This Tarp Kills Fascists

Full 2008 Lineup Announced

2008-05-28T16:07:00.003-06:00

Here. Additional performers include Amadou & Mariam, Broken Social Scene, Cat Power, Joan Osborne, Ron Sexsmith, Johnny Lang and Chris Isaak.

Considering last year's lineup, and the extra revenue that was rumoured to exist, this lineup just doesn't cut it for me.

Dylan to play Folk Festival

2008-05-09T19:10:00.002-06:00

It's true! Jakob Dylan is playing this year's Edmonton Folk Festival!

What? Oh, you didn't think I meant Bob Dylan, did you? Silly rabbits.

It also appears that female fan favorites Michael Franti and Spearhead will be back. C is for Cookie!

Ain't Nothing Wrong With That

2008-04-30T23:17:00.005-06:00

Robert Randolph and the Family Band are confirmed artists at this year's Winnipeg Folk Festival. That's gonna be one hell of a show. The man plays a mean Sacred Steel. If they play Edmonton, I'm gonna freak. They are on my shortlist of must-see bands. It might be worth a roadie to the Peg if they don't play here.

Brothers Down

2008-04-30T23:07:00.003-06:00

Sam Roberts and Charlie Musselwhite have both been confirmed for this year's Calgary Folk Festival. Ooh, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Excellent.

Union Station members flying solo at Folk Fest

2008-04-30T22:25:00.010-06:00

Pollstar has listed some more acts for the 2008 Edmonton Folk Festival. It includes a plethora of past performers, including K'Naan, Martha Wainwright, Martyn Joseph, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dar Williams and The Fairfield Four. Interestingly, guitar player Dan Tyminski of Alison Krauss & Union Station (and lead Soggy Bottom Boy) is also listed as a performer. As I noted in an earlier post, Jerry Douglas is also confirmed, which means that two members of Union station will be at the festival performing. Methinks we might get to some some wonderful stuff at one of the sidestages this August. Maybe The Fairfield Four will even join the boys at a "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" session.

Hey Clinton! Hey Yeltsin!

2008-03-12T21:44:00.003-06:00

Guess who's coming to Folk Fest!?!?!

Okay, it's only the insufferable Jian Ghomeshi, but I think The Hill Nanny is still going to pee her pants.

Early Confirmations?

2008-01-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

It's only January, but Pollstar already has some interesting acts down as playing at the Edmonton Folk Festival this year. They include country-rockers The Sadies, former Men At Work lead singer and Zach Braff favorite Colin Hay, as well as the world's greatest dobro player and member of Union Station, Jerry Douglas. To me, that's so far, so very good.

Here's Hay doing "Overkill" on Scrubs, followed by Jerry Douglas and Alison Krauss performing Paul Simon's "Graceland."

Hasn't Hit Me Yet

2007-08-25T11:36:00.000-06:00

Another quintessential Canadian video. Don't it look romantic? Except we all know they probably froze their asses off shooting it.

Ditto for this one.

If this doesn't send shivers up your spine, you are dead inside. Dead!

Here's someone's recording from this year's FF show. The band is playing the first single, "C'mon," off their next album Small Miracles, which hits stores September 25th. I actually prefer the song off the new album that Greg played, which I believe was/is called "Small Miracles."

***Bonus***

A bit of the Jim Cuddy Dance, in the Jim Cuddy pants. And watch for the glass breaking shot. Noo! Not the glass!!!

Martin Sexton

2007-08-25T11:00:00.000-06:00

Here's Martin Sexton at a session this year, doing his best Louis Prima. At least that's what it sounds like to me. He's no Mary Margaret O'Hara, mind you, but he ain't half-bad.

Jim Cuddy & Friends

2007-08-22T02:08:00.001-06:00

Here's Jim Cuddy and Justin Rutledge doing Blue Rodeo's "Bad Timing" at a show in Ontario. They played together at one of the Saturday sessions as well (Rutledge toured with Cuddy this past year), which was a delight.

And here's a song Cuddy did at that same session, called "Married Again." The only difference is that he didn't have the beautiful and amazing Kathleen Edwards to help him out in Edmonton. Sigh. She's so dreamy. Actually, so is he. Sigh.

The Extruded Plastic Dingus

2007-08-22T01:48:00.001-06:00

Van was obsessed with hula-hoops all weekend. This picture of Aaron with Captain Jack Sparrow and his tools in the background made me giggle, and I know it will set her off on another tirade.

Questions: What if you tire before it's done? Does it have rules? Can more than one play? What makes you think it's a game? Is it a game? Will it break? It better break eventually! Is there an object? What if you tire before it's done? Does it come with batteries? We could charge extra for them. Is it safe for toddlers? How can you tell when you're finished? How do you make it stop? Is that a boy's model? Can a parent assemble it? Is there a larger model for the obese? What if you tire before it's done? What the hell is it?

Answer: It's the The Extruded Plastic Dingus. You know, for kids!

Dang

2007-08-22T00:26:00.000-06:00

I put together a slideshow of the Folk Fest weekend with music and everything, but it looks stinktastic on both YouTube and Google Video. So I'll have to start from scratch. Actually, I think I'll just put the pics up on Facebook, and maybe do a summary post on here.

***Update*** Pics are up on Facebook.

Michael Franti & Spearhead in Vancouver

2007-08-20T18:13:00.000-06:00

These pics aren't from the Folk Fest, but they are of Michael Franti. I figured that was good enough for some of his more...enraptured fans. I wonder if they did the Sublime/Muppets/Sesame Street medley?

All pictures taken by Erin Loxam.

Weeeeeee Were Lovers In A Dangerous Time

2007-08-16T13:56:00.000-06:00

This one is for Aish, Shea, Cam, Van, Nate, and all those who heard my nightly singing on the way back to the car. Note what they are selling in the record store at the end of the video: the Yellow Tape! Oh, how I wish I had a copy of that tape.

Bonus: Weekends. I prefer the weekends!

And then there was something...

2007-08-11T09:13:00.000-06:00

Looking out the window all day Friday, I must say that I was not really looking forward to heading out to brave the rain on a cold night. As it turns out, we were in luck; there was no rain to be had!! As you can see, we are all smiles and sunshine. Who would have that would happen after such a dark afternoon? The first session with Ndidi, The Campbell Bros. and The African Guitar Summit was awesome. I have never seen a performer dance all the way to the back to try and get people to stand....and unbelievably, there were still people sitting down....SHAME! There isn't much on main stage...that is what I thought when I read the program. But I loved it all. Even though the night ended in the sub zero temperatures, cuddling on the tarp listening to sweet Blue Rodeo melodies was excellent. I asked Van, "what do you want Blue Rodeo to play?"...to which the response was, "their set." So for a night that looked like not much, music and weather wise, it turned out to be something. I guess that is one of the things that I like about Folkfest. See you on the hill, rockstars.

From A Distance

2007-08-10T09:21:00.000-06:00

Good night last night. Rain held off, got to catch up with the peeps, and some solid tuneage was pumped out by Ralph Stanley, City & Colour and Nanci Griffith. I also got to partake in my favorite activity, which is taking skyline pictures of the city of Edmonton. I'm going to whisper sweet nothings to the sky today so that the rain holds off again. Sky, baby, you look so beautiful today. Let daddy take care of you, sugar. Save your tears for another day.

Not a ton of pictures otherwise. Totally forgot, to be honest. But no worries! Blue Rodeo tonight. Can I get a, "f***k yeah!"*

Ooh, and I just realized last night that James Hunter is playing the mainstage Saturday night. He's fantastic. Don't know how I missed his name, to be honest. But he's gonna rock me like a hurricane. A succulent, blue-eyed soul hurricane, that is.

Let's get 'er going.

*Edited for old people who don't like swear words.

The Mad Dash

2007-08-10T09:04:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple quick pics of Nate, Van and I from the Calgary Folk Fest. We left Hinton at 1:00, and were in Calgary by 6:30. We rode the beautiful Cowboy Trail, and yes, before you ask, I am an awesome driver. We got to see The Sadies, City & Colour, and Rufus Wainwright on a perfect night in Cowtown (if such a thing can exist in Calgary). Exhausting, but a great day.

>Nate of the Angels

Sexy Sadie

Big Daddy Soul

The other sexy Sadies

My terrible pic of Rufus Wainwright in lederhosen. We didn't get to hear "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" or "Rebel Prince", but he did bust out a solo piano performance of "Hallelujah" during the encore, so all was forgiven.

What A Wonderful Night

2007-08-09T22:54:00.000-06:00

First let me say that the rain held off which was AWESOME!!! And we had a wonderful Jasper girls reunion...we were sad to not have Sarah there. Had a great visit with Vanessa on the tarp and a quick hello with the rest of the gang. Can't wait for the rest of the weekend.

Getting the Hype Going

2007-07-23T10:26:00.000-06:00

Well another year has almost passed and the days of July are melting away...literally with the heat that we have been having. Soon another year will be put into the books; celebrated with tarps, friends and sweet melodies. I was surfing through the Folkfest site as I was told that this year there would be a number of must see small name acts. I found two that stood out with me and wanted to pass them along.

(Bios Care of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival)
Justin Rutledge (ON) at just 26, Justin has already come to understand the punk rockers and the classic country balladeers. His music seems to be drawn out of the life of a well-traveled, wise old man who still retains the gentleness and romance that belongs only to the young and pure of heart.
website: www.justinrutledge.com

I found a video of him and Jim Cuddy on Google Video..if he is good enough for Jim, he is good for me.

Ndidi Onukwulu (ON) is first and foremost a blues singer. From the jazzy bounce of "Horn Blower" to the hard rockin' punch of "Hey There" to the drum and voice gospel wail of "This May be the Last Time", she is steeped in the blues and talented enough to make you feel it. Madagascar Slim will be performing with Ndidi this year.
website: www.ndidi.ca

Loved It! Can't wait to see you all....sippin' in the sweet time of August.
All good things,
The Ref

Calgary Folk Fest Performers Announced

2007-05-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone. It's good to be back. Thank you for all your kind words over the past several months. I'm feeling much better now, and will continue to live in this brighter state, so all...what? This isn't a Britney Spears fan blog? Well, damn. What the hell am I supposed to do with that picture of myself in nothing but white satin gloves now? @#*#@!

There are some interesting mainstagers at this years Calgary Folk Festival. Some have played in Edmonton quite recently, and probably won't be back. But there are others I'd really like to see play up here. And I mean, really like to see play up here (hello, Rufus Wainwright!). Other mainstagers include Dallas Green (a.k.a. City & Colour), Great Big Sea, Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, the New Orleans Social Club, The Sadies, Neko Case, as well as Bye Bye, Miss American Pie, Don Maclean. Myself, I'd love to see Wainwright, the Sadies, Bela Fleck, and the New Orleans Social Club. Hopefully, all four acts will be coming to Edmonton, so I don't have to head down to Calgary (shudder). Tickets for the Edmonton Folk Festival will go on sale on June 1st, so the lineup will likely be announced in the next week or so.

A list of the rest of the Calgary Folk Festival's 2007 performers can be found here.

***Update*** It appears that Rufus Wainwright and Sarah Slean are playing at the Winspear in Edmonton on July 25th, so it is highly doubtful that they will be playing at the Edmonton Folk Festival. Looks like I'll be heading down to Calgary.

Schedule Generator

2006-08-25T03:47:00.000-06:00

The Austin City Limits Festival has a cool function on their page where you can customize and create your own Festival Schedule. It's a cool little way to check off what shows you want to see, and a cool thing to be able to send to friends. You can even punch in a code and retrieve your friend's schedule. Assuredly, our little Festival-That-Could probably doesn't have the same budget as the ACL Festival, but it would be a fantastic new function to add, if at all possible. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

These Folkies Clean Up Well!!

2006-08-19T10:30:00.000-06:00

Doesn't matter the occasion...we like to RAWK!

Shows on the Horizon

2006-08-16T23:22:00.000-06:00

Well since I continue to log in to see everyone's debreif and Andy and I are the only ones who have, I feel like I should throw some dates out for people. I would like to see more contributors so more people can write about their weekend experiences. Thanks for adding a comment Sarah...I am glad that you enjoyed your first fest.

Things to mark down....
Sept 10th: Bedouin Soundclash : Dinwoodie (Doors @ 7)
Sept 16th: Wailin' Jennys Horowitz (Doors @ 7)

Soakin' up the last days of summer
Heather

Goodnight Irene

2006-08-16T20:11:00.000-06:00

Some highlights from Sunday night's After-Fest Jam Session, in glorious Technicolor:

Van and Nate practice some dance moves.
Aaron and Tim play, while I pretend to.
The Solitary Man. Nate refused to sit with us all night.
Heather plays while Aaron watches, captivated.
Oh look, my name is Tim, and I'm a multi-instrumentalist. Watch me play the fiddle!
Tim and Aaron both got lucky at the end of the night. Normally, I'd be jealous, but it appears they got lucky with each other.

That. Just. Happened.

2006-08-16T17:29:00.000-06:00

Well, another year is done. Sigh. But...it's only 350-something days until next year's show!!! WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!

Ten (or so) Best Moments of the 2006 Edmonton Folk Festival

11) Rick Skaggs' Jokes on the Main Stage

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder always put on a fantastic bluegrass show. But Skaggs makes it even better by making funny quips and jokes while onstage. I wish he would MC my wedding. I think he'd kill, even though my family likes to work blue.

10) Feist on the Main Stage

A beautiful performance from a local chanteuse. I always imagined her being very snooty and condescending. I don't know why. But she was playful, and gave a killer performance. Cam and I agreed that she would be a perfect choice to sing the theme song for a Bond movie.

9) Spring Rolls

Lee Gardens, I love you. The onion cakes lacked the normal onion bite, but you made up for it with springrolls to die for. Plus, you moved the line quickly, so I never had to wait long for your springy deliciousness.

8) No "Tubthumping"

Others may have been disappointed that Chumbawamba didn't play their anthem, but I certainly wasn't. The anarcho-punks actually put on a pretty good main stage performance, even if they did make too many Nazi references. Guess what, Chumbawamba: not everyone who disagrees with your politics is a fascist.

7) Teddy Thompson Solo Concert

The son of Richard and Linda Thompson was awesome on Stage 4 on Sunday, even if he was, by his own admission, in a bad mood. That bad mood may have had something to do with the fact that the organizers put Hawksley Workman and someone else with a full band beside him on Stage 5. Using only an acoustic guitar and his voice, Thompson had to compete with a sound bleed that was at times unbearable. If you were watching from the side of the stage closest to Workman, who actually simulated an orgasm while on Stage 5, you would have had a hard time hearing Thompson. In fact, a bunch of us moved to the opposite side of the stage, and Thomspon actually asked to have his sound turned up two or three times, just so he could compete. He still pulled of a lovely performance, though, and really lightened up by the end.

6) Bedouin Soundclash on the Main Stage

A nice main stage performance during a rain-soaked Thursday evening. They did a nice job mingling their own songs with some ska and punk classics.

5) The Phrases

As a group, we dropped a lot of funny lines this weekend. I'm going to save them all for another post, but let's just say we were hilarious.

4) Susan Tedeschi on the Main Stage

Sweet mama, this girl can sing, and this girl can play. Seeing her on Friday night was like seeing Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt at the same time. Put me down as a convert. She was my new musical crush of the Festival.

3) Blind Boys of Alabama on the Main Stage

My only complaint is that they didn't play long enough. I could have listened to them all night. They had the crowd jumping for joy, and their rendition of "Amazing Grace"--to the music of "House of the Rising Sun"--was transcendent.

2) David Gray on the Mainstage

I said it before, so I won't say it again. But...wow.

1) Sunday Night Jam Session

After the Festival was over, Van, Heather, Nate, Tim, Aaron and I had a good ole jam session at our house. We sang, drank, laughed, smoked, sang, and sang some more. It ended at 5:30 in the morning. It appears that a new Folk Fest tradition is born. Maybe by next year, I'll even be able to play an instrument or something.

Ten (or so) Worst Moments of the 2006 Edmonton Folk Festival

11) Four Strong Winds

Was it just me, or was "Four Strong Winds" off this year? Really, I shouldn't be surprised, as Bill Bourne was leading, but the tempo was off, and the effort was lacklustre. I knew something was wrong when I wasn't choking up while singing along.

10) Volunteer Rudeness

Two incidents. The first was Friday night, when we arrived. It was raining, and I didn't have my rain gear on yet. So I ducked under the tent at the top of the Hill, so that I could stay dry while I changed. There were lots of volunteers around, and no one said anything. Why would they, right? I mean, I was changing, and it was raining. It wasn't like I was setting a tarp up or something. But then a volunteer walked in, a young lady, and rudely said, "you know this is only for volunteers, right?" Well, no I didn't, because there were no signs to indicate such a thing. And secondly, piss off. Would you rather everyone went home, or that people used a huge, empty and dry place to change for five minutes?

The second incident happened on Saturday. Nathan was walking into the site, with a backpack and a side bag. The backback was full of clothes in case it rained again, and the side bag had a couple of tarps and a blanket in it. Nothing too major, considering that it had rained for the past two nights. As he was walking in, a lady looked at his bags and said, "that's a bit much, don't you think?" WTF? Nate was kind enough to just let it slide. I would have had a comeback, depending on what she was wearing or looked like. Maybe a look at her hips or ass and a "not as much as that is, I think," or a, "do you always go out in public like that" if she had a lot of makeup on. Who knows what it would have been? I'm a mean person. The point is, I would have found something, and I would have felt totally justified in decimating her inferior ego. Rudeness must not be tolerated, is my motto.

I should note that these were two exceptions to the rule. The volunteers at the Folk Fest are always awesome. In fact, I had three nice incidents with volunteers this year. One volunteer busted a lady near the front entrance who was trying to skip into the line. YES!!! Another volunteer stopped me at the entrance to ask me if I could pronounce the Gaelic on the front of my Red Sox shirt (I couldn't, sadly. Blame my Nana and Grandad). And even the Tarp Whisperer on Sunday was nice to me, though his logic for why I needed to fold over a bit of my tarp was faulty. We had a cordial conversation about it, and I gladly made the fold. I'm not going to give him a hard time for enforcing an unjust law. Don't kill the messenger, is my motto.

9) Jay Malinkowski

Okay, the lead singer of Bedouin Soundclash wasn't really bad, so much as he was painfully funny. He was obviously stoned, and kept making the most absurd dedications before every song. "This is for anyone who has ever lost somebody, or for anyone who just wants to dance." Huh? We laughed our asses off, and Jay became one of our favorite impersonations for the rest of the weekend: "This chicken curry is for anyone who has ever lost somebody..."

8) Hawksley Workman

I missed him on the mainstage on Friday, but I hear he was insane. Apparently he was asking people to howl at the moon, even though it was so rainy and cloudy you couldn't even see it. Maybe he and Jay were sharing some peyote. I saw him play at the Festival a couple of years ago, and I felt like I was at an amateur outdoor performance of The Phantom of the Opera. He was being very melodramatic, running around the stage, climbing things, and just being exasperatingly retarded. Yet, somehow, it was still a good show. But it was his disruption of the Teddy Thompson show this year that gets him on this list. I talked about it above, so I won't carry on here. Let's just say that Hawksley is now on my "I wish he would go away" list.

7) K’Naan

The first time I heard your songs, they were great. The second time I heard the exact same songs, less entertaining. The third time? Terribly annoying. Message to Terry Wickham: don't book a kid who only knows ten songs. Message to K'Naan: learn some more f**ing songs.

6) Bill Bourne

Hey, stage-hogging bore: retire already. I mean, really. Talk about over-exposed and overdone. Thank God Bowser and Blue weren't there to do their outdated Jean Chretein material again. I think Nate would have hung himself. I say we put Bourne out to pasture, and get Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heirtage Choir to run the show every year.

5) The Sessions

In the program, Terry Wickham commented on how happy he was that the Festival still had sessions/workshops/wessions. I would agree, if they were still occuring. What is actually happening now is that three artists/bands are listed, and they each play an individual set on the stage. They don't even bother to take turns with everyone on stage, now. Rather, the first artist/group comes out, and plays a set. Then they waste fifteen to twenty minutes setting up for the next act, who do the same thing. And so on. There are fewer and fewer artists who share the stage together, and play together. This is very unfortunate, and I hope it can be remedied. Look how many of my favorite moments from this year happened on the main stage. That never used to be the case. I still want quality main stage acts, but I want to see people make interactive musical magic at the sessions. Artists, skip the rote performances, and take a leap of creative faith.

4) Sarah Harmer

She was fine on the mainstage, but her inability to know what key her own song was in on Saturday turned me off.

3) Rain, Day 1
2) Rain, Day 2
1) Hail, Day 3

I have never been witness to such soul-crushing weather at the Festival. Awful. We made the best of it, but at times it was too much to take. By Sunday, I was mentally exhausted, and had to miss almost an entire day's worth of sessions.

Things I’m Sad I Missed

Ricky Skaggs/Oscar Lopez Showdown

Apparently there was a guitar/mandolin duel that occured at Stage 3 on Saturday. Rather than witnessing it, I was stuck watching sound guys change the stage three times at the Blues Session. DAMN IT ALL!!!!

Things I’m Not Sad I Missed

Betty Lavette, Gospel Session

So I hear Betty was, um, a total douchebag (gasp!) at the Gospel Session on Sunday. She kept going on about how she never played music in the Church, and eventually just sat there pouting. Lovely. It is pretty clear thast she has a chip on her shoulder from 45 years of invisibility. Sucks to be you. Here's a tip: write a hit song. I don't know how her manager, or Terry, let her get onto that Gospel Stage. From what I hear, Linda Tillery and the CHC just took over, and made it all worthwhile. I love those girls.

The NQ

2006-08-14T21:30:00.000-06:00

The NQ is a pop culture site that Nathan Muhly and I have been working on since about February. The focus will be on movies, music, television, comic books, video games and literature. Right now, the only post on the site is an introductory message. I'm pretty sure Nate and I will have content up by the end of this evening, though, or for sure over the next 24 hours. Please take the time to check out the site, tell your friends, or even link to the site if you are a fellow blogger and like what you see.

More folk fest coverage will be coming on this site this week, so stay tuned!

Final Day

2006-08-14T15:25:00.000-06:00

And so it begins, the final day of folk fest. I was grateful for Andy, Van and Nate as they laid the tarp. It allowed me to rest my knee and sleep....sleep. Met up at the tarp in the morning as a crew and then headed off for a little morning worship. We arrived just as the Blind Boys were playing. I knew then that we were in for a treat with the main stage performance. There must have been too many artists to have one big gospel hour and so they handed the stage to Linda Tillery and CC and Bettye Lavette. I knew something was terribly wrong wtih her first comment being about how she doesn't know any gospel.....GREAT! (Another favorite, that she doesn't understand the women group 'thing!--Shocking!) The best part of gospel hour was that I got to spend it cuddling with Gracie. I think she looked particularly cute in her little pink jumper with her Big Girl Folk Hat. She provided far more entertainment than the stage. It is funny because we were talking about how it is normally one of the main attractions..definitely not this year.

I went up to the tarp after the session to grab a few things. Mainstage was fine but nothing extraordinary. The afternoon "Sing Out" session with Sarah Harmer, The Wallin' Jennys, Lennie Gallant and Sandy Scofield was likely my favorite session of the weekend. Cam and I just laid inthe grass and relaxed to great harmonies and beautiful lyrics. I really enjoy when artists jam together. On this stage they did but it was with rich harmonies and background vocals....LOVED IT!

I grabbed some lunch during the final session of the day and found myself some shade and some time with my thoughts. It was nice to just breathe for a few minutes. On the walk back to meet Cam I ran into Katherine and she recommended that I come with her to catch Teddy Thompson. I appreciated his honest lyrics, his amazing voice and his stunning, stunning look. Men with giutars and a good set of pipes are definitely on my list of weakeness. People should definitley check this guy out.

After the session it was up to the tarp for mainstage. I enjoy Sunday as I get to visit with the family and think back over the weekend and the summer. Tim said it best....it signals the end of the summer. I won't get to that yet. The family is great. It is really fun to have the babe as part of our family. It is completely different than a few years ago. She brings so much joy to our family. It is amazing how you can love a little baby that much. Gracie is developing her personality everyday and is so fun to watch her meet the world. I know she is in good hands.

I did enjoy Chumbawamba. Again some great harmonies. They are far different than I expected. There was no sign nof Tubthumping just a lot of anti-war stuff. I LOVED the Blind Boys of Alabama. They were just rockin and got the hill rockin. I love when people get to their feet and get right into the performance. Once of them men even took to the crowd. Their showcase finale of all the individual talent was incredible. I don't think that you would find someone non the hill that didn't enjoy the performance. The final performance of the night was Sarah Harmer. I really enjoyed her. She is a singer songwriter with some blue grass sound in her new material. She was a real drop in energy from the BBofA which I think put some people off but the last act typically is quieter...at least that is what my memory seems to recall. I am sure I may be corrected for that one.

All in all the night was perfect. Great family, great friends, great music, great conversation...I really enjoyed my tarp chats over the four days...reconnecting with old friends, taking sperficicial friendships to a stronger level and just thinking.

As we left the hill, I already felt good but then it was off to our own session. Armed with a violin, four guitars, good friends and a few bottles we didn't know that the night was that young. I think that I would call our session "Escarpment" (Definition as promised Cam: A long cliff or steep slope separating two comparatively level or more gently sloping surfaces and resulting from erosion or faulting.http://www.google.ca/url?sa=X&start=0&oi=define&q=http://www.geographic.org/glossary.html) All these level and isolated surfaces brought together through erosion - a weekend of fatigue, inspiration and friendship. Escarpments mark a break in geological structures. It was a break....after certain pieces from Aaron and Tim...who blew me away with their own creative genius...left the room rather silent in contemplation and contentment.

It was an amazing night. My body is tired but my mind refreshed. It was another great year. I appreciate the amount of"incredible" "great" "amazing" adjectives I have used in the post...but you will have to let it be...either that or serve me with a yellow card.

Life is good.

Heather

In The Key Of Been There Done That

2006-08-13T02:39:00.000-06:00

It is 2:38, and I have to get up in less than six hours, so this will be brief.

• David Gray was amazing. He and his band stormed out, took over the Hill, and played their asses off. No chit chat, no screw ups. Perfect sound, perfect emotion, perfect result. He played songs from every album. Highlights were "Please Forgive Me," and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye." He entered my Top Folk Fest Performances list, with a bullet.

• The hail storm was really a shit storm (as Mr. Lahey would say), but we made it. Somehow, I didn't get a single drop of water on me.

• I did not enjoy any of the sessions I went to today. They set up Stage 1 three different times for the Blues Session, and the bands didn't even play together. K'Naan played the same songs he played on the mainstage. And Sarah Harmer didn't even know what key one of her own songs was in. But that didn't stop her from asking others to join in, and then teasing them when they couldn't figure it out. Ridiculous. Thankfully, the mainstage acts made up for things.

• Gospel session at 12:30 Sunday, baby! Oooh, yeah! Blind Boys and Linda Tillery and the CHC. Bam. That just happened. Shake and bake.

I think I'll do some full day rundowns once the festival is over, but it is just impossible to do so now. You are on the Hill all day, and there is very little turnaround before you have to get back. Really, it is difficult to do this blog the justice it deserves--with daily content and thoughts--unless we bring a computer on site with us. And I sure the hell ain't doing that. It would be like bringing a cell phone into a Church. So we'll just keep doing what we are doing, try and add some stuff later, and hope it is enough.

Babylon

2006-08-13T02:24:00.000-06:00

Today's entire team made it to the end tonight - and it was SO WORTH IT - David Gray blew my mind!! A beautiful, exhausting day and I finally feel like I'm back in the FF groove. Just in time for Sunday. See you on the Hill.

Now THAT is wet...

2006-08-13T02:07:00.000-06:00

So the day started like this:

...and somehow THIS happened:

In case you can't tell, the skies opened up with nary a warning - we had mere seconds to construct the "tarp perogy" that you see above (unlike the burrito we completely enclosed ourselves in the tarp and pinched the edges). Clearly after the last two nights we were less than impressed, though we were prepared. There was at least one soggy bottom boy...

...some beauty treatments...

...and it was beautiful again!

Saturday Hill Shots

2006-08-13T01:27:00.000-06:00

Aren't we a cute group of folkies.....nite rockstars

what a wonderful day....

2006-08-13T01:17:00.000-06:00

Well...I must say when I woke to sunshine I was rather pleased. I feel like we put enough time in with the weather gods and it was time to see the fruits of our sacrifice. The morning started off with a little trip to Timmies with Cam and a wonderful morning session. It was called "peaks and valleys" and I loved it. Lynn Miles was a great new find as well as Michael Joseph...not to be confused with Martin Joseph....but still good. They were on stage with the Wallin' Jennys whose harmonies made me shiver. It was great. Cam and I then braves that World on A String session only to sit through a ten minute sitar song....not my pick but I still did enjoy it...that is until the hail storm.

The afternoon session that I most loved was Lennie Gallant. Perhaps the man is ready to graduate to a mainstage spot. He is great and plays to a wide range of people. I had some great sister time which was amazing.

For dinner, I would recommend the Butter Chicken and ribs from Sunterra...delightful. Off to the beer tent to catch up with great friends.

The main stage was great tonight but by far the highlight of the day was David Gray. I said it on the hill and I will say it again....that man could sing me to sleep any night....sweet, sweet candy.

Well the knee did not fair well today. I feel like an eighty year old lady. I should give myself a yellow card for the ridiculous limp that I seem to have caught. I am hoping some Percocet and ice will make me less....aged tomorrow. I have amazing friends who take good care of me though.

Nite peacemakers.
The Ref

It's Raining...

2006-08-12T02:37:00.000-06:00

... Yeah, that's it - it's raining. I christened my new lilac, translucent rubber boots (great traction, waterproof and you could sorta see my carebear socks through the toes). I think I'd have been OK with having to wait to christen them, but it's Folk Fest, so what can you do? It's raining, so you dress in rubber and just Deal.

There is something about the misery of cold, rain and desperate grasps for the rope "railing" as you head up the hill that throws me back (sometimes more forcefully than I'd like) to the first few Folk Fests I went to - for every single one the weather would be reliably wretched until about 2pm on Sunday when the sun would come out and the grass/mud slop at the bottom of the hill would begin the rapid decay process and the hot aroma of rotting vegetation would overtake the warm, soothing scent of mini doughnuts and curry.

Back then (we're talking a solid decade or more) I was a young pup and the rain and cold were the test that made me a hardcore folkie and toughing them made me belong. I'm older now. Now it just sucks.

The good news is, the music we did see certainly made it worth it: Susan Tedeschi wailed on the Rock n' Blues stage and actually stopped us in our tracks when she took the mainstage (I confess - we were already on our way out at that point). The Holmes Brothers' concert that followed the Rock n' Blues stage was also great. They were one of my top picks heading into the weekend and I, for one, was not disappointed (shameful that they didn't get a mainstage spot, but I'll give Terry W the benefit of the doubt for both them and Teddy Thompson [check him out!] that they just couldn't make the scheduling work).

On the (admittedly wimpy, early) trek back to the car, we were noting that if the weather had been drier (we can work with cold, if it's a dry cold) we'd have been really pumped to see the Neville Brothers and definitely Hawksley Workman, but something about having soaking socks and undies can really dampen your thirst for music you wouldn't normally listen to. There was more than one comment that perhaps we should just return home and crank up our Hawksley CDs... Ultimately that's pretty much what we did and it was sweet. My buds, my couch, sweet tunes and a roaring fire.

I'm glad I went tonight and just as glad that we left when we did. (I just hope we didn't miss something truly mind-blowing. If we did and you see us, just don't say anything. I keep thinking of the poor saps who bailed a few years ago before the Funk Brothers rocked the mainstage - I DON'T want to be those guys.)

The Hardest of the Hardcore

2006-08-12T02:35:00.000-06:00

Friday Night

2006-08-12T02:11:00.000-06:00

So we discussed all the duds we'd planned to wear and the disappointment that we'd have to cover it all up with... yellow rubber. *Sigh* Fortunately some of us squeezed in a glamour shot before covering up...

Can you pick out the new guy? (Hint - you can't see it in this shot, but he's the one wearing the leather deck shoes.)

We sought refuge, and then things started to go wrong...

Some hilarity ensued...

And then the duckman appeared and gathered his followers to him...

One final glamour shot

Thursday in the Rain

2006-08-11T09:35:00.000-06:00

Van and Janna modelling their rubbers!

Gracie...and her Folk Fest Christening

Andy and Cam evaluating their rig...Mark doing the pose down!

My Cousins surviving their First folk Fest with Smiles and Kettle Corn

Well....the first day of Folk Fest in the rain demands far more coordination than normal. I couldn't believe how prepared Andy's tarp was...hats off! I had the usual Tarp Quesadilla which seemed to work alright. I had a blast as it was a full family tarp. Uncle, Aunt, Cousins...mom, dad....sister..brother in law...GRACIE!!! It was great to see family and friends and survive the weather together. I am pretty impressed at the fortitude of my family. Who knew newbies could be so ready to ROCK!
Here are some of my fav pics
The Ref

Les Girls

2006-08-11T00:18:00.000-06:00

I swear, they were this big!

Can it be???

2006-08-11T00:13:00.000-06:00

Yes - YES - the SUN!!!!!

And the crew comes out to bask in its fading rays...

View from the Tarp

2006-08-10T23:48:00.000-06:00

As predicted, we were rained on (and how!). The resulting view left a bit more than we might have wanted to the imagination...
The Maestro's view:

As you can see, unless you were looking for "CIST" under someone's elbows, it might have been tough to track us down without a bit of help!

Here's the rest of the crew (many newbies this year!)

The boys of summer...

30 years of wedded bliss...

Ingenuity lives on...

The Godfather

2006-08-09T18:18:00.000-06:00

Forecast: Pain

2006-08-09T18:13:00.000-06:00

Get your gear out, people. Looks like Thursday is going to be a wet evening. A little bit of thunder, a little bit of lightning...

Love It

2006-08-01T17:58:00.000-06:00

Hey guys
I love the look of the site....you rock Andy! Can't wait to see everyone on the hill. I am really looking forward to the line up and to havin my niece at folk fest.
Counting the Days
The Ref

Tickets Still Available

2006-08-01T00:36:00.000-06:00

For those slow-pokes who missed out on getting tickets (boo), it's not too late (yeah!). Check out the Festival Swapboard for tickets. Make sure you start calling now, though. Hill Nanny tried to get tickets for people before, and it took forever for some people to return calls. So get on it!

How The F**ck Did I Miss That!?

2006-08-01T00:23:00.000-06:00

Teddy Thompson, son of legendary British folk singer Richard Thompson, will be performing at this year's Folk Festival. His "Separate Ways" album is one of my favorites of 2006. I'd describe it as a lovely mix of David Gray, Crowded House, and Jackson Browne. Put me down as predicting he becomes a Festival favorite.

In Sessions

2006-07-31T13:20:00.000-06:00

The FULL Folk Fest Programme is now up - including sessions for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Use the tabs at the top to take a look at the schedules for each day and note that you have to use your browser's bottom scroll bar in order to see all of the stages for Saturday and Sunday.

I'm predicting that my highlights this year will be: Holmes Bros. Concert (Friday), Coolsville (Sat) and, obviously, "Joy to the World" (Sunday) aka the Gospel hour. It's really unfortunate (though more than likely deliberate to break up the crowds) that the Wailin' Jennys* play opposite the Gospel session. I will be torn and will be forced to make a "gametime decision" for Saturday's 4pm session - Coolsville or Gallagher Park Blues - a decision informed by the Holmes Bros concert on Friday and Lagbaja's performance on the mainstage on Saturday... Time to start planning, folks - it's only 10 sleeps away!

*I'll qualify this statement with the fact that somehow I always get The Waifs and the Wailin' Jennys mixed up in my memory - I know I really like one of them... If it's the Waifs, then this decision just got much easier!

Mainstage Lineup Change

2006-06-07T18:54:00.000-06:00

A message from our friends at the Fest:

"In order to accommodate patrons wishing to see Hawksley Workman without having to purchase a weekend pass, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival will be moving Hawksley’s spot from Saturday afternoon to Friday night. Slated to perform on main stage Friday night, Lágbájá will now replace Hawksley on the main stage Saturday afternoon. This Nigerian based entertainer will bring his faceless brew of African rhythms for his Edmonton debut."

I have no idea what the hell a "faceless brew" is - or why that's supposed to attract me to a show, but I'm more interested by the idea that they've rejigged the lineups to accommodate people who don't want to come to the whole thing... I thought the whole point of having a big name on one of the afternoon stages was to sell the weekend passes! Maybe the fact that the weekend passes are 90% sold out has convinced them that the weekend passes are going to sell no matter what they do. (Of course, I'd feel for the poor buggers who bought the weekend passes to see Hawksley before the change, except that they are in for a treat and they don't even know it yet!)

Edmonton Folk Fest Tickets

2006-06-01T12:02:00.000-06:00

Tickets are now on sale - get 'em while they're hot!

I've got mine - have you got YOURS??

Edmonton Lineup Announced

2006-05-29T12:06:00.000-06:00

YAAYYYYYYYY!!!!

Full lineup here. Mainstage schedule here. Highlights include:

Bedouin Soundclash, The Neville Brothers, Hawksley Workman, The Holmes Brothers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Linda Ronstadt, Sarah Harmer, Feist, The Waifs, The Wailin'Jennys and....wait for it...omg yes!...DAVID GRAY!!!

Tickets go on sale June 1st, and go up the longer you wait.

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory...

2006-05-24T04:28:00.000-06:00

Did anyone else see that Pollstar is listing The Blind Boys of Alabama for the Folk Fest? There is going to be a hell of a gospel session on Sunday!

The time is nigh folkies - tix go on sale June 1 at 9:00am! Get those tarps ready...

And I know I swore I'd never go to the Calgary Fest again, but they have an amazing lineup and I am once again sorely tempted. (Broken Social Scene, Bedouin Sound Clash and Macy Gray - tempting, no?)

Are You Kidding Me?

2006-05-06T18:00:00.000-06:00

Proving once again that they run a sub-standard newspaper, the Globe and Mail ran an article a couple of weeks ago where they identified the Calgary Folk Festival as one of the Seven Wonders of the Musical World. No offence to the CFF, but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knows that it is Edmonton's weaker sister. I have actually stopped attending the CFF because the ambience is so much worse than in Edmonton. To put it nicely, most of the people there are rude posers.

Now Austin, Austin is a musical wonder...

The Year of the "Brothers"

2006-05-05T12:51:00.000-06:00

You read it here first and the official Folk Fest page has (FINALLY) confirmed it: the Holmes Brothers and the Neville Brothers will be at this year's Fest. Unfortunately so will Bruce "kill the mood" Cockburn... Of course, I think I enjoy railing about the duds at the Fest almost as much as I enjoy listening to the greats!

Time Without Consequence

2006-05-04T13:03:00.000-06:00

Looks like one of my faves from last year's fest is finally releasing his new album! Alexi Murdoch's website says that the debut record will hit the streets (at least in the States) June 6 (06.06.06).

Hope it's as good as the EP!

Follk Fest Poster

2006-05-03T01:54:00.000-06:00

There is a new image up on the Folk Fest page. I assume it will be the cover of the programme. It's fantastic. Really captures the spirit and vibe of the Festival. Here it is!

Wilco Coming To Edmonton

2006-05-03T01:44:00.000-06:00

For Immediate Release
May 1, 2006

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is pleased to present Wilco in concert Thursday, June 29th, 8pm at the Jubilee Auditorium.

Following the release of their latest recording, Kicking Television –Live in Chicago, alt-rockers Wilco return to Edmonton for a much anticipated live performance.

Tickets are $35.00 plus service charges, available through Ticketmaster. 451-8000 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca

Tickets are on sale Friday, May 5th at 10 am.

www.wilcoworld.net

April Playlist

2006-05-03T01:32:00.000-06:00

Some repeats by artists here. Bad, I know.

Crazy-Gnarls Barkley
I Wanna Hold Your Hand-Al Green
Over My Head (Cable Car)-The Fray
Everyone's A Winner-Meligrove Band
100 Years-Five For Fighting
God's Comic-Elvis Costello
La Cienega Just Smiled-Ryan Adams
Revelator-Gillian Welch
Question-Old 97's
Beautiful World-Colin Hay
I Will Follow You Into The Dark-Death Cab For Cutie
Banquet-Bloc Party
Don't Look In Their Eyes-Stabilo
More Adventurous-Rilo Kiley
Overkill-Colin Hay
We're Going To be Friends-Jack Johnson
High And Dry-Radiohead
All The Things I Wasn't-Grapes of Wrath
How To Save A Life-The Fray
Hey Jude-Wilson Pickett
Crazy-Ray LaMontagne

What To Do?

2006-04-24T00:22:00.000-06:00

Busy night in Edmonton on Tuesday. I have a ticket to the Death Cab For Cutie/Franz Ferdinand show (yeah Marty!), which will be fantastic. But The Meligrove Band are also playing at The Power Plant that night. AND of course the Oilers are playing the Red Wings Tuesday night, too!!! Couldn't these people get together and figure this stuff out for us? Like...what?!

Some 2006 Artists Announced

2006-04-24T00:07:00.000-06:00

The Folk Fest has released the names of some of this year's performers. They include:

• Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
• Feist
• Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
• Bruce Cockburn

The Bruc Cock-Burn announcement makes me want to gag, in case my nickname didn't give it away. The page is also missing a group that Pollstar has listed: The Holmes Brothers. Here's hoping that one is true. I can picture them at the gospel show on Sunday morning already.

Apropos Of Nothing

2006-04-22T00:34:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that The Bends came out over 10 years ago? 11 years, 18 days to be exact. Man, that makes me feel old.

Alison Krauss and Union Station are on Austin City Limits tonight, as is Kathleen Edwards. Yummy!

***Update*** Cool! Jim Bryson played the whole set with Kathleen Edwards. Keeping it real for Ottawa!!!

It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop: Block Party

2006-04-03T03:25:00.000-06:00

Again, another "non-folk" post. Sue me. I had this up on my sports blog, that's how much I liked this movie. It sure as hell fits in better here.

I have to recommend that everyone go out and see "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" as soon as possible. I am sorry; I currently have no other outlet to express my utter love of this movie. Filmed about a month after Chappelle recieved his $50 million dollar contract with Comedy Central, "Block Party" is an uplifting and hilarious attempt to recreate not only the community block party, but the major motion picture releases of iconic stand-up comedians like Richard Pryor. Not only is Chappelle at his finest, but the cast of musicians is a veritable orgy of hip-hop and R&B talent. Almost every single one of my favorite hip-hop/R&B acts perform in this movie: The Roots (whose drummer, ?uestlove, was the musical director for the movie), Mos Def, Common, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, John Legend, Jill Scott, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, and a reunited Fugees. I suppose if you aren't a fan of hip-hop this might not be your cup of tea, but I think the music, enthusiasm and sense of community will transcend personal tastes. Personally, my only complaint was that the movie ended. I wanted these artists--and it is very clear from watching this movie that these people take their art very seriously--to perform forever. Seeing and hearing the Central State University marching band belt out Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" (I am dying for an audio file of this one), Erykah Badu and Jill Scott interweave their heavenly voices on "You Got Me", Mos Def and Chappelle work the crowd like Martin and Lewis, Dead Prez drop the beat for some serious science on "Hip Hop", along with a still-fragile Lauryn Hill bringing tears to people's eyes with "Killing Me Softly", made my heart soar. It's too bad that Chappelle has disappeared from the pop-culture scene, but he can be damn proud of this movie. I am sure to watch it about another hundred times, and I hope you find the time to check it out, too.

March Playlist

2006-04-03T03:10:00.000-06:00

I used to do this on my old blog, and since my new baby isn't up and running yet, I thought I would throw it up here. Sure, it's not folk music, but it's music, right?

And before anyone challenges my Bell Biv Devoe choice, watch this. Now try and second-guess me, sucka!

I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor- Arctic Monkeys
Seven Nation Army-Audioslave
Runaway-Bon Jovi
Dirty Harry-Gorillaz
Definition-Black Star
Bedda At Home-Jill Scott
Used to Love U-John Legend
Poison-Bell Biv Devoe
Easy Way To Cry-David Gray
Call on Me-Eric Prydz
Smile Like You Mean It-David Gray
40 Years-Counting Crows
Tear You Apart-She Wants Revenge
The Widow-The Mars Volta
Tessie-Dropkick Murphys
Tessie-Harry Macdonough
Asshole-Dennis Leary
Lazy Sunday-Chris Parnell & Andy Samberg

More To Follow

2006-04-03T02:56:00.000-06:00

I have placed a whole bunch of links on the right side of the page. Check them out. We should have a new look and some new content up on this site soon. In the meantime, for the 12 people who will come by this site before August, go check out Heather Browne's I Am Fuel, You Are Friends site. It's awesomeness will make you mind-numbingly jealous.

just in case...

2006-01-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Just in case you ignored or missed the last posting regarding a concert, you have another chance...

On Wednesday, February 1st, Wil will be performing at the Powerplant Bar at the University of Alberta. Opening for Wil is Shaun Verrault of Wide Mouth Mason, who is crafting a nice career as a solo artist.

This would be a great show to kick off your February.

For more details check out the Powerplant section of the SU Venues website.

See you at the show!

Where are you going to be on September 28th...??

2005-09-16T21:33:00.000-06:00

Guess who will be making a stop in Edmonton in the two weeks???

None other than Calgary recording artist, Wil. PHENOMENAL musician. With a live show that reminds of the many reasons to take in live music. Just great. Check out his site if you are unfamiliar and need any further convincing beyond the Core nod of approval...

Well, Wil will be playing at the Sidetrack Cafe on Wednesday, September 28th with guests, Strada and Krista Hartman. Should be a great show.

Tickets are $12.00 in advance or $15.00 at the door. Doors open at 8:00pm, but get your tickets in advance, as this is a guaranteed sell-out.

Hope to see you there! It is entirely worth your while...

Forgive & Forget?

2005-09-15T15:29:00.000-06:00

I am sitting here listening to Cold Roses by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, and am kicking myself for not buying a t-shirt at the show. Sure he was a train-wreck, but listening to this album makes me almost forget his indescretions. Almost.

The new album, Jacksonville City Nights, comes out in a week and a half.

Austin City Limits

2005-09-15T15:13:00.000-06:00

If you thought we had a great music festival, check out the lineup for this bad boy. Nate and I talk every year about going to it, and every year we fail in doing so. That really chaps my ass.

This year, I will have to settle (again) for the good old tv concerts on PBS. What a lineup, though. Starting on October 8, season 31 brings music lovers like myself concerts from Jack Johnson, Kathleen Edwards, Etta James, Ben Folds, The Killers, Spoon, John Prine, Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne and Alison Krauss & Union Station. And just for good measure, on September 24th ACL is showing an encore performance of Beck, with the Flaming Lips playing backup.

A Core Encore...

2005-08-28T17:11:00.000-06:00

Yes, this is ridiculously overdue... but better late, than never.

This year's Folk Fest was an absolutely fabulous time. I appreciated the welcome on to the tarp. The time with friends. Some of whom I only see this one weekend each year. There were also the random and chance encounters with old friends. Welcome, as well.

The highlights from Sunday's Folk Fest were, for me, the side stage performances of Alexi Murdoch and Amos Lee. Phenomenal, both.

I had been looking forward to Alexi Murdoch's Orange Sky since the weekend had begun. It was well worth the wait.

Following Alexi, I was finally able to see the Amos Lee concert that I had marked down as soon as his Folk Fest inclusion was announced. Shivers. I managed to weasle my way close to the stage and had a great view of the show.

Back to the beer tent, then the tarp for this girl.

Time on the tarp turned into another M & Ms commercial soon enough. This snack will be a staple for all Folk Fests, I think.

Everyone else has already talked about how unimpressed they were with the Ryan Adams set. So, I won't get into that whole diatribe. I will go on the record as thinking that I could have deleted that 30 minutes from the weekend and not have been worse off.

At this point, I ended up heading out. Off to the Foo Fighters concert.

I had a blast though. A great weekend... one that I can hardly wait to revisit next year. Albeit maybe with a bit more foresight and a holiday day taken on Monday.

And a few photos to say goodbye...

I Had a Dream I...

2005-08-11T20:04:00.000-06:00

...sat beneath a blue sky.

My favorite part of the whole Folk Fest - Alexi Murdoch's mellow, soothing, chill, sweet set. I sat back at the top of the hill, looked out over the stage, saw this view and had It. The Perfect Moment - that transcendent feeling of being carried away on the music. That feeling rarely comes, but I've grown to count on the Folk Fest to give me at least one every summer. This was it. And with a view like that, who couldn't be transported?

So Ready for Mr Adams!!

2005-08-11T20:02:00.000-06:00

Little did we know...

Idle Hands

2005-08-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

"But what am I supposed to do???"

aaahhhhh

Make a Better Door than a Window...

2005-08-11T19:56:00.000-06:00

...as my mother would say. Another tarp foul - and they had the gall to do it RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!! You can tell how enraged the Maestro is just from his shoe.

I'm just here for the music

2005-08-11T19:53:00.000-06:00

The Reverend gets down on Sunday...

The Reclines

2005-08-11T19:41:00.000-06:00

Sitting still on a steep hill for four days straight takes a certain degree of expertise. Here's the Core in "action"...

Saturday Night

2005-08-11T19:35:00.000-06:00

After a scorching day (you've seen my sunburn - nuff said), the skies opened up on Saturday night and it rained and rained. Thanks to the ingenious "tarp burrito" the Core cobbled together in mere minutes (under the cracking whip of the Maestro, naturally), very little got soaked. Except for Cam who took more than one for the team! And, of course, our tushes.

You may wonder what a tarp burrito looks like. Wonder no more:

And the beauty of the tarp burrito is that it frees your hands for yummy snacks!

Strummin' on the Old Banjo

2005-08-11T19:33:00.000-06:00

The Day the Hill Stood Still

2005-08-11T19:08:00.000-06:00

The Tarp Nazi tries to "foil" the aliens' attempts at messing with his mind...

The less experienced Birkby tries the same -- with newspaper. (I don't think it worked...)

Hot Hot Hot

2005-08-10T17:48:00.000-06:00

The best show of Saturday afternoon was the Blues Jam at 3 on Stage 6. Harry Manx, Jim Byrnes, Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo, as well as Amos Lee put on a fantastic show. Lee looked a little lost playing with all the blues musicians, but you could hear an audible gasp in the crowd when people first heard his voice. I am always a sucker for the blues sessions at the Folk Fest, and this year was no exception. I try to diversify,but I can't get away from it.

By 5 p.m., I was burnt out. A few of us decided to head back to Hill Nanny's parent's condo (that is a mouthful) to have a swim in the pool. It was so nice and refreshing. Little did we know, however, that there was no need. Mother Nature was about to hand us a big dose of cold water.

If It Ain't The Blues, It Ain't The Truth

2005-08-10T17:39:00.000-06:00

Hill Nanny and I stumbled upon the amazing Guy Davis playing in the CD tent. He just showed up and started playing for the volunteers. Not only was it an awesome performance; it was an incredible gesture from the artist. I saw Guy several other times over the weekend, and he was always playing an instrument. Even when they were carting him back from a show, he was playing his harmonica.

Hot Fun In The Summertime

2005-08-10T17:32:00.000-06:00

This was how Saturday started out. Hot as Hell. It must have been almost 30 degrees out, but at least there was a nice breeze. Notice The Rookie attempting to show off with the one-armed pushup. It was a miserable failure, but the effort was there.

Somethings old, new, bizarre and true

2005-08-08T21:44:00.000-06:00

I always forget just how much folk fest takes out of me. Four days of revelry, propping yourself up on the hill, running tarp early in the morning, blazing trails from here to there. It was a fantastic time as always but I'm exhausted!

The rain on Saturday would have been disappointing if Mavis Staples wasn't so legendary. The deep soul mama baritone and her bass-slappin' band made for gospel good times before the deluge. The Core stuck it out in style before fleeing sensibly into that good night.

As it turned out it was just enough rain to freshen up the park for the penultimate day. Most of Sunday was totally rockin' and that's what I was in a mood for. Old Reliable were more relaxed than the day before for their 11 AM sesh and the Weakerthans were just plain cool. Gospel Hour is always a must and Ruthie Foster let the spirit sing, along with the introverted Amos Lee, and those dudes from Tennessee were pretty sweet with the barbershop quartet bluegrass sound. Big new discovery for me was Alexi Murdoch. Sadly I only caught two songs but they were enough to have me hooked, it was so head-bobbingly catchy and uplifting, probably the best 15 minutes of music I've experienced at folk fest in a long time.

Then we entered Bizarro land courtesy of Ryan Adams. The review of his show in the Sun gives you an idea of what went on. The reviewers gave him way too much credit, I was really disappointed, not just by his drug-addled comments which were amusing in that watching a train wreck way, but his playing which was just sloppy. Sometimes it was like Hendrix meets the folk fest but other times you could tell that he was just messing. Too bad because he's written some great songs but he was way too wasted to play them for anyone. The festival goers know good music and would be a forgiving lot in terms of understanding over the top behavior from a real artist but they weren't impressed.

Thankfully Allison Krauss and company was there to save the day. Now this is one funny gal. They played a massive set and it was a real treat for all assembled.

I am so thankful that there is a large and appreciative audience for great music in Edmonton. I love the culture we have. I look forward to the next 50 folk fests in my life.

more pics from the Ref

2005-08-08T18:21:00.002-06:00

Don't we look like we are having fun! yeah...yeah
Derpack and Danica braving the drops!

I promise to write a weekend debreif with a bit more sleep in me.
Peace Out Peacemakers

2005-08-08T18:21:00.001-06:00

Craig and The Ref in the Beer Tent!

The Reverend looking angry after spotting some squatters!! Trapper Dan doing a puzzle, Shocking!!

Randy trying out his new binocs!

Kyle K. with Niko.... where does she get her good looks..must be from om ;)
Katherine and Christine about to take on the festival...mind your sons!!

Some Pics

2005-08-08T18:21:00.000-06:00

I think Vanessa Ate a Bee!!!!

The Clark family plus one little fetus!

Want a bite?? No I will pass!

More To Come

2005-08-08T12:24:00.000-06:00

Recovery day. Photos and comments to follow. At least from me.

Rain Man

2005-08-07T01:00:00.000-06:00

These two pictures are a metaphor for my evening.

One is about hanging on...

The other is about letting go...

Quote of the night goes to The Rookie, when I suggested he call in sick for work Monday:

"Judging by how cold and wet my balls are right now, I just might be actually sick by then."

I am out. More pics to follow.

And the last few...

2005-08-07T00:56:00.000-06:00

A Few Saturday Shots...

2005-08-07T00:47:00.000-06:00

Saturday Night Songs and Storms...

2005-08-07T00:26:00.001-06:00

This was the scene at Stage 6 during "A Sense of Wonder," which included Jim Byrnes, Harry Manx, Amos Lee, and Roy Rogers and Norton Buffalo. I'm sooooo looking forward to the Amos Lee concert tomorrow.

The day was great. Sunny. Bright. And a program full of concerts to see. Highlights of the Saturday sessions included Amos Lee, et al, Danu, and Alejandro Escovedo.

The rain definitely began to put a damper on the afternoon/early evening. The tarp cocoon was genius... especially at the beginning. But, eventually, the rain overtook us. Every wrong move sent water spilling into the cocoon. Refuge was sought in the beer tent but that attempt was less than successful as we were not the only ones with that thought in mind. Toughed it out there for a while, then staggered up the hill, dodging slow walkers and mud traps.

My favs on mainstage were Ruthie Foster, Ricard Lemvo and Makina Loca, and Mavis Staples. All fantastic. It was great watching some of the Core posse dance away to Mavis's tunes. Great was when Mavis referred to Beyonce as a dingbat... but that was okay since she put some of Mavis's songs on her set-list and Mavis was going to make her pay.

Trudging back to the car proved to be a damper endeavour than we had thought possible. The storm seemed to know that we were crapping out on the night and decided to hammer the rain at us. The drive home (as I was very graciously given a ride home - thank you again!) became fantastically amusing as the Maestro shouted at the idiots standing in line at Hudson's in the pouring rain to go home, that it was just a bar and he would give them $10 for a case. haha.

Now, damp but not chilled to the bone... I've done my nightly recap. Time for socks and a good night's sleep. There's more Folk Fest fun to be had tomorrow!

Saturday

2005-08-06T22:57:00.000-06:00

Well I must say that I was sad to miss yesterday as the report was wonderful and it appears that everyone had a wonderful time. Shout out to Kenna and her bar call which was a fabulous affair. It was even worth missing folkfest for!!!

Now today. First let me report one yellow card distributed to the Tarp Nazi for being late to lay the tarp. (His name was revoked and he was banised to being the pee-on for the day) The Reverend did unreal with his tarp placement today. SUCH A GREAT JOB! I gave the pee-on a red card for the emergency blanket he was wrapped in. The people sitting behind us were rolling on the grass laughing at me....all I could hear was "No, she has real yellow and red cards trust me "lol.

My present of the cards from the Hill Nanny made my day. They were absolutely perfect.

I loved Ruthie Foster despite the rain. We were tucked into our tarp burrito. (The Maestro conducted us almost effortlessly into our rain positions. After a day of sun and a long night of wine drinking, we bailed early in order to get out of the rain and sleep......sweet slumber. I need to sleep.

One more shout out.

...Niko....you are too cute for words.

rain, rain go away....don't come back and ruin our play...

The Ref

And Friday...

2005-08-06T02:49:00.000-06:00

Friday night highlights...

awww...

gee... this reminds me of something.. do we have sisters on the tarp?!

here's to Steve Earle...

thug life...

Thursday Night Highlights...

2005-08-06T02:40:00.000-06:00

Since I missed out on posting last night, here are some of the Thursday night highlights...

pucker up cutie!

keeping an eye on things...

waiting for a name.. hah.

one sudoku addict...

time to go..

The Friday Sky...

2005-08-06T02:16:00.000-06:00

friday night lights...

Again, a good night on the hill... Accompanied by a great display of the Northern Lights, Steve Earle played a great set. To be expected.

Lila Downs was a nice surprise. Good dinner music. A solid folk fest act.

Shooglenifty was interesting, although I think that they have one of the strangest names that I have heard. But, hey, who's complaining...? They also put on quite the show, granted I spent more time with the Nanny glaring at the wannabe Irish dancer, or whatever dance stylings that she was attempting, who was hopping and crossing like it was going out of style. Did I mention that she was right in front of us?? Get outta my way!

~ The Biz*
*pending Core confirmation

Too Tired To Name

2005-08-06T01:43:00.000-06:00

I have more, but this is it for now.

The Rookie Returns

2005-08-06T01:34:00.000-06:00

Give me Le Tigra, NOW!

Frankisan, Jason Frank.

And a guy just chilling out.

Calming a weary soul

2005-08-06T01:28:00.000-06:00

The Linesman found that the day blew by. Lived most of the day through the eye of a visiting friend from Japan, who showed up out of the blue and felt the good fortune of seeing reams of old friends, Edmonton looking at its best, feeling the freedom of whimsy, absorbing some of the most real music you'll ever find - you don't get better than Steve Earle - and the aurora borealis in full effect to boot. The most perfect day.

The Linesman has been feeling rambunctious. But the scene tonight set me at ease. Call it harmony.

Friday Shots

2005-08-06T01:23:00.000-06:00

Because it is almost 1:30 a.m., and we have to be back on The Hill early tomorrow, I am just going to throw in a bunch of shots without writing much of anything. Probably best that way. I wonder if they have wireless on The Hill? That would be awesome. I could do this from there.

Anyways, a great night. Steve Earle rocked, as per usual, and both Lila Downs and Shooglenifty were very good. The sessions I saw were so-so. I am hoping for some good ones on Saturday.

The other highlight was TWO Mom-to-be's on the tarp. That is a first for this boy, anwyays. I am sure Ref and Nanny have some stories about the 26 mothers they sat on a tarp with in the rain soaked year of blah, blah, blah...

I am so getting a yellow card tomorrow. Sigh.

Another Prediction

2005-08-05T13:46:00.000-06:00

The song that will get the most crowd reaction this weekend? Easy. "Man of Constant Sorrow." Anyone want to make another guess?

Wishlist

2005-08-05T13:14:00.000-06:00

Both Harry Manx and Alpha Blondy were awesome last night. Tonight, however, is going to rule. Steve Earle is going to play, and damn can that boy deliver. I have heard rumour that it will be an acoustic set, which is different from how I saw him last year in Calgary. I wish he was here a little later in the Festival, however, because then the odds might increase for him to jam with either Ryan Adams or Alison Krauss. Last year, Earle played with Lucinda Williams, and it was amazing. I wonder if Adams and Kraus will play together? To be honest, I still expect Adams to throw a hissy-fit and bail on the show.

Songs I want to hear this weekend:

Orange Sky: Alexi Murdoch
Guitar Town: Steve Earle
Lose Again: Alison Kraus
Let It Ride: Ryan Adams
Man of Constant Sorrow: Dan Tyminksi
Gonna Make You Love Me: Ryan Adams
Wade In The Water: Mavis Staples
Death Came A Knockin'-Ruthie Foster
Keep It Loose, Kee It Tight: Amos Lee
Will The Circle Be Unbroken: Mavis Staples
Woke Up This Morning-Ruthie Foster
John Walker Blues: Steve Earle
La Cienga Just Smiled: Ryan Adams
Pastures of Plenty-Alison Kraus
Arms of A Woman: Amos Lee
Chin Up, Cheer Up: Ryan Adams
When You Say Nothing At All-Alison Kraus
Small Town Blues- Ruthie Foster
So Alive: Ryan Adams
Copperhead Road: Steve Earle
To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High): Ryan Adams

As well as pretty much anything by Guy Davis. My favorite sessions are always the Blues jams. Gotta get my mojo workin'!

I am sure I am missing something here.

Hey Aaron Johnson! I miss you buddy! I owe you a ton of e-mails! Don't think for a second that I have forgot about you!

Final Shots

2005-08-05T13:02:00.000-06:00

In The Town Where I Was Born

2005-08-05T12:57:00.000-06:00

I am sorry, but I have to show off my shoes one last time. Look at these bad boys. A monument to greatness. I never want these shoes to leave me, which is why I am going to probably wreck them on The Hill this weekend. Damn you, paradox! Damn you all to hell!!!

Tarp Surfing Thursday

2005-08-05T11:41:00.000-06:00

Oh my lord was that fun. It's like a family reunion. Starting with the gal in front of my mom's tarp - "Hey I know you, we were in kindergarten together." And then we're off. Rapid fire memory snaps are as follows:
- Checking in at the following tarps: The CORE (everything else is periphery), the smoking tarp (Bendall et. al.), the Mom/Irish tarp (including a 5-month only first time folkie), the Nair tarp.
- Arranging some ticketry-pokery. I held up my extra Thursday ticket for about 30 seconds before it was gobbled up. Dished off to Birkby and C-Money who will be making their inaugural folkfest appearances tonight. Expect also a cameo appearance from Frankisan in a stop over between Europa and Nippon.
- Being chastised for my suggested name change. Damn I forgot that the CORE is a communist regime, where all decisions must be made in unison. But we all know what a totalitarian sham that always turns out to be. I thought our tarp kills fascists? Hmmmmm!!!! I smell a top down, individual crushing uniformity led by the Maestro and Hill Nanny. That's right, THE LINESMAN is instigating a seditious insurrection.
- So good to hang out for some beer garden libations with the Ref and Tarp Tart. It could be said that the Linesman was feeling the effects, helped along by Mom's special lemonade. Who said "it's only Thursday?" What kind of a crusty regime is this becoming? I'm going to align myself with the Reverend and his scotch against all party-poopers. THE LINESMAN IS BREAKING ALL THE RULES.
- Fantastic weather. In fact I would go so far as to say it was PERFECT.
- Alpha Blondy and the Solar System TOTALLY RULE. Not as much reggae as spacey cosmicness, I half expected space commander David Bowie to step out and issue marching orders to the space cadets. Pretty pumping jams. Descriptions of idyllic life in the Ivory Coast, "But then the politicians come! And pit us against each other, ethnic against ethnic!" Good rabble rousing. THE LINESMAN APPROVES.
- Tarp Nazi's black licorice. Mmmm. Root flavors and roots music. Synchronicity.
- The Maestro's impromptu lyrics to Loreena McKennitt harpsical stylings, along the lines of "Two irishmen walked through the mist, on the fine shores of Galway." I guess when you've heard one Irish song, you've heard them all. While we mocked Loreena, Tarp Tart was loving it. Falsetto in full effect. The Maestro chimed in with his special brand of over-the-top guitar mimickry when they got the celtic-rock fired up.
- And me staring into the sky just giggling.