Four folk festivals on successive weekends. Luxury! Vancouver, Mission, Canmore, Edmonton: all quite distinct; all equally enjoyable for a wide variety of reasons.
Vancouver seems such a long time ago now. I did a little bit of MC-ing, which was a wonderful privilege. Getting to introduce three of my favourite bands to that big crowd is a great buzz (The Bills, Shooglenifty, and The Duhks).
music of the Visigoths
Other highlights? The Warsaw Village Band: “Today we met some freaks and they gave us mushrooms,and now we are very happy!” They then played a storming set on main stage. Amazing blend of acoustic instruments and voices, driven by those two hand drummers.
Italy's delightful Fiamma Fumana getting the audience on their feet with Italian bagpipes and beats and glorious vocal harmonies
The Bills' harmonies and wonderful musicianship, and the sheer adrenalin rush of The Duhks revelling in their main stage set, following a sublime set by Odetta
Rogue / Cap Folk N Roots tent
All I can recall of Saturday was the radio interview with Martin Carthy, when he inadvertently kicked the power bar at CiTR and shut down the broadcast for the longest 5 minutes of my life! I spent the rest of the day recovering in the Rogue Folk / Cap College info tent! It was rather too hot for this boy to venture out anyway.
Mission came at the end of a week of four excellent - and very hot - Folkfest Hangover nights at St. James (Dick Gaughan, Rory McLeod, Fiamma Fumana, and Zar.) We had to put up the new tent in the heat of the sun, and then I was MC-ing again.
Certainly the largest crowd I’ve ever seen there on a Friday. I discovered the best way to cool down on a hot day. Find someone holding a bag of ice cubes and hug them! (Thanks Cindy Kelly, the Green Room diva!)
Scots Gaelic singer James Graham kicked things off with some superb singing, then Footworks played a long set with many differrent styles of percussive dance (remarkable in that kind of heat).
Toronto’s Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band were less than inspired, but then came a fine set of songs from David Francey with Terry Tufts on guitar. I hadn’t seen Terry before - what a magnificent player!
The Rankin Sisters were in excellent form - those girls sure can sing and it was great to hear their woven voices again.
I enjoy being the MC, cos I can hang out back stage and get some good photos as well. But I must admit it’s also nice to get the evening off - so I could really enjoy surprises like Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards under the amazing northern lights on Saturday.
having fun
I know I am biased but it seemed to me that Zar stole the show again. We’d already seen them at St. James, of course, but here at Mission we got to relax and really listen.
floating towards the mic
What a voice Sine Lauritsen has! She treated us to some amazing Danish ballads, and in between songs the boys played the most exhilarating sets of fiddle - guitar - acoustic bass tunes imaginable. Please come back soon - and often!
and Jenny Bice
Van World Music Collective
Other highlights included traditional Cuban dance from Bara-Rumba, and the incredible Sunday finale with the Vancouver World Music Ensemble presenting their truly compelling suite “Music for a New World”.
The day after Martin Simpson’s concert at St. James - the first half was so stunning, I cannot recall any concert as good - we set off for Canmore. We flew to Calgary, rented a car and drove to this lovely ski village nestled high in the Rockies.
The festival starts with a Saturday night concert - which we missed - and then has two full days on the Sunday and Holiday Monday. Every performer gets a main stage concert, and artists are only booked if they express a desire to jam with others. I love this festival. It’s similar in size to Mission, and the setting is remarkable, with rocky mountain peaks in all directions around the park.
All the acts were enjoyable, and there were lots of opportunities to see them all several times (this could get boring if they weren’t all so good!) One of the highlights was the Waybacks and Brave Combo (Way Brave Back Combo) jamming together to celebrate Jerry Garcia’s birthday with a 20 minute version of " Cumberland Mine".
Winnipeg’s Nathan also made a big impression. Their new CD, Jimsun Weed, features more upbeat songs than their debut - and a lot fewer murder ballads! Nathan were recently signed by Nettwerk Records. You might have seen them play 1 song at the Fred Eaglesmith show in April. They are a little cute and perky, but they write excellent songs in the country / folk genre, and you will probably see them at the Rogue in 2005.
I was also very impressed with California singer / songwriter Rick Shea - who used to play in Dave Alvin’s band. Rick has a couple of solo CDs available, including “Sawbones”, which features the remarkable song of doomed love and earthquakes at the mission in Capistrano - “Magdalena.” He’ll probably play here next year as well. The Paperboys were in inspired form, and we are delighted to be able to confirm their December 3rd gig at St. James.
Next year also be on the lookout for Brave Combo - a wild polka band from Texas who can play absolutely anything - and The Waybacks - the other contender for finest jam band on the planet.
Nova Scotia’s Beolach sounded much better than when we last saw them at Celtic Colours, and Winnipeg’s Madrigaia were really good, too. 5 girls harmonizing beautifully in loads of languages, backed by the world’s luckiest drummer. He also plays in Nathan.
Sunday was freezing cold, dropping to around 5C, Monday was quite hot. So it was well nigh impossible to decide what to pack. Everything. Sometimes even that isn’t enough in the Rockies! The music was compelling throughout, and the jam session on the final night with the kora and drums of Allakomi, Steve "Paperboy" Mitchell on bass, and the twin sax attack of Jeremiah McDade and the really weird (Ok, perhaps just about the weirdest) dude in Brave Combo was absolutely inspired and stunning.
Edmonton. The Rolls Royce of folk festivals. Runs smoothly, is exceptionally well thought out in every detail, and a great way to finish the annual festival jaunt. It starts on Thursday night. we arrived when Madagascar’s Jaojoby were on. Very bouncy and quite enjoyable. Nothing special though. Next up the Dixie Hummingbirds. Founded in 1928, and still going strong. One band member joined in 1938. The others are more recent recruits. 5 black guys in suits and ties singing authentic gospel music. Nice voices, but ultimately I found them as boring as a long drive through Alberta’s hinterland.
Hawkesley Workman was next. Nothing whatsoever to do with folk music. Just grungy pop. The beer tent beckoned. Had a nice chat with a couple of Waybacks and Ron Kavana. Then headed back out to see Garnet Rogers. He did an OK set. I thought he was better in Canmore. Seemed to be completely detached from the audience at times, although sitting to the side of the stage it’s not always easy to tell. He was the token folkie on the bill, I guess, so played some raunchy slide guitar and kept the likes of Ellen MacIlwaine interested.
The final act was Rodney Crowell. I am not at all familiar with his songs, but I liked what he was doing. 4 piece band with a hot guitarist. I was worried by the lightning to the west and the song about wishing it would rain. Then he sang something about The Fates, with lots of references to storms and winds. The lightning was getting serious, and so was the wind. Felt like a tornado was approaching (not that I would know) So we left just before his 6th song (I think) and he was saying that it should be his last cos he didn’t want to see anyone getting hurt. Not much he could have done for 10,000 people on a ski slope in a tornado, but it was a nice thought. The rain started as soon as we got into the shuttle bus, and the storm commenced in earnest. Very loud and bright at times, and a LOT of rain! The roof leaked in the bar again. It always happens in Edmonton. Maybe not an auspicious beginning, but there were some good moments. I will seek out a Rodney Crowell CD today.
Day 2 - The rain stopped in the wee hours and it was warm and sunny for most of the day. The evening program began with workshops on 4 stages from 6pm to 9pm. Ferron hosted Chip Taylor (who wrote "Wild Thing", amongst other classics), Rodney Crowell and Michael Franti. That was a really interesting workshop.
Missed the Dixie Hummingbirds cos they were so dull the previous night (sacrilege I know) but returned for the 2nd half of “Southern Exposure”, with Martin Simpson joined by dobro master Jerry Douglas. This was superb! They jammed on a few tunes, and I reckon it was worth coming all this way just to see these two guys playing together and having such an obviously wonderful time doing it!
The main stage was decidedly odd again, with South African reggae star Lucky Dube, followed by Newfoundland's folk stompers Great Big Sea, and then an electric set from Michael Franti & Spearhead. All 3 sets were a little too long. Would have been better to have had 4 acts, I reckon, playing shorter sets.
The ‘tweeners were Genticorum and Martyn Joseph. (Not many women on stage again, just the S. African “I Threes” in Lucky’s band). Plenty of time for schmoozing backstage, of course. Then had a nice chat with Martyn, fRoots writer Colin Irwin, and Natalie Merchant’s guitarist, Gabriel. We talked about politics and the Strawbs’ “Part of the union” - they were on the bill, too, and I distinctly remember this having been an anti-union song in the 70s. Their agent wants me to book them. They used to be famous. I really don’t like their latest CD, but I must make the effort to watch them this weekend (yawn!)
At the hotel, the parties were in full swing. Lucky Dube and Jaojoby in the noisy room, and a jazz session in the acoustic room led by The McDades. At around 3am I headed off to bed. A full day of workshops tomorrow ... Looking forward to seeing Natalie Merchant, Chris Smither, Four Men & A Dog, Haugaard & Hoirup, David Lindley, Earl Scruggs etc. Not a very nice weather forecast for tomorrow, but they said it would rain this evening, and it didn’t. So, fingers crossed ....
Day 3 - Jerry Douglas, John Reischman & The Jaybirds, and The Waybacks were on the first workshop I attended. Excellent! Called Tim Readman on CiTR from the top of the hill on Stage 5 with Jerry D playing.
Then “Northern Exposure” with Bill Bourne, Genticorum, Haugaard & Hoirup and Beolach from Cape Breton. Very enjoyable too. Marg went to a workshop with Ferron and Fred Eaglesmith and a great young singer called Rachel Davis. Fred complained about Canadian folk festivals taking place in winter (it only got to about 10C today!)
Blue Rodeo did the main stage afternoon set. I still don’t see what people like about them. Went shopping instead of watching, but could still hear them.
“The Masters” was next: Martin Simpson, David Lindley, Jerry Douglas, Paddy Keenan (Irish pipes). This was amazing!! Then a huge Ceili with Spirit of the West, Ron Kavana, and Four Men & A Dog, with Dick Gaughan, Brian McNeill, and Rory McLeod! What a racket! Absolutely mad.
Main Stage was excellent - but cold. Jerry Douglas with his fine band, then Linda Tillery and The Cultural Heritage Choir, then Earl Scruggs and his hot bluegrass band, then Natalie Merchant. What a show she put on. The first half was traditional music from her latest CD The House Carpenter's Daughter, the 2nd half was her own songs. Wonderful!! What a voice. What a band. The best stuff was the trad stuff. Really powerful.
Four Men & A Dog closed with a fierce set. Rory joined in on a couple of songs - on trombone and harmonica. They ended with "Music for a Found Harmonium" - the theme tune for The Edge on Folk. It’s on their new CD. Went to the party for a while. It had been a great day, but I needed more music! I ended up playing a plastic tray with brushes beside Rory on trombone, Genticorum, Ron Kavana and a couple of others. Lots of fun. Got to bed around 3, I think.
Day 4 - Sunday was another cloudy day, so had to take all clothing options to the site again. Started with Garnet Rogers, Lynn Miles and Rachel Davis - a very impressive young singer from the States. This degenerated into stories of stalkers on the road, and outrageous smutty remarks about the S.S. Lynn Miles (“and all who sail in her” - Garnet) referring to her band and their indecision about what to play next. They set a record for the number of F words at a folk festival - surpassing the previous title held by Bobby Watt as an MC at Winnipeg on his first and only appearance there. This de-sanctified Stage 3 perfectly just in time for the gospel session - which I decided to avoid in case of celestial vengeance!
Caught the tail end of a wild session with Allakomi - griots from Africa, living in Montreal - David Lindley, The McDades and Rory McLeod. Managed to miss Haugaard & Hoirup as Garnet decided to tell me more stalker stories. What a scary life these folk singers lead! Who knew?
Then there was a wonderful session of a Welshman, an Irishman, a Scotsman, and an Englishman - thankfully not called the WISE Club - with Martyn Joseph, Gerry O’Connor (Four Men & A Dog), Brian McNeill, and Martin Simpson.
Spirit of the West took mainstage in the afternoon, and were lots of fun. Plenty of Celtic-inspired cojones. Some very weird and forgettable cabaret songs from the mad drummer, and then back to what Spirit do rather well - songs of adolescent angst and life on the road spiced up with very well played rigs and jeels. But some of these guys are pushing 50. Fun, though, and nice to hear them again.
Sunday afternoon I rarely manage to get to many sessions, but I did catch a few snippets of David Lindley’s concert, Ferron and Spirit of the West with Perfect Storm (First Nations drummers) getting very excited and some excellent fiddles and cello from Shannon Johnson (McDades), Jami Sieber, and Cathal Hayden (Dogmen).
All the main stage concerts were somewhat disappointing this weekend. Lots of big names wheeling in to town for the glamour bit and disappearing. Having said that, two of the biggest names also gave us the very best and most memorable sets - Natalie Merchant on Saturday and David Byrne on Sunday. He played a few Talking Heads classics - starting with the very apt mystery tour anthem “Road To Nowhere”. “Once In A Lifetime” was also in there, but the highlights for me were “Life During Wartime” - his closing number - and, after a 9 minute delay (necessitated by a pee-break, I found out later, and the queue was rather long!) there was a phenomenal 10 minute encore of “Lazy” - a song which has recently been remixed with DJs and such - brought back to its roots at a folk festival! He had a 6 piece string section - The Tosca Strings - and a great bassist and singer, plus keyboards, a drummer and an amazing percussionist with him.
The finale was brief and excellent, with Jeremiah McDade soprano saxing the intro to Bill Bourne and Lynn Miles singing “Four Strong Winds.” Gorgeous stuff, erasing the memory of very uninteresting sets by Lhasa and Ani diFranco. Apparently Wanda Jackson - the Queen of Rockabilly - was great, but I was having dinner and missed that set. Speaking of dinner, the food was absolutely wonderful all weekend long. My salmon was served up by Melanie of the Cultural Heritage Choir, who insisted I had lots of vegetables and needed extra salsa on my fish!
At the party I had a great chat with Colin Irwin (fRoots), Roddy Campbell (Penguin Eggs) and Terry Wickham (festival producer) instead of listening to more music. David Byrne had underlined a great weekend and there was no need for more music at that stage. By the morning, with "Once In A Lifetime" refusing to get out of my head, I desperately needed to hear more music, and it came on the airport shuttle, with Harald Haugaard’s iPod and my speakers treating us to a song by Danish singers Karen and Helene, and then my iPod giving us Zar and Cleia - their tale of traveling in hope - “Minsk” - a fitting way to send us off to our various destinations: Tommy O’Sullivan to Shannon airport, Harald and Morten to Copenhagen, Rory to Vancouver on an earlier flight than ours, and Margaret, Tom Field and I to the airport cafe for a cup of tea.
Postscript: these 2 Alberta festivals really demonstrated just how far The McDades have progressed as a band. Shannon has always been known as a fine fiddler and singer, but now we must also take note of her compositional skills. Brothers Solon and Miah have been playing some marvellous jazz-infused music of late - the more so since they moved to Montreal. Miah demonstrated his skills on the intro to the main stage finale at both Canmore and Edmonton. Hats off to The McDades.
Finally, a huge Thank You to Dugg Simpson and Frances Wasserlein in Vancouver, Francis and Anne Marie Edwards in Mission, Ken Rooke and Sharon Bowie in Canmore, and Lori and Terry Wickham in Edmonton for the invitations, warm hospitality, and captivating music!