Sweet Talk's Top Ten Live Songs 2008

Page 5 of 12

7) American Babies "Swimming at Night" 8/2/08 Newport Folk Festival

The third time the road manager for Damian and Stephen Manager called me to tell me they were crossing the Newport Bridge and they still couldn't figure out how to get off it, I just started laughing.  The only solution was to send a very "understanding" Rhode Island State Trooper to find them and give them an escort to the festival grounds.

In the meantime there were approximately ten thousand people standing in a torrential down pour waiting for music. This wasn't just a passing shower this was a true summer squall that ended up knocking out all the power on Aquidneck Island for over an hour.  If it wasn't for the generators for the main stage the whole festival would have gone silent.

However we still needed a band to brave the elements and possible electrocution, so I jumped in a golf cart, tore to the Waterside stage and not so calmly asked the American Babies who were packing their van for the long trip back to Brooklyn after finishing their set to approx 100 people if they wanted to play the main stage.  They asked how long they had to prepare; I told them to grab whatever gear they could carry and jump on the cart.

As the amazing stage team quickly outfitted the Marley's gear to work for the Babies, the band stood backstage in a tight circle and quietly harmonized the little ditty sung by Winthorp's pretentious friend Todd and his Ivy league preppy cronies in Trading Places.

"Zeta Chi..Zeta Chi my friend...Neath the elms we sing our tones we're brothers to the end. Muffy in the bathroom stall, Margaret by the lake....Susan down in Ridgely hall, Constance on the make. Constance Frye...Coooonstance Frye....anytime you'd call... Constance would fulfill your needs....winter, spring...oooor faaaaaaall. 'that was great, that was really great. "And she stepped, ooohn the baaall."

After nailing the harmony and some last minute encouragement from Trey Anastasio who had just finished his own main stage set, the American Babies walked onto the biggest stage of their young career exactly ten minutes after finishing on the small stage and simply killed IT in absolutely the worst conditions imaginable.

There are some bands that get breaks and never take advantage and then there are bands like these guys who absolutely soar. When Tom Hamilton sang the lyrics into the heart of the storm,

"Dare the Ocean to drag us away, because we're not afraid of a water grave"

while looking out on the raging sea and a multitude of water logged revelers was inspirational. As I've said many times before this band deserves every shot at the big time.

 

American Babies at Newport Folk Festival - Funny bloopers are a click away