For our second day at Newport, Suzanne and I knew we had to get to see the Dimmer Twins. If you don’t know them by their acoustic duo name, you may know them as core members of the Drive-By Truckers Mike Cooley and Patterson hood. The name is a nod to the “Glimmer Twins” which refers to original Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Cooley and Hood traded songs and ripped through Truckers’ favorites. Cooley’s “A Ghost to Most” and “Carl Perkins Cadillac” were standouts. Hood’s songs came into new meaning in such an intimate setting with “Heathens,” “Tornadoes,” “Thoughts and Prayers,” and “The Living Bubba” all in powerful versions.
After that, Middle Brother went to the busking tent for an intimate acoustic set. Taylor Goldsmith and John McCauley did not sport acoustic guitars, but Matthew Logan Vasquez did. They joked about how it was their first practice in five years. Nonetheless, McCauley’s “Daydreaming” featured spot-on harmonies between the three that cut through the light rain with ease. Logan Vasquez’s “Blue Eyes” featured the three singers’ unique vocal blend in a more upbeat and riff-heavy tune. Goldsmith’s thoughtful “Thanks for Nothing” brought it down a notch but featured Goldsmith’s pure vocals. The trio laid into their songs with abandon and kept the small Newport busking stage audience with rapt attention.
The highlight of the day for me was Yola. Her new record “Stand for Myself” was set to be released on July 31. The powerful Brit stole the show in 2019 at Newport. This time, she held her ground with just a few special guests (Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby). No one can match her pipes and her second record gave her an expanded set of songs. Her first two tracks, “Faraway Look” and “Love is Light,” were from her 2019 album “Walk Through Fire.” The rest of the set featured songs from the new record. What could be a lost disco hit, “Dancing Away in Tears,” was a song that only Yola could pull off, and she certainly did in a live setting. “Starlight,” “Be My Friend” (with Brandi Carlile), and “Now You’re Here” were standouts performed from the new record. Yola’s strong pipes needed no help this time around (her 2019 show at Newport featured many collaborative performances).
About the author: Jeff is a teacher in the Boston area. When not buried correcting papers, Jeff can be found plucking various stringed instruments and listening to all types of americana music.