On Saturday, Brandeis a cappella group, Too Cheap For Instruments, hosted their annual Folk Fest on the Great Lawn. The performance, part of Leonard Bernstein’s Festival of the Creative Arts, highlighted folk singers and bands from all over New England for the beautiful showcase. Aside from Too Cheap For Instruments, the show featured performances by Molly Pinto Madigan, Lauren Pratt, Crowes Pleasure, Walter and the Night Owls and Cold Weather Company, among others.
The most well known musician of this lineup, Cold Weather Company, is a New Jersey based alternative folk band that formed in 2011, after meeting at Rutgers University. The members of the band include Brian Curry, Jeff Pestecia and Steve Shimchick. They are best known for their singles “Wide Eyed” and “Gettysburg.” They plan to release a third album later this year.
Too Cheap For Instruments emphasizes folk music during their a cappella performances. The group opened with a mellow take on “Ophelia” by the Lumineers. The band then performed a variety of songs including “Planets” by Joseph, “White Winter Hymnal” by the Fleet Foxes, “Dusty Trails” by Lucius, and “Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The group’s dynamics, in addition to their well-blended vocal techniques, created an atmosphere perfect for the bright, sunny day.
Some attendees reflected on the festival:
“All of the performances were amazing, Too Cheap For Instruments put together a really great lineup.”
-Matt Foshay ‘21
“I thought it was lovely. The atmosphere was perfect, and it was a beautiful day for it. The music sounded great as well.”
-Ash Taber ‘21
“Folk fest had a nice, relaxed atmosphere and some of the music (especially Too Cheap For Instruments) was really great! Folk Fest had a really nice, relaxed vibe I think we can always use more of.”
-Jacob Margolis ‘21
“It was a really chill event with great artists. I enjoyed listening to the music while sitting outside and doing homework with friends. There was a really nice atmosphere.”
-Jordan Scheiner’ 21
Two members from Too Cheap for Instruments, soprano Annie Grimley ‘21 and mezzo soprano Sarah Lavin ‘21 explain their perspective about how it felt to perform at such a big event like Folk Fest.
“It was so amazing to hear the energy of the crowd and all of the artists. The beautiful weather made it really pleasant to stand up there and perform.”
-Annie Grimley ‘21, member of Too Cheap For Instruments
“My a cappella group actually put on Folk Fest! It was so cool to be able to meet the artists and sing for not only Brandeis students, but the Waltham community as well. And the sunshine and blue skies made it even better than I hoped it would be.”
-Sarah Lavin ‘21, member of Too Cheap For Instruments
Folk Fest celebrated local folk music, and set the stage for more favorable musical events.
