am. For more information, visit http://www.folkfestival50.com/

I am very pleased to see the direction this years festival is taking. Although they have not announced plans for bringing back the more traditional elements of folk music that were a hallmark of the original Newport Folk Fest, this is a step in the right direction.

Folk music deserves to be celebrated in all its forms. While traditionalists will argue (correctly) that contemporary singer-songwriters do not fit the definition of folk music, the rest of the world has come to realize that “folk music” is larger than an academic study. Folk music is a living tradition and it evolves.

The folk revival, which began in earnest in the 1940’s and saw a commercial boom in the 1960’s, changed the perception of what folk music is all about. Singer-songwriters began writing songs in a style OR in a process similar to the way traditional music was first created. The purpose was the same – to tell stories, share feelings, and to reach a community.

While the definition of “folk music” has changed in recent decades, I was among those who were concerned with the direction taken by the 2008 Newport Folk Festival. Booking tended toward “roots rock” performers like the Cowboy Junkies, Cat Power and the Black Crowes – all fine artists, but the focus on “rock” seemed to outdraw the focus on “folk”. In its heyday, the Newport Folk Festival was the epicenter of a new genre of singer-songwriters. Last years version seemed to ride the coatails of displaced rock artists who would have been at home at Bonaroo or some other contemporary event. Folk music still has a lot to offer – as events like Falcon Ridge prove. The Philadelphia Folk Festival certainly went through changes, but they still remained concious of their core values, something that Newport failed to do in 2008.

With George Wein back in charge in 2009, there is good reason to expect an event that will showcase the diverse world of folk music in the proper setting – homage to the artists who blazed a trail and a spotlight on new artists who carry on the tradition. It might not be your grandfather’s Newport, but it will be Newport once again!