I am not sure why, but the 2023 Newport Folk Festival felt more joyous than ever and it is always full of joy! Just look at these faces on Sunday!

The Festival was, for me, crowded with unfamiliar artists as well as some favorites. That is part of my love for this Festival – every year I am introduced to new artists who become favorites. In part years, I first saw The Lone Bellow, Langhorne Slim, Gregory Alan Isakov, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Dawes there; all are now artists I see any chance I get.

As I have in the past, I am highlighting artists who particularly resonated with me although I am including photographs of every artist I saw.

On Friday, Mdou Moctar, a musician from Niger, thrilled an audience that appeared to be mostly unfamiliar with him. There have been other African artists at the Festival who were very well received, and Mdou was no exception. His style of desert blues is one that I love. I hope he gained many new fans.

The band, and Mdou in particular, had a fabulous experience performing for us. I have no idea what they expected, but I have a feeling it exceeded expectations.

The next artist I saw was Thee Sacred Souls who hail from San Diego. I had not heard of them so other than presuming they sing gospel music, I had no idea what I would see. The lead singer, Josh Lane, has a lovely voice. and drew us in with the engaging harmonies. I would love to see them again!

Nickel Creek was one of the highlights of the Festival for me. I saw them on their farewell tour in the late 2000s, and despite seeing them separately over the years, I never expected to see them perform together again. Their energy is infectious and their talent is of the highest caliber.

Sara Watkins, Chris Thile, and Sean Watkins comprise the band. Chris is one of the most animated mandolin players I have ever seen, and he is a joy to experience. He is a MacArthur Grant winner and I was lucky enough to see him on the night of the announcement! Talk about energy…

Sara may not be as animated on the fiddle as Chris is on mandolin (which is not a criticism at all), but she is every bit as talented.

Sean on the guitar grounds the band extremely well.

Rounding out Friday was an unexpected set by James Taylor – yes, that JT! The artist who was supposed to play had to cancel an hour before he was due to take the stage under doctor’s orders. In what is a great example of the Festival family, executive producer Jay Sweet got on the phone to JT who was a five-minute boat ride from the Frestival and JT agreed to play!

I have seen JT a number of times, but never close enough to see how blue his eyes really are!

He played a set full of old favorites which is honestly what the crowd wanted to hear. No doubt there were people in the crowd who had never seen him perform and they were thrilled to finally get a chance to see this iconic musician.

Saturday started out strong with an artist who was probably my favorite new discovery of the Festival. Bartees Strange, who broke a finger so he could not play guitar, performed with such great emotion.

His style is called alternative/indie/hip-hop, but I just call it great! With a fabulous voice and engaging performance style, he gained many new fans at the Festival. He is another artist I cannot wait to see again!

Another one of my favorite bands, The Turnpike Troubadours, was the band I was probably most excited to see. I saw them several times before the pandemic, but they broke up for several years.

Their genre is generally referred to as red dirt country as they hail from Oklahoma. The first time I saw them was in 2015, and went to the show because I loved the opener. I was wowed by this band though!

Sunday started out strong, but then so does every day at the Festival every year! A friend whose opinions I value told me to make sure I saw the Harlem Gospel Travelers so I did as suggested. I was not disappointed in the lease!

The Festival usually opens Sunday with some sort of gospel band, so the HGT fit perfectly. Their harmonies are incredible, and the lead singers (Thomas Gatling, George Marage, and Dennis Bailey) alternated singing lead on each song.

Jupiter and Okwess was next on the Quad Stage (which is arguably my favorite stage – it’s the second largest but still feels intimate). I saw them a few years ago at the Festival and was excited when they were announced for this year.

Hailing from Congo, their performance was electric! There was a palpable energy in the audience, and they were delighted to rush up to the barriers in front of the stage and dance the morning (or was it early afternoon) away!

As seems to be common for African bands, their clothing (I do not call it costumes because I believe it is typical daily wear) is colorful and flows with their performance.

This is a band that is worth seeking out. You will be on your feet as well.

One artist who I had not been excited to see was Remi Wolf. I listened to some of her music online and it did not resonate with me but I am extremely glad I gave her a chance (as did several of my friends, who had the same feeling after listening to her online).

She told a very interesting story. When she told friends that she was invited to play the Festival, her friends asked if the Festival knew her music. She responded by reworking her songs so they fit with what she presumed to be the Festival vibe. Her instincts were correct because the audience loved her!

I am so glad I gave Remi a chance. I love it when I am surprised by an artist I thought I did not like but do. Seeing an artist live is almost always different and usually better than listening to their recorded music. Remi Wolf is absolutely a great example of this!

Gregory Alan Isakov became a favorite after the first time I saw him, which was at the Festival in 2014. I have seen him numerous times since then but l love his Festival performances best.

Born in South African but living now in Colorado, he has carved a niche for himself in the folk-Americana genre. He even has an album he did with the Colorado Symphony! I would love to see a live performance with them, but I have a feeling I would have to travel to Colorado for that – it must be very expensive to transport an entire orchestra!

And now for the last set of the Festival…

The closing set on Sunday was the Folk Family Revue. Jay was ecstatic to announce this set, and none of us had any idea what that set would be. With Phil Cook and Robert Ellis in the band, artists such as Valerie June, Floyd from The Electric Mayhem, Abraham Alexander, John McCauley, Kelsey Waldon, Madison Cunningham, Ian O’Neill, Jobi Riccio, Erin Rae, and Margo Price (I may have missed a few), they performed songs such as “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”, “Heart of Gold”, “Give Me Love”, “Crocodile Rock”, “Midnight Train to Georgia”, “Bad Bad Leroy Brown”, and the finale of “Wish I knew Then What I Know Now”. There are no photos after Valerie June performed because we were out of the photo pit. It was an amazing set and a perfect ending to an incredible weekend.

As always, it was a phenomenal weekend with friends I have known for a while, new friends, and great music and musicians! I cannot wait for the next one!

Tickets courtesy of the Festival; all opinions are my own.