august 6 

Dunkin' Donuts is ubiquitous. As a sponsor or advertiser, they can be seen everywhere in New England, from the Fenway Park to a charity golf tournament for New England Center for Children, an autism center. Fair enough. They've got the bucks to spend and with a DD on every corner and in every gas station in the environs, they're a local institution - they started in Quincy - that's gone international.

On TV, they're now trying to convince us that America runs on Dunkin' Donuts. What sticks in the craw is that they seem to attach themselves to sporting events and sports teams when they're peddling sugar and caffeine, kind of the antithesis of athleticism. Remember the old John Belushi skit about training for a marathon by downing doughnuts?

Well, they've grabbed sponsorship (this is the second of a three-year deal) of the Newport Folk Festival. When you think folk music do you think doughnuts? Maybe not, although there is precedent for sugary sponsorship of this beloved festival, where, yes kids, Dylan went electric in the '60s: Newport used to be under Ben & Jerry's banner, who admittedly were more politically in tune with what we think Newport is about.

As we're not hypocrites, we'll admit we covered several of these things and ate more than a few (free) backstage B&J treats. This year, at Newport we might sneak a Boston Crème in and have one of the billion or so cups of coffee served each year by these guys.

Enough about ice cream and pastry. This year's Folk Festival features David Gray, Odetta, Rosanne Cash and - stop the presses - the Indigo Girls! Emily Saliers and Amy Ray love this place and have played it a gazillion times. The gals who cram the front area of the stage really love them back. We (kind of) sat in on a group circle Amy held backstage one year and she had 'em in the palm of her hand, dispensing wisdom. And really, outside the early "women's music" pioneers like Holly Near, Cris Williamson and Ferron has any female act had more lesbian - and mainstream - appeal?

The Indigos headline Sunday Aug. 6 at the main - all right, Dunkin' Donuts - stage, with the Meters, Madeleine Peyroux, Keller Williams, Patty Larkin and Tim Eriksen Presents Shape Note. There are two other stages (Harbor and Waterside) with acts all day, including a "song circle" presentation.

Now, one of the fun things about Newport is discovering a cool up-and-comer. This year, we've got Antje Duvekot - German born, Boston-based singer-songwriter-guitarist - in our sights. She will join Martyn Joseph, Bob Franke, Kerry Grombacher and Abigail Washburn for Sunday's circle at the Waterside stage. They will each play a song and go around the circle and repeat the process.

Duvekot, 31, is pretty excited about it all. "I'm aware of the great people who've played there,'' says Duvekot, whose latest disc is "Big Dream Boulevard.'' "When I first heard I was playing I couldn't believe it. I have so many heroes in the music world, like the Indigo Girls. The first song I ever played was 'Closer to Fine.' Growing up, they almost didn't seem real.'' And, now Duvekot, says, sort of amazed, she's sharing a bill with them.

Duvekot is an upbeat sort of gal, but her songs have a darker side. "I can only write about things that move me,'' she says. "I've tried to write upbeat popp songs and I can't really do it. I write pretty personal songs about what I'm going through." She generally writes when she's down, reasoning "if I'm feeling happy, I'm too busy having fun." That process "makes for a lot of sad songs, which makes people think you're a totally sad person which is not the case."

Saturday's bill is headlined by David Gray, with Rosanne Cash, Sonny Landreth, Bettye Lavette, Chris Smither and the Duhks on the DD stage. Each day starts at 11:30 a.m. and wraps at 7 p.m. It takes place at the Fort Adams State Park. Tickets for each day are $59; it's $95 for both days. Call 401-847-3700 or visit www.ticketweb.com or go to the Newport County Convention & Visitors Bureau.