NPR Posts Up Full Julien Baker Set at Newport Folk Festival

Julien Baker

NPR has released a live recording of Julien Baker’s performance at the Newport Folk Festival.

At Newport Folk, the 20-year-old Memphian filled the quad inside Fort Adams with plaintive folk songs and electric guitar. Midway through her set, Baker brought out Matthew Gilliam, her bandmate in Forrister, to add touches of atmospheric percussion to “Vessels” and “Brittle Boned.” But for the most part, it was just her ragged-edged voice and ringing Telecaster — and that was enough to win over the audience, who gave her multiple standing ovations. Particularly well received was “Good News,” which, as Baker explained, is about “thinking you ruin everything … and then figuring out that you don’t.”