Building on the momentum of last year, Illiterate Light – the duo of singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran – are very excited to continue hosting The Bike Stage at Newport Folk Festival, taking place July 28-30.
The Bike Stage is a pop-up stage located near the beer garden in the quad that is powered by bicycles and solar energy. Find the current announced lineup of stage performers below, with more to be revealed during the weekend’s festivities.
Valerie June, Erin Rae, and JP Harris will also host “For Pete’s Sake” on The Bike Stage on Saturday and Sunday morning, an hour-long performance of various artists playing Pete Seeger tunes, and the hosts will all be bringing guests to the stage during their performances.
Speaking on the significance of their innovative stage, the band said, “There’s a beautiful protest song by Pete Seeger, ‘If I Had A Hammer’. When we started touring by bicycle, we played this song every night. In many ways, it captures the essence of our vision. Our aim with the bike stage is to bring people together, for us to work in harmony to collectively create a beautiful experience, and for the music to be the vehicle that takes us there.”
Performing on the bike stage is a unique experience for both artist and festival goer, as fans create the energy for the performances in real-time, connecting with the music on a kinesthetic/bodily level. Jeff and Jake from Illiterate Light organize festival goers on and off the bikes, ensuring comfortable rides. Riders pedal for one to two songs. Comfortably pedaling for four to eight minutes with a cold drink in hand while watching a great performance is profoundly empowering and exciting for fans.
List of Bike Stage Performers
Illiterate Light |
| The Ballroom Thieves |
| Caiola |
| Al Olender |
| Joshua Ray Walker |
| Palmyra |
| Odie Leigh |
| Bendigo Fletcher |
| Ian Ferguson |
| Raye Zaragoza |
| Sir Woman |
| Valerie June (“For Pete’s Sake”) |
| Erin Rae (“For Pete’s Sake”) |
| JP Harris (“For Pete’s Sake”) |
In addition to performing at and hosting their bicycle and solar-powered stage at Newport Folk Festival this month, the band will also be heading out on an extended U.S. tour, performing at In Between Days Festival in Quincy, MA, on August 20th, at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, VA on September 9th, and The Atlantis in Washington, D.C. on December 9th. Tickets are available for purchase here. Illiterate Light’s latest album, Sunburned, which SPIN included in their “Best Albums of 2023 (So Far)” list, is out now via Thirty Tigers.
