What’s Up Interview: Folk Festival artists Steve Poltz and John Craigie reflect on their Newport Folk Festival experience


John Craigie is an L.A.-born singer-songwriter who infuses comedic storytelling into his performances. He’s been compared to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and he has collaborated with artists like Jack Johnson, Gregory Alan Isakov, and the Shook Twins. Seattle Newspaper The Stranger has called Craigie “…the lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg with a vagabond troubadour edge.”

This was Craigie’s second time at Newport after playing here in 2022, and Craigie played two Newport stages this year. We caught up with Craigie after his Sunday performance with Canadian-American musician Steve Poltz on the Foundation Stage.

“This year was fantastic; I was with my friend Langhorne Slim who I met two years ago here, and I felt like I kind of knew the place a little better,” said Craigie. “Sophomore year, you’re still the new kid, but you know a few people walking down the halls. Last year I got I played the Harbor Stage around noon or one, and this time we got to close down the Harbor Stage, so it was really cool.”

Langhorne Slim and John Craigie at Newport Folk Festival. Photo Credit: Ken Abrams

While his performance at the Harbor Stage drew a large crowd, Craigie was surprised by the turnout at the smaller Foundation Stage he played with Poltz on Sunday.

“I was not expecting that to be as great as it was – I made this joke on stage… I asked Newport Folk, “What time is our set?” And they said, “10 A.M.” I said, “What time do they open the gates?” And they said, “10 A.M.,” but I thought man, no one’s going to be here, and then of course it was maybe more people than the other set, so it was wonderful surprise.”

Craigie’s storytelling was a highlight of his sets during Newport Folk, and this craft has earned him strong praise.

“I mean, I was always a storyteller before musician. In fact, in my early days, people would say the talking is good, but the music has got some work… I was a kind of a scrawny little kid who got picked on, and my dad would always encourage me that they don’t kill the comedian – you know, the court jester lives. Comedy was really saving me and keeping me out of trouble. Once I got into the music, it just became natural. All my heroes, Wainwright and obviously Dylan, were just good at that.”

John Craigie at Newport Folk Festival. Photo Credit: Ken Abrams

Craigie’s 2024 album “Pagan Church” is now available for download, streaming, or purchase. He has a live recording album in the works to be released soon.

Steve Poltz, a Canadian-American musician, has collaborated with artists like Jewel and A.J. Croce, and he is a founding member of the band The Rugburns. While this was Poltz’s first time at Newport, he was an active presence throughout the festival, with a solo acoustic set on Friday, a visit at the Wellness Tent on Saturday, and a performance with John Craigie on the Foundation Stage on Sunday.

“What was beautiful about this set I did with Craigie this morning was that when I looked at the old pictures of Newport Folk Festival, everybody was pushed up to the stage, sitting down right there,” he said. “That was to me the true spirit. I liked my Harbor set a lot, I loved it, don’t get me wrong. But I love when the audience is right up in my face, and they were all around.”

On getting to play music with Craigie, Poltz found the experience to be meaningful and emblematic of the community at Newport Folk.

“It’s like watching two people play a cool game of tennis back and forth – not that we’re competing, we’re volleying and having so much fun. I would shut my eyes and listen to his songs. Today I really felt the true community of Newport with everybody on the ground and in a full circle; it felt like we were Joan and Bob, you know, I was Joan and he was Bob, and he was turning me on to all the people because it’s his second time and I’m the newbie.”

One major feature of Poltz’s performances is his unique storytelling.

“I would say I sort of discovered story storytelling as life went on through experience, and then one night, I accidentally ate 3 heavily dosed THC brownies when I got out of the water surfing. My friend freaked because she did not eat three of those, because they’re so strong – they’re supposed to be 1/4. I didn’t know that they were brownies with THC, and I went insane; I asked to be taken to the hospital, and I was crying.”

“I really lost my mind, and then they said to give him a guitar. Somebody handed me a guitar, and I proceeded to put on a three-hour show that was all improv for three hours, and it got me out of the mess I was in. I realized I wasn’t using my full brain and my potential to adlib, to story tell, and just mix things up through spontaneity and improv. When I came down from that, I thought, I gotta remember how I did that, and I’ve kind of never forgotten it. This is why drugs can sometimes be good – not always, but every once in a while, something good comes up.”

As a solo acoustic artist, Poltz often plays songs he has never performed live before, and many of the songs he plays are those he has recently written. “You just write them, bring them, and see what sticks. If I don’t try something new every show, I don’t get the adrenaline rush, and I live for the rush.”During his set, Poltz mentioned that he plays over 200 shows a year, and his tour dates can be found on his website. His album “Satellites and Stardust” is available now.



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