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JD McPherson, Live In Concert: Newport Folk 2013

By Stephen Thompson
Published July 27, 2013 at 10:48 AM EDT

JD McPherson provides a refreshing reminder that retro roots music isn't timid: His debut album, Signs & Signifiers, synthesizes blues and rockabilly and old-school rock 'n' roll with an unmistakable punk spirit. Throughout the record, he finds the delicate balance between a classic, traditionalist sound and the understanding that the styles he's emulating are rooted in rebellion, menace and even danger.

McPherson, who recorded Signs & Signifiers on old analog equipment, really brings home his raw aesthetic on the live stage. On this page, he performs as part of the 2013 Newport Folk Festival, recorded live on Friday, July 26 in Newport, R.I.

Set List

  • "Dimes For Nickels"

  • "Further On Up The Road" (Bobby 'Blue' Bland cover)

  • "Country Boy"

  • "I Can't Complain"

  • "Signs & Signifiers"

  • "Fire Bug"

  • "Abigail Blue"

  • "A Gentle Awakening"

  • "North Side Gal"

  • "Wolf Teeth"

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    Stephen Thompson
    Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)
    See stories by Stephen Thompson