The annual Rhode Island Folk Festival returns to Crescent Park in East Providence this Sunday, August 25. The free festival has grown from modest beginnings in Providence to a “not to be missed” event held annually on the last Sunday in August.
This year’s headliners include folk legend Tom Rush and Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Michelle Malone, who I spoke with recently. A veteran artist, Malone has taken the “indie” route in recent years, bypassing the often ruthless music industry machine. She’s looking forward to returning to the area.
“I think it’s wonderful that the festival is free,” she said in the call. “I’ve played the other festival (Newport), and it was almost too much. I think I played it twice in the 90s. I’m grateful that I got to do it.”
Malone and touring partner Doug Kees play a stripped-down set with two guitars and vocals. “I’ve been touring as a duo now for several years,” she said. “It’s a dynamic and compelling show that goes over well on big stages and little stages.” She prefers the smaller format that a festival like RIFF offers. “I can hear better without drums,” she laughed. “My soundcheck is always a lot shorter.”
A mainstay in the roots/folk/rock world, Malone has been touring and recording since the late 1980s. She’s been on the Grammy ballot and won numerous awards over the years, collaborating with such greats as Gregg Allman, John Mayer, Shawn Mullins, and the Indigo Girls.
In addition to songs recorded from throughout her career, Malone expects to share tunes from her upcoming album Southern Comfort, due out in October. “I gathered a lot of my friends here in Georgia and a couple of friends in Nashville to play on the record. I like to record here and use local musicians, local studios, and local graphic designers. I think that’s the right thing to do, support your own community.”
“I also invited a few of my friends from Nashville, including Buddy Miller and Will Kimbrough,” she continued. “These are people I’ve worked with in the past and thought I really needed their skills on this particular album.” To finish off the record, Malone added members of notable Georgia bands including Blackberry Smoke and Georgia Satellites.
Malone’s music rides that line when rock, folk and blues meet, these days often tagged as Americana. It’s a label many artists don’t necessarily embrace, although it encompasses the work of many critically acclaimed musicians.
“Back then it was called rock and roll, “ laughed Malone. “My first major label record got played on rock radio, prior to that I was played on indie, left of the dial stations, then it was indie folk, then it was folk-rock,” she noted.
“I started playing more acoustic and less electric, and writing that way as well,” continued Malone. “I found it easier to tour and easier to support myself. I think an album, a record, is actually a moment in time. When I go into the studio, the songs tell me what they want. These songs (on the new album) wanted a rock and roll band. It has a certain familiarity in the sound; I play a lot of 12-string, some slide guitar, and then other folks added some Southern things.”
“At the end of the day a couple of the songs sounded like The Faces or Ron Wood, from back in the day. I have so many different influences and they are all back there somewhere in my brain.”
Like many artists, Malone’s career has been impacted by the loss of revenue due to streaming services, however she is optimistic about a service expected to come online soon. “It’s a new streaming platform called Valid Music, a subscription service for independent music only. They’ll be sharing subscription money with the artists. I’m excited for that to get going,” she said.
Malone expects to have some recorded music for sale at the festival. “I have wonderful fans who like to purchase CDs and I make colored vinyl albums. I think vinyl is fun, I’m very tactile, I like to hold it and read the credits. When I was a kid coming up, I just read every liner note and was enthralled by it. That’s how I learned about music in general.”
“I remember listening to Linda Ronstadt records – I would look and see who wrote each song – that’s how I found out about freaking Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Lowell George, all these people.”
Malone plays the main Bandshell stage at 2:25 on Sunday. Click here to learn more about the Rhode Island Folk Festival.
Click here to learn more about Michelle Malone.
