Skip to content ↓

The Nields to perform folk-rock

With final exams looming, the Lecture Series Committee (LSC) has scheduled a concert by the Nields and Jess Klein to help "stressed students to blow off a little steam and let loose," according to organizer Jacob Schwartz, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science.

The concert, co-sponsored by the MIT Women's Collective, will take place Saturday, May 13 at 7pm in La Sala de Puerto Rico.

The Nields, a fivesome of Massachusetts folk-rockers, consist of sisters Katryna and Nerissa Nields, who provide harmonized vocals, and three guys -- all named Dave -- who back them on guitar, bass and drums. Since 1991, the group has performed their blend of folk, pop and rock around the country.

"Often teenagers will show up at our gigs with their parents," says Nerissa Nields. "The kids see in us something really new and fresh, and the parents see us as a throwback to the classic rock groups of the '60s... We want to be making music that lasts a long time, yet also reflects what's going on now."

The Nields sisters performed as a duo at MIT in the fall, opening for Dar Williams at a concert celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Program in Women's Studies. "The majority of the audience was young college students," said Mr. Schwartz, reinforcing his observation that "folk and folk-rock are in the midst of a revival on college campuses."

But he added that this MIT performance will also be of interest to faculty and staff and hopes to see the entire MIT community "having fun together at the show."

Joining the Nields will be Jess Klein, a young New England guitarist. She is also a member of Voices on the Verge, a group of rising female folk vocalists, and she has participated in RESPOND, a series of CDs and concerts to benefit women's shelters in Boston. Ms. Klein will also give an informal lecture on songwriting and her experiences as a woman in the music business followed by a question-and-answer session on Saturday, May 13 at 4pm in Rm 10-250.

Tickets to the concert cost $8 for MIT and Wellesley community members, $15 for guests with college ID and are available at the Source in MIT's Student Center and at all LSC movies. Both events are funded in part by the Program in Women's Studies, the DeFlorez Fund for Humor and the Council for the Arts at MIT.

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 10, 2000.

Related Topics

More MIT News