For a while now Portland folk-rock heroes The Decemberists are signed to Capitol Records and are booked for headlining slots at fests such as Newport Folk Festival. Yet, their earlier days releasing albums full of smaller-scale folk-rock treasures remain to be the image that comes to mind for me. Hence, my pleasure at catching an intimate performance from frontman Colin Meloy a few hours before The Decemberists’ set, giving the goods in a personal, stripped down form.
With that craving satisfied, this made me more welcome to the more expanded sound of their more recent material. Their set mostly contained songs from this years What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World as well as favorites from throughout their ever-expanding career. As far as big folk-rock groups go today, you’re hard pressed to find more engrained in our popular culture than The Decemberists, and I’m totally ok with that.
Find some more shots from their Newport performance posted below.
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