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We’re not entirely sure what a “boutique touring festival” is, but if Courtney Barnett’s “Here and There” festival is any indication, we need more of them.
The celebrated New Zealand singer/songwriter, whose dry, clever lyrics and wry storytelling abilities have earned her comparisons to Bob Dylan, had to skip a solo stop at the Wang Theatre last month when she came down with COVID. But she plans to return to the area in August — this time to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, of all places — and this time she’ll be far from alone.
For “Here and There,” Barnett has recruited a revolving cast of some of the brightest faces in indie music, a collection of mostly female-fronted acts that include the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Snail Mail, Waxahatchee, Alvvays, and Wet Leg, among many others, with a different lineup for each stop. At the Massachusetts show, Barnett will host an impressive bunch: Lucy Dacus, Men I Trust, Faye Webster, The Beths, Bartees Strange, and Hana Vu.
“Here And There feels like a natural culmination of energy after years of touring, and 10 years of working on my label, Milk! Records,” Barnett said in a statement. “It’s something I’ve been forever daydreaming about, and part of an always evolving project to share spaces and build new platforms for art and artists that I believe in.”
Named after a lyric from Barnett’s 2012 track “Scotty Says” — “I got lost somewhere between Here And There, I’m not sure what the town was called” — this particular boutique tour sounds like it could be the beginning of a lot of beautiful friendships.
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