Friday,
July 11 8:00pm Martha
Wainwright
Saturday, July 12
The Brother Kite
Need to Breathe
Matt Nathanson
Blind Melon
An outdoor
performance
at Waterfront Park, Downtown Newburyport Free and open to the public!
Join us on Friday
night for a special ticketed performance at the Firehouse
Center for the Arts with Martha Wainwright.
In the three years
since her critically-acclaimed debut, Martha Wainwright has
toured and recorded with acts ranging from Neko Case to Snow
Patrol. She has performed Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, and
appeared on the big screen in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.
But her greatest achievement is, undoubtedly, the creation of
her sophomore record. Entitled I Know You're Married But
I've Got Feelings Too, it is a musically and lyrically
ambitious effort, from understated ballads to intense rock
numbers. Wainwright offers new takes on a couple old classics
as well: Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play" and the
Eurythmics' "Love Is A Stranger." With I Know
You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too Wainwright has
created a masterpiece that will further establish her as one
of the most exciting and brilliantly creative songwriters of
her generation.
Call the
Firehouse Box Office for ticket information at 978-462-7336.
Saturday,
July 12
Free Concert at Waterfront Park:
Providence's The
Brother Kite began crafting their shoegaze-inflected
rock sound in 2001. After a split 7" with Vaguely
Starshaped on Losing Blueprint Records, The Brother Kite
released their first full-length album on Clairecords, a
self-titled and self-recorded serving of layered guitars and
buoyant melodies. With the success of thebrotherkite, the band
was poised to take a bold step, but knew the restrictions of
traditional studio recording wouldn't allow for the creative
freedom they needed. So they did what any band would do: built
their own studio! Waiting For the Time To Be Right is the
long-awaited result of this endeavor, a brave new rock album
astonishing not only for its depth and maturity, but also for
its willingness to stray from the shoegaze sound that defined
their previous works. Layered guitar textures remain an
important ingredient, but Boutwell's impassioned vocals are
now pushed to the forefront, showcasing a Brian Wilson-esque
gift for melody hinted at in earlier songs. The result is an
album of dynamically orchestrated pop, equal parts Loveless
and Smile, Quadrophenia and The Soft Bulletin. With Waiting...
The Brother Kite respectfully pays homage to some of rock's
great achievements while carving out an innovative spot for
themselves in the world of today's independent music.
Click the video below to see
The Brother Kite at the Newburyport Riverfront Festival.
Led by brothers Bear
and Bo Rinehart, Need
to Breathe has already earned a fervent following
throughout the Southeast. The widescreen melodic rock of their
Lava/Atlantic debut, ‘DAYLIGHT,’ should see the South
Carolina-based quartet spreading their majestic noise even
further. Songs like ‘Shine On’ and the powerful first
single, ‘You Are Here,’ are rich with sweeping sonics and
heartfelt emotions that are both deeply individual and wholly
universal. With its expressive sound and confident worldview, DAYLIGHT
marks the coming of Need To Breathe as
a genuinely moving, often inspiring new band.
The Rineharts grew
up in the small town of Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, where
their pastor dad ran a local church camp. Both parents instilled
a love of music in their boys.
Click
the video below to see NeedtoBreathe at the Newburyport
Riverfront Festival.
NeedtoBreathe at the
Newburyport Riverfront Festival
Matt
Nathansondoesn't waste any time setting the tone for
his transfixing new album, Some Mad Hope. Diving headlong into
a sea of chiming guitars, the San Francisco-based
singer-songwriter breathlessly declares "I'm wide awake
and so alive" -- the opening lines of "Car
Crash" serving as a statement of emotional clarity that
permeates the disc's every groove.
Some Mad Hope, Nathanson's
sixth studio album (and first for Vanguard), is in many ways
his most fully-realized work to date. Recorded over the past
two and a half years, the 12-song set displays a sonic depth
that dovetails perfectly with what he admits is a newfound
songwriting confidence.
Click on the
video below to see Matt Nathanson at the Riverfront Festival
Matt Nathanson at the
Newburyport Riverfront Festival
In
recent years, the tale of Blind Melon has taken
a dramatic turn – from an abrupt and tragic end, to a
rebirth and reconnection with their legion of fans. No
matter how you slice it, the group was responsible for
some of the most memorable and pure-sounding rock music of
the ‘90s. And with their reformation in 2006 with singer
Travis Warren, Blind Melon are poised to pick up exactly
where they left off a decade earlier – as evidenced by
their new single, “Wishing Well.”
Click on the video
below to see Blind Melon performing "No Rain" at
the 2008 Riverfront Festival.
Blind
Melon performs at the Riverfront Festival
New This
Year!
Visit the Ipswich Ale Beer Garden located directly behind
the
Custom House Maritime Museum.
The Beer garden
will be open to patrons 21 years of age or older
from 12 - 6 pm.
There is a 3 beer limit per customer.
16 oz draft beers are $5 each.
Please enjoy responsibly!!
FROM
ROUTE 95:
Take exit 57 and follow signs to downtown Newburyport.
FROM
BOSTON: Take Route 1
north to Route 95 north to exit 57. Follow signs to
downtown Newburyport.
FROM
ROUTE 495:
Follow to Route 95, then south to exit 57. Follow
signs to downtown Newburyport.
Waterfront
Park is located directly behind the Firehouse Center for
the Arts in Market Square.
PARKING
There are 3 municipal lots downtown - which are free.
They are located at Green & Merrimac Streets, State
and Harris Streets (next to the Library) and on Prince
Place.
There are 2 lots run by the Newburyport Redevelopment
Authority which will be charging $8 for parking. They are
located at either side of Waterfront Park along Merrimac
Street (West Lot) and Water Street (East Lot)
You may also park in legal spots on the street. If you
park in a nearby neighborhood, please be respectful of
residents and all parking laws - do not block fire
hydrants or driveways. Police will ticket or tow all cars
which are parked in illegal spaces.
