In 2011, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirt, and John McCauley of Deer Tick formed the ultimate folk rock supergroup, Middle Brother. After releasing their self-titled debut record and touring throughout the year, the members returned focus to their mainstay outfits and solo careers. Now, fives years after Middle Brother’s release, the band is officially getting back together.
Newport Folk Fest has announced that Goldsmith, Vasquez, and McCauley will reunite to celebrate the anniversary with a special performance. The band will perform at the festival on Sunday, July 24th. It’s a fitting place to make their return, as the band’s last full performance was at the 2011 Folk Festival, with a four-song surprise set coming during Deer Tick’s annual NFF afterparties a year later.
Middle Brother is another impressive get for Newport’s 2016 lineup, which also boasts Flight of the Conchords reunion, Ray Lamontagne backed by My Morning Jacket, Father John Misty solo, and acts like Lady Lamb, Julien Baker, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Tickets for the festival are already sold out, so a fan-to-fan resale website launched earlier this year may be your best bet for passes.
There’s also the ever-present Deer Tick aftershows, which are still to be announced. While the three-night residency is always full of surprises, the presence of Middle Brother at NFF makes it even more intriguing.
Find the current Newport Folk Festival lineup at Festival Outlook. Below, listen to Middle Brother’s entire 2011 performance at the festival via NPR.