NB Roots & Branches ~ 2023 July 22 ~ various venues, New Bedford, MA
Scroll to below videos for a review of the festival.
Videos ... if a problem with viewing, go to Youtube and search by performer and date; the Youtube account is in the name "nicepace"
Moonbellies
Moonbellies
New Bedford Sea Shanty Choir - Hoorah for the Ernestina
New Bedford Sea Shanty Choir - Old Fall River Line
Eddie Dillon
Review
After the announcement was made last year that the New Bedford Folk Festival (in past years known as Summerfest) was coming to an end after 25 years, a lot of acoustic and folk music fans were very sad. Up steps a new organization, NB Roots and Branches, to fill the void. Where the old Folk Festival was a two day event with a paid admission, featuring well-known names in the acoustic music world as well as under-the-radar locals, this new event was just one day, running for one Saturday afternoon, and admission was free.
This was a really good idea. Concert Going Partner and I were happy with the idea that we'd get to see some different performers and be able to support the music community as we'd been doing for so many years at New Bedford. There were five venues, all within a very short walk of one another in the heart of downtown. We got there about 45 minutes before the first music was going to start and were able to find on street parking on a historic cobblestoned byway.
The first performer we saw was the #1 highlight of the day. The Moonbellies are a five piece band (three men, two women) playing a range of instrumental and vocal folk and Celtic tunes, including some originals. They all sang and besides the expected guitar and fiddle, they employed some unusual instruments including a cigar box guitar, washtub bass, kazoo, and a shaker shaped like an apple. They were a lot of fun and really looked the part. They played at the April Evans Beauty Lounge, where a space had been cleared and about eight rows of folding chairs provided seating.
The next highlight of the day was the New Bedford Sea Shanty Choir, who always played at the old New Bedford Folk Festival, but we had never seen them. There were approximately fifteen singers and musicians at the Wing's Court outdoor stage. The instruments played included accordion, fiddle, stand-up bass, and guitar. Everyone was dressed in lively, multi-colored shirts and blouses, most with floral themes, but a couple of them had race cars or maritime images. A handful of different band members took turns introducing the songs and doing lead vocals. For a person who lives on Cape Cod and is very interested in maritime history, what a fun band they were to listen to! Their songs included one or two traditional sea shanties, but were mostly folk songs about boats, trains, maritime history, etc.; they included some original compositions.
The third highlight of the day was veteran local folkie Eddie Dillon, vocalist and guitarist who performed at the April Evans Beauty Lounge where we had started the day. His set, mostly originals, included some funny songs as well as more serious numbers.
In the process of bopping around the five venues, we saw a short bit of the set of a few other performers. These included MB & the Daves (covers of songs from the '70s through '90s), Shannon Davis (original acoustic), and Rancho Folclorico de Recordacoes de Portugal (a Portuguese music and dance troupe).
The best venues turned out to be the April Evans Beauty Lounge, the Bristol Building, and the outdoor Wing's Court. These all had enough seating and decent sightlines. Pour Farm Tavern was really too small and didn't have much visibility unless you got one of the half dozen seats up front. Destination Soups had enough seats, but sightlines weren't great; however, you could get a sandwich or a snack (very good hummus plate for instance) without having to wait around for any length of time. Each of these venues was sponsored by a local business; thank you to them for stepping up to make this festival happen! All in all it was a great day. The weather was a bit hot but not bad for this kind of event, and although not drawing the numbers the old Folk Festival used to, there were plenty of concertgoers at every performance.