One of the most important moments in modern music history was when Bob Dylan plugged in an electric guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. As he moved from acoustic folk "protest" music and into electrified rock 'n roll, he changed the sound of popular music.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of that event, the festival brought some of the most notable players backstage to mess around on that Fender Stratocaster. A couple weeks ago, the festival shared backstage footage of Jason Isbell's impromptu performance and discussion about Dylan's influence. Now, they've shared another video featuring Courtney Barnett, MC Taylor (of Hiss Golden Messenger), Hozier, Taylor Goldsmith (of Dawes), and J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr.). Watch above.
There are some great highlights in the five minute video. Looking at the smiles on the performer's faces, you can see this was something really special. The video includes Taylor Goldsmith playing "Maggie's Farm," Hozier playing "Catfish Blues," J Mascis playing "Can I" and "Asleep For Days," and MC Taylor playing "Drum."
It's interesting to get perspectives from such a diverse group of singer-songwriters. Courtney Barnett is from Australia, Hozier is from Ireland, MC Taylor is from North Carolina, Taylor Goldsmith is from Los Angeles, and J Mascis is from Massachusetts. They cover a wide range of rock music with varying degrees of folk sensibilities.
The Newport Folk Festival might want to raise ticket prices next year so they can fix some of those holes in the walls.
