Less old folk at the folk fest?
Not only are there a number of hip headliners that should appeal to a “youthful” audience at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival this year, the overall crowd may look a bit more fresh-faced, too. On top of the the 13,000 or so daily paid tickets that sold out lickety split, 1,000 were set aside for […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Folk fest earns indie cred
The best action isn’t always on the main stage at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Take, for example, Carolina Chocolate Drops. They performed at Interstellar Rodeo last year, and received rave reviews from everyone. The old-time string band from North Carolina, who perform with banjos, jugs, kazoos, bones, quills, a cello and a beatbox, perform […]
COOL UKE: Can we have a little guitar in the mix?
Sometimes a little guitar can lead to big things. The artist who calls herself “LP” might not be where she is today had she not adopted the humble ukulele – and there’s your joke. But it was no joke, according to the singer who wowed the crowd at Sonic Boom 2012 – a modern rock […]
FOLK FEST: Free passes for seniors are history
No more free folk fest tickets for senior citizens, consarnit! Apparently there are more old timers than ever, so now to avoid overcrowding, they’ll have to pay like everybody else. At least the blow is being softened. When tickets for the 34th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival go on sale June 1, senior day passes […]
Rock and Folk Festivals working for the same weekend
The stakes in the Great Edmonton Summer Festival Poker Game just went up. The table is getting crowded. This year’s Edmonton Rock Music Festival happens on the same weekend as the Edmonton Folk Music Festival – and everyone is crossing their fingers that the crossover between classic rock and folk music isn’t too huge. The […]
Seven ways the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is like Disneyland
Well, there goes another folk festival – into the inevitable Four Strong Winds, whose annual performance at the end of the event marks the beginning of fall in Edmonton. Suckers! Longtime festival-goers – especially longtime festival-goers with kids – may notice certain similarities between the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and Disneyland. It’s eerie when you […]
REVIEW: Arrested Development turns folk fest into rock concert
We don’t “put our hands in the air and wave them like we just don’t care” at the folk fest. Hmmph, the very idea! We do it because we DO care. It’s just that kind of a shiny, happy event. There was no better band to illustrate this phenomenon than Arrested Development, which turned Saturday […]
FOLK FEST: Guitar heroes teach amazing lessons in Master Class
“Master Class” is definitely the correct name for the guitar session that took place at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival on Friday night. Martin Simpson, Oscar Lopez, David Lindley and Amos Garrett are what you’d call jaw-dropping good. Beyond technical mastery, these guys have pushed the boundaries of guitar across tuning, style, genre and ethnic […]
Flawed folk fest ticket system needs an overhaul
The “Weekend Pass” for the Edmonton Folk Music Festival may soon be on the endangered species list. One of the historic appeals of this festival is that it’s a place you can go every year to see an astonishing variety of music over four days for a reasonable amount of money in a fairly hassle-free […]
Royal Wood returns to folk fest with matured music, showmanship
John Royal Wood Nicholson – better known by his two middle names “Royal Wood” – gains more ground with every one of his releases. And “We Were Born To Glory” may be his best album to date. It’s no accident he was nominated for a Songwriter of the Year Juno in 2011, which opened up […]
