Music Blog

Freak-folk pioneer Michael Hurley looked like a man from another time and place when he took the Nelsonville Music Festival Porch Stage today around 2 p.m.

Despite the oppressive heat, Hurley was decked out in a jacket, long sleeves and a hat, cooing away at an assortment of sleepy hippies and sunburned college kids.

Hurley played alone, armed only with a hollow-body electric guitar and a collection of incredible songs about traveling and wily women who demand that he "get a job.

Athens, Ohio's The D-Rays performed a Friday evening set on the Nelsonville Music Festival Porch Stage before an energetic crowd.

The D-Rays play a blend of garage/surf-rock, reminiscent of such acts as The Ventures and Dick Dale.

During the band's set, many in the audience remarked on how the group was able to produce such a large and powerful sound from just three instruments.

"Safety Third," the band's debut single, was released in March. For more information, visit The D-Rays' Facebook page.

When Kurt Vile and the Violators took the main stage at the Nelsonville Music festival last night, they easily could have been mistaken for a group of shaggy high schoolers.

With his shoulder-length locks and Joey Ramone-style hair shield, Vile greeted the audience before plowing into an original that sounded a little like J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. and a lot like early Meat Puppets.