Watch Courtney Barnett, Phoebe Bridgers Cover Gillian Welch’s ‘Everything Is Free’

Courtney Barnett and Phoebe Bridgers teamed up for a remote duet of Gillian Welch’s “Everything Is Free” this past weekend.

“Everything Is Free” has become a musician favorite in recent years, also getting the cover treatment from Father John Misty. Performing as part of Newport Folk Festival’s three-day livestream, Barnett and Bridgers did a stripped-down rendition of the Time (The Revelator) track, with only Barnett’s guitar and their two voices in harmony.

Bridgers released her critically lauded sophomore album Punisher this past June. She released a dramatic music video for album closer “I Know the End” last week, and recently performed the single “Kyoto” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Barnett was scheduled to tour with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds this summer before COVID-19 shut down most live music. She instead appeared on a series of livestream performances, including a collaborative show with Sharon Van Etten and Sheryl Crow that benefited Oxfan’s COVID-19 relief fund. She released her last full-length LP, Tell Me How You Really Feel, in 2018.

Other performers at Newport’s virtual festival included Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Ben Harper, M. Ward, Jim James, Roger Waters, Lucius, Trombone Shorty, Deer Tick, Leon Bridges, Sharon Van Etten, Robert Ellis and more. The three-day event kicked off with an 80th birthday celebration for Mavis Staples, and organizers encouraged virtual attendees to donate to the Newport Festivals Foundation.