A Big Ears Friday Reflection
Newport and the Great Folk Dream
Rob: Our Friday kicked off with all three of us catching Newport and the Great Folk Dream, a documentary covering the Newport Folk Festival from 1963 to 1966. The film does a beautiful job moving through the different years of the festival, and one of its most compelling aspects is how it shines a light on artists who had never been captured on film before — musicians who recorded their work back in the ’20s and ‘30s and were essentially rediscovered and finally documented for posterity. For anyone passionate about American folk music, it’s essential viewing.
Tune-Yards at the Mill & Mine
Rob: After the film, Paul and I headed over to see Tune-Yards at the Mill & Mine — our first time seeing them live. It’s genuinely hard to believe there are only two people on stage, given the sheer range of sound they produce. Using looping and layered instrumentation, the performance felt enormous. Like David Byrne (more on him later), she uses the full stage as a canvas, moving constantly rather than planting herself in one spot. It was absolutely captivating — lots of dancing, lots of crowd participation. If Big Ears shows run a spectrum from contemplative to vibrant, this was firmly on the vibrant end.
Hannah Cohen
Rob: From what I caught, this felt like a newer artist still finding her footing on stage. She had some nerves early on, but settled in nicely as the set progressed — the middle stretch had noticeably more energy and engagement. By the time I arrived toward the end, there was still a solid crowd. The sound was indie with a distinct country lean, and she performed with a full six-piece band including a backup singer. That last detail is worth noting: there’s something genuinely special about live harmonies versus a pre-recorded loop, and it made a real difference.
Paul: I arrived and saw the beginning of her set. A rocky start for sure, but they settled in nicely. Lovely tunes well harmonized. Hannah Cohen is a name to watch.
Kim Pomeroy at The Point
Rob: Probably one of the highlights of the entire festival for both of us was catching Kim Pomeroy at The Point on Friday afternoon. For someone so young, she commands an impressive stage presence, and she’s a natural storyteller between songs. The band hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and they carry that central-southern, Texas-adjacent sound with them. The songwriting is beautifully crafted, and the musicians playing alongside her were excellent across the board. She’s already headlining festivals and touring with notable acts — if you get the chance to see her, take it.
Paul: It was a set where I stayed to the end. I hope they visit Chattanooga soon.
Jeffrey Lewis and the Voltage at Barley's
Rob: I got to Jeffrey Lewis a little later than planned, but what he caught was certainly memorable. There’s a theatrical quality to the performance — at times she was crawling and rolling around the stage — with a sound that sits somewhere in the indie rock and country-folk space, sprinkled with some genuinely zany songs. The audience was engaged, and I noticed a few other festival performers in the crowd. I didn’t stay long enough to fully immerse myself, so I’ll defer to Clark for a more complete take.
Pino Palladino and Blake Mills with Sam Gendel and Chris Dave at Mill & Mine
Rob: This was a jazz set, and a deeply experimental one at that. The setup included some striking percussion elements — a large spiral of cut sheet metal hanging on stage that they’d strike periodically. It was unlike anything I’ve heard, even loosely. The crowd was large, which speaks to the reputation of the players involved. One of the things Big Ears does so well is bring together artists who might be known for other projects to collaborate on something they’re truly passionate about — this felt like exactly that kind of special, one-time configuration.
(As a side note: last year I caught Joe Russo from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead playing drums in a similarly unconventional setup — he had what appeared to be a bush positioned behind his kit, and the rustling leaves genuinely added something to the performance. Bizarre to describe, but it worked beautifully. Big Ears just has that effect on you.)
Mark Rubio’s Hurry Red Telephone at Jackson Terminal
Rob: Paul and I caught a portion of this one, though we didn’t stay long enough to form strong opinions. It’s firmly in the jazz space, with some interesting back-and-forth guitar interplay. If you’re a dedicated jazz listener, you probably would have loved it. As a more casual fan, I think I needed more time with it to really connect — but that’s the nature of a festival with this many overlapping sets.
Florist at Barley’s
Paul: I caught part of Florist’s set at Barley’s — though it turned out to be a stripped-down version of the band. Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Emily Sprague performed solo, just voice and acoustic guitar, in what became a beautifully sparse, intimate set. The songs sit in shoegaze/emo territory, and the devoted fans in the room were clearly thrilled to be there. Her voice is stunning, and the songwriting is carefully crafted. If you’re a fan of Hailey Heynderickx or similar artists, this would have been right in your wheelhouse.
Nate Mercereau — Excellent Traveler at First Presbyterian Chapel
Paul :One of my personal surprises of the festival. I ducked into First Presbyterian Chapel to get out of the rain and ended up staying for the whole set. Nate Mercereau plays a guitar-like instrument without a headstock — the strings control a synthesizer, so you’re playing it like a guitar but the sounds are entirely electronic. Layered with loops, drum machines, and other gear, he builds lush, intricate soundscapes. Midway through, he was joined by another artist (whose name I unfortunately didn’t catch) who brought in more analog textures — a maraca, whistles, and other acoustic elements — painting what I can only describe as a bucolic, naturalistic landscape in sound. Genuinely beautiful. This is exactly what Big Ears is about: you wander into a church to stay dry and stumble onto something you never would have sought out but will be thinking about for weeks.
David Byrne at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium
Rob: The main event. I had the opportunity to see David Byrne’s Friday night show, and I am still processing it.
First: David Byrne is 73 years old. You would not believe it. He moved with the energy and precision of someone half his age, for two full hours, without stopping.
The entire band — not just Byrne — was in constant, choreographed motion throughout the show. No one stood in one place. They carried instruments, moved across the stage, interacted with each other, all while performing flawlessly. The staging made full use of the available space, and the visual elements were extraordinary: large 3D screens that opened on a moonscape with Earth in the background, evolving through the night. At one point, cameras were trained on each performer’s mouth, projecting live close-ups on the screens behind them — so as they sang, their lips moved in sync on the backdrop. Some visuals were minimalist; others were enormous and immersive. During Psycho Killer, they used spotlights on the floor beneath each performer rather than the screens — exactly the right call for that moment.
The set wove together Byrne’s solo material with Talking Heads classics. The band wore orange jumpsuits, and the lighting shifted throughout to interact with the fabric in striking ways.
Walking out, I overheard an older gentleman say to his father — who also happened to be 73 — “Father, David Byrne is the same age as you are. What are you doing with your life?” That about sums it up.
If David Byrne is touring in any form while you have the opportunity to see him, please go. Do not hesitate.
John Scofield Trio at the Tennessee Theatre
Paul: Clark and I closed out Friday with John Scofield’s trio at the Tennessee Theatre — a gorgeous venue for a jazz set. Scofield was joined by Vicente Archer on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. If you’re a jazz fan, this was essential. Stewart in particular is the kind of drummer who looks completely unassuming until he sits down and makes you feel like you’ve been missing something your whole life. A wonderful way to end an already remarkable day.
More reflections of the team’s coverage of the Big Ears Festival weekend to come.
Note: AI was used to transcribe voice memos and helped with grammar cleanup in this article.
