Edmonton Folk Festival 2011

Date: 04 to 07 August 2011

Venue: Gallagher Park

Who: Niki & Scott

Guest Appearances from Shannon, Kay, Jill, Ian & Tiago.

This was our second year as volunteers for the Folk Fest. We were on Liaison Security as well this year, which I think is a perfect fit for us since we get to walk around and help people. We had a total of 20 hours of shifts over the four days, as well as a few hours of site take down. This year there was no Wednesday night fundraising concert as we have raised enough in the last few years to have a bit of as cushion left in the account. The wonderful food was another highlight again this year, the biggest joy of our festival was a dinner with Peter Brown, the hilarious former host of the afternoon show on CBC Edmonton and the producer of The Irrelevant Show. We also forayed into the surprising delicious realm of deep fried oreos and strawberry covered elephant ears from the food vendors.

Here are a few highlights:
Delhi 2 Dublin
Scott and I finally made it to an after party this year, and it was incredible. We got to the concert room about 20 minutes before the band started and mingled a little, then the room just exploded with energy when this high energy indo-celtic-techno music started. I had heard of them a few times on CBC as they are based out of Vancouver, and their live show really delivers. We danced and danced into the wee hours of the night, and had a chat with the band afterwards. Really a fantastic memory of the festival.

Matt Andersen
We caught a few performances with this amazing soulful blues singer. We saw him a few years ago at Myer Horowitz, and his performances this year definitely turned a few heads this year at Folk Fest. He can project his voice so it give you goosebumps, and his fingers fly up and down on the neck of his guitar, defying physics.

The Secret Sisters
Scott heard of these two country singing siblings on Q a few months ago, and we had been looking for a Canadian tour date to check them out. They sing country, but soulful Johnny Cash country, not modern twangy pop country. The look and sound as if they walked out of the 1950s, harmonizing and playing the heart strings of the crowd.

 KT Tungstall

This Scottish singer-songwriter warmed up the crowd during a brief downpour before Brandi Carlisle played. She really had a sweet stage presence, lots of humor and her performance lifter the spirits and the tarpolines of Gallagher Hill of all the soggy patrons. By the end of her set, there was a beautiful rainbow above the hill and smiling faces of all who braved the storm.

Amelia Curran
From Newfoundland, this Canadian Singer Songwriter participated in many different workshops as well as her concert. Her heart-felt lyrics and down-to-earth stage presence make her an endearing performer and a gem in Canadian Music.

Honorable mentions for performances for this year were the amazing repeat performance from last year's sweetheart, Brandi Carlile, the whistling sensation Andrew Bird, k.d. lang and her cover of hallelujah that warmed the hill, Celtic jazz from the McDades,  Lissie and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

The Indie Queens are Waiting

Dan Mangan

Date: 03Nov11
Venue: Sonic Session/McDougall United Church

Guests: Scott with a special Appearance by Ms. Spina. 

Tickets $32 from Blackbyrd

CBC Radio 3 did a full album Roll-out for all the songs on this album, their first ever. Dan talks about all the songs between performances. The Podcast can be found on the CBC 3 website or iTunes. On the album, a 12 piece band was used, which he brought into Studio 40 for this podcast. The full band really fills out the sound, compared to the first two albums he put out. The strings really complement the songs nicely, if I do say so myself. I think that the art of the album is back in full force. The flow between the songs, and slight overlap in tracks accompanied with reoccurring themes and building a story is great on this album.  

Sonic Session

The local Modern Rock station Sonic 102.9 FM offers this unique and interesting sneak peak into the music industry with tickets that are available as prizes to listeners periodically. They are often difficult to obtain, but we were luck enough to log on at the right time and get a pair of tickets. The session started off late with the band running behind with a tight tour schedule, driving in from Saskatoon from a performance the night before, and a whole bunch of equipment that was difficult to cram into the miniscule listener lounge, running about 40 minutes behind, and cutting the session a little short unfortunately. Personally, I prefer the acoustic listener lounges, as the concert that night will be with the whole band, and it gets VERY LOUD and crammed in that tiny room with a full drum set, trumpet, upright bass, keyboardist and guitarist in there with their amps et cetera. I also was quite a fan of the simpler nice Nice Very Nice album with just Dan Mangan, his second album which was shortlisted for the 2010 Polaris Prize, which he toured with no band to back him up. I will never kick anyone with an upright bass out of any room, as I have a huge crush on the cello/bass; the drummer and the trumpet could've played from the hallway and saved my ears. Oh well, in 40 years when my hearing is failing, I'm sure modern science will invent new ways for me to experience music. 

He addressed his change from singer songwriter to band in his CBC 3 (21:50) a fore mentioned interview, and his movement away from the first two albums, showing up at radio stations with a full band versus the unplugged folk style with just the guitar, and he's trying to evolve his performance from playing in little coffee shops and trying to fill The Railway Club with even 100 people, to the new successes of playing sold out theaters and churches. I can appreciate striving for something new and reinvention, but simple can introduce an element of honesty into a performance. Some of the best reinterpretations of songs I've seen are done by stripping it bare, playing it acoustically with sparse back up... Kind of the reverse of "If I Am Dead" experience he discusses in the CBC radio 3 interview (27:45).

The band was able to play four songs and have a small interview with Layne Mitchell. I usually am quite fond of Layne, familiar from The Zone 91.3 FM back in my university days, and he actually took us on a quite awesome tour of the studio a few years back. Layne seemed a little off his game with this interview, I think due to the rushed nature and the hectic atmosphere leading up to the session, but I feel like he came off a little cavalier in the between set banter with Dan Mangan, particularly about the Sasquatch Festival, and being surprised about Dan's fan base when he had not. I could be reading too much into it, but let me know if you agree when you watch the session for yourselves here: 

Set List: 

Oh Fortune

Leaves, Trees Forest

Rows of Houses 

About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All

McDougall United Church Performance

Just a little sidebar to say that Blackbyrd really save us from freezing unnecessarily outside before the concert. I headed back into work after a late lunch concert, and was stuck there a little late, so we didn't get to McDougall until 2015, when doors were at 1930. The line-up was half a block long and not moving very quickly with some delays at the door confirming tickets. Scott and I are huge supporters of buying tickets at our local music store Blackbyrd whenever they are available, and we picked one of the last few there a week before the concert. We would much rather the handling fee go to  local music than Ticketmaster. Oh, fortune for us, an organizer walked down the line and offered anyone with actual tickets (that can tear vs the print off) to jump the line and go right in. We leaped to the front with a lot of glares from those stuck in the cold and nabbed a great spot in the balcony to the left of the stage.  We were able to get to the Merch table before the vinyl sold out, and get all comfy and settled in during the first opening band.

And that's why you support local music stores: rewards for doing what's right.

There were two opening bands: The Crackling & Daredevil Christopher Wright. We arrived halfway through the set of The Crackling. The lead singer is Kenton Loewen, the drummer from Dan Mangan's band (as well as Mother Mother). The song writing was solid, a little jazzy; I think the style was a fitting warm up tone for the people streaming in from the cold.  I forgave Kenton from his earlier assault of my tympanic membranes in the listener lounge. Daredevil Christopher Wright played for another 45 minutes as the rest of the crowd streamed in, filling out the terrace in the church. They opened with an interesting acappella song, which was a tad awkward, but definitely got the attention of the crowd, which is difficult to do when you are billed as "Guests" on the performance.

Dan Mangan

 Dan Mangan took to the stage around 2210 and was onstage until midnight, much to the chagrin of my sleepy Scotty. It was quite a late night, reminding me why mid week concerts are reserved for those artists that you really can't miss.... Although it made getting up for a flight to New York at 0400 the next morning quite atrocious. The church was packed to the brim, with people on the floor in front of the congregational seating and the terrace seats all filled up also.  

Set List 

About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All
Sold 
Oh Fortune
Leaves, Trees, Forest
Post-War Blues
Basket
You Silly Git
Road Regrets
If I Am Dead
Daffodil
Starts With Them, Ends With Us
Some People
Rows Of Houses
How Darwinian
Jeopardy
    
The Indie Queens Are Waiting
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Robots 

The set was great. With a mix of old and new songs, more of an emphasis on the new album, but a definite nod to the previous albums, and one solo song midway through the set. There was such a friendly, loving atmosphere, with lighthearted banter between sets. The band sounded excited to be only two sleeps from retuning home to Vancouver before the European leg of their tour began. A few areas got a little long winded and instrumentally exploratory, but all in all a great performance. The traditional closing song of Robots included Mr. Mangan hopping along the tops of the pews into the crowd and rousing chants from the crowd; something we all know but rarely have a chance to bequeath: robots need love too. 

The title "Oh Fortune" is based on Gertude Ederly swimming the English Channel and arriving home to a ticker-tape parade. Large monumental events like this impact many lives, with individual yet collective memories of one situation. Be it good or bad, these events shape what happens in our lives. It's a type of fate, but also a logical impact of causal relationships later in life and within a community. The album is a solids follow up, and I enjoy the variety of instruments on the album, although sometimes there is too much going to dissect all the parts, but just enjoy it as a whole. I suppose that is true for monumental events too. I really enjoy Rows of Houses from the new album, as well as Leaves, Trees Forest. Jeopardy is also awesome, for the mere fact that every verse is stated in the form of a question.

From the previous album, I really enjoy Les Mot Croises and Pine for Cedars, neither of which were played in the set. I heard a interview where Dan discussed the significance of crosswords to him and how he would work through them with his now fiance in the early days of his relationship, and the song always has resonated with me after. Pine for Cedars reminds me of the west coast, and days when I feel home sick for a forest where I can feel dwarfed by the lush green forests that make you feel safe yet insignificant, a brief moment in the life of a beautiful giant. 

Guest Post for Royal Wood

Hi All!
For some festive fall fun, I wrote a guest post for my friend Isabelle on livingthelife, the concert blog being the inspiration for my own blog.

Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies

Date: 14 July 2011
Venue: Northlands

Guests: Carmen, Kevin and Derek
Tickets: Kevin

Broken Social Scene

This group from Toronto based band played a solid opening set, although I'm not certain they were an appropriate choice for the crowd in attendance. The crowd seemed slightly older, with more heavy rock tenancies than the typical Sonic crowd, and although the set was well executed, it didn't command the regard they deserved. The group consists of musicians from a few different indie band, do not like to refer to themselves as a super-group, as that suggests: stability of the group, international fame or super powers of the members. None of which are applicable. The indie music scene in Canada shares a lot of projects, this being one of them, with many collaborations sprouting up between a small community of artists.  Depending on the artist, the year and the songs, the bang is constantly evolving and changing. I really enjoyed their set and were glad they were the opening band, and by the end of the set, it felt like the crowd eventually came around.

The Tragically Hip

 The atmosphere was perfect. The set started when the sun was still up (you have to love the long evenings of Edmonton summers) and continued past sundown. the crowd was so excited and was just humming with anticipation by the time the Hip took the stage. The general atmosphere was a bit rowdy (aforementioned) so there was moshing, people sitting on other peoples shoulders and quite a bit of crowd surfing. To the point where Gord called them out about how utterly lame it was to crowd surf, yet the surfing continued. I don't think the crowd surfers were listening... must be all the water in their ears.

 

Set List

Blow At High Dough

Grace, Too
Love Is A First
Streets Ahead
Gift Shop
Ahead By A Century
In View
Poets
At The Hundredth Meridian

Wheat Kings
Drip Drip
Fully Completely
Courage
Bobcaygeon
New Orleans Is Sinking
 Little Bones

 The Kids Don't Get It
 My Music At Work

 

The Hip have a way of charming a crowd, even a rowdy one. By the time Poets was played, the ruckus subsided (perhaps people had been outside the beer garden long enough to quell the effects of inebriation, or the smoke mellowed them out enough that we could enjoy the show) and the atmosphere was one of people just enjoying beautiful music on a gorgeous night. My favorite song of the night was Wheat Kings, a personally favorite and an anthem to Scott and my life in Alberta so far (although the song might be about Saskatoon, I think that when the lights are just right, and you squint just a little, an oil derrick resembles the Tour d'eiffel quite nicely).

Under the ticket cost, you may see that I listed Kevin instead of currency. This part was really awesome. The Hip awarded free tickets to members of the Armed forces and their dates. I think this is a fantastic idea and applaud them for this. My friend Carmen was going with her boyfriend Derek, and was able to convince their room mate Kevin to bring me along as a date, and his girlfriend was in Calgary. For this, I am every so grateful, and forever indebted... or until I buy Kevin some JD.. whatever comes first.

Originating in Kingston, Ontario in 1983, the band is truly a mathematical phenomenon: with the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The front man, Gord Downie, is quite a character on stage. He quite often goes off on rants or gets quite experimental, but I feel as part of the band, he is grounded a little, making the music more accessible and cutting those rants with a awesome bass line to back it up makes it seem more like beat poetry than sporadic ramblings of a mad man. The solo act of Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles is a (fully) completely different beast than the Tragically Hip, and I think that speaks to the wonderful chemistry that the Hip brings to the stage.

My favorite memories associated with the Hip are from my High School Basketball team. Our Coach, Mark Neufeld (no relation), was a huge Hip fan, and we warmed up to  Blow At High Dough, New Orleans is Sinking as well the Cure and some other songs that are eluding my memory now. I can't help to think of those wonderful days of friendship, teamwork, and soul construction when I hear of the Hip. There was this gorgeous house in the middle of the woods in Shawnigan Lake by the Koksilah River, with a full sized outdoor court surrounded by huge Douglas fir trees on the base of a mountain. He would rouse us for training camp with some Hip blasted at full volume, then we would run up the mountain, make brekkie and play ball all day surrounded by the beauty of nature.  Strongly recommend it for building skills, team work and character. 

Tenacious Basketball Camp

I Wanna Tell You There's a Really Good Reason Why I Came Home Wasted in the Middle of the Night...

Date: 18 April 2011
Venue: Starlite Room

Guests: Angela and Scott
Tickets: $20
 

Two of my favorite bands, with two of my favorite people in my favorite venue! How wonderful! A band called Dinosaur Bones opened up. They did a pretty good job of keeping the crowd engaged and getting their material out there.

Said the Whale 

So endearing. You can tell with this band on stage that they love touring, and they have fun being with each other. Every time I see them, my loves grow exponentially for them. Vancouver based, the songs switch between Ben and Tyler, which gives the sets wonderful depth. Jocelyn rocks the keyboard and Spencer is crisp and concise on the drums.  So happy they won a Juno for best new band this year!

Set list
Jesse new
Citys a mess
Sleep on
Bc Orienteering
The Light
Most important Lie
Holly Ontario
False creek change
Black heart
Sandra new
Camillo
Goodnight

Said the Whale played a couple new songs that they are working on, of which I'm stoked for. Not only is it new Said the Whale music, it's more touring opportunities, and therefore, more Ben hugs, and more love for the band.It's a win win... for me.

Tokyo Police Club:

 

Set list

Favorite Colour

Not Sick

Graves

Juno

Nature of the Experiment

End of a Spark

Tessellate

Be Good

In a Cave

Frankenstein

Bambi

Breakneck Speed

Wait Up (Boots of Danger)

Your English Is Good

Favourite Food

Citizens of Tomorrow

Cheer It On 

The Starlite room did the band the justice it did not receive at the wide expanse of Northlands at Sonic Boom. The crowd was rocking and having a great time, the sound and lights were just right... conditions were perfect.  The band is from Newmarket, Ontario,and were founded in 2005. They made a name for themselves pretty quickly with Nature of the Experiment, and then their follow up album Elephant Shell established them firmly in the Canadian Indie Rock Scene. Champ is a phenomenal third release. I love the tracks Bambi, Gone, Boots of Danger and Breakneck Speed. Boots of Danger was recently nominated for Best Indie Video of 2011 by Much Music. Hopefully they do well!

What really makes these bands stand above and beyond the rest was their social nature. both bands were mingling with the crowd afterwards. We even got the name of our favorite underage drummer put on the special guest list for an exclusive Sonic session the next day because the drummer of Tokyo Police Club wanted to meet him and was compassionate for being <18 in an >18 world.

It started with the Hay Loft a Creakin'...

Venue: Edmonton Events Center

Guests: Brad, Rhonda and Scott
Tickets: $20

We luckily got primo seats in the center of the tiered seating area. The security at EEC is a little strange, they always do a pat down, but they always seem so disorganized, no matter how many shows I've  been to there. They take a really long time getting people in the door, and once Brad and Rhonda were there 90 minutes after we got in, we wanted to nip to the food court and grad a bite to eat, and they were super retentive about us not being allowed out until all the people were in... Whale Tooth opened up, but missed most of the set due to the delay getting out of the venue, but they sounded decent.

Mother Mother:

Setlist:

1. O My Heart
2. Original Spin
3. Simply Simple
4. Problems
5. Born In a Flash
6. Ghosting
7. Dirty Town
8. Baby Don't Dance
9. Polynesia
10. Chasing It Down
11. Angry Sea
12. The Stand
13. Body Of Years
14. (Improv)
15. Hayloft
16. Wrecking Ball
17. Calm Me Down
18. Verbatim
19. Neighbour
20. Burning Pile

I really enjoyed the set! The band played a great show, though they seemed a little overwhelmed by the size of the venue and a sold out crowd, but the sound was good, they had good flow between the songs and the atmosphere was actually really good in the EEC, which can be hard to do since it's a unusual space.

Now based in Vancouver, the band initially was from a little island off Campbell River called Quadra Island. It's an island near and dear to us Neufelds, since Scott went to camp there for many formative years of his adolescence. The band is relatively new, starting up in 2005, with a brother and sister at it's core: Ryan and Molly Guldemond, joined by Ali Siadat, Jeremy Page and Jasmin Parkin.

Sonic BOOM

Date: 04 Sept 2010

Venue: Northlands
Guests: Scott, with appearances by Paul and Stacy

Tickets: Comp from Sonic

Our second time visiting at the second annual modern rock festival over the Labor Day long weekend. Bands on stage this year were:

KO

The Arkells

Tokyo Police Club

Bad Religion

Mother Mother

Wintersleep

City and Colour

Weezer

Rise Against

Scott and I arrived almost at the end of KO's set, but I think we'll be hearing more of him in the future. I like his tracks "Capable", and "Kurt Kobain". Next on stage were the Arkells, who did a great job getting the crowd into the show. I really liked The Ballad of Hugo Chavez. Tokyo Police Club were great, they always put on a good set, lots of energy. I love their new album "Champ", Bambi and Gone are my favorite tracks from that. The crowd could have been more into it, although I think it's difficult to engage in such a large outdoor space. I enjoyed Bad Religion quite a bit, I didn't realize that I knew as much of their material as I did.

I was really looking forward to Mother Mother, but the sound was so cruddy, with the vocals focused on the girls back up, and you could barely hear Ryan Guldemond's lead vocals, which really make Mother Mother's music rock. Hay Loft, Wrecking Ball and Oh My Heart are some of my favorites from them. They put on a great show,  I just wish the sound was better.

Wintersleep was a little mellow for the outdoor rowdy venue, so Scott and I went to find some disappointing dinner since we knew we didn't want to stick around to City and Colour. Northlands had a monopoly on the food, so they offered overpriced crappy burgers with no condiments, just meat and a soggy bun... and there was no in and out privileges, so we were trapped there... which was unfortunate. I think for next year, the food situation would have to improve dramatically before I would pay for a ticket.

Weezer made it up by rocking out in a major way, with Rivers dancing around the stage, climbing on trailers and up scaffolding, wearing a wig and at one point the whole band was pounding away at the drum set. They even played my favorite Weezer song, El Scorcho.  Rise Against finished it off with true Canadian rock flair, really giving it their all. My favorite Rise Against song was Savior.

We can always live off Rice and Potatoes....

Date: 06 May 2011

Venue: The Blue Chair

Guests: Scott, Steph and Bryan

Tickets: $20

Opening Band: Ladies of the Canyon

The ladies were a good opener. I hadn't heard of them before, but they had a warm stage presence and harmonized well with each other. Personally, it's not my kind of music, but it was an enjoyable set none-the-less.

Old Man Luedecke:

Fiery hands down, my favorite banjo playing Canadian Folk musician. But really, he has a shy but very sweet stage presence. He seemed to have come out of his shell a little more than the last time Steph and I saw him a the Blue Chair over a year earlier. He even played a cover song from a favorite move of Scott and mine: Not in Nottingham from Disney's Robin Hood. It was epic. I was so so happy with the show and I can't wait to see him again next year. Be Mine became a new song for Scott and I:  since he skipped it once and a couple had traveled from Australia to hear it, as it was their wedding song. Now he plays it every show as penance.

Setlist:

Missing you

Matchu pichu
My way
Be mine
Yodel
Forest
Undone
Suffering
Woe betide the Doer of the Deed
Quit my Job
Not in Nottingham
Hard rain
This world
Foreign
My Hands on Fire
Caney River
Joy of Cooking

The venue is good, but not great. It is super close to out house, about a 5 minute walk. It's quaint, but you a great view of the stage from many seats with the set up they have. There was a loud table that was disrespectful to the quiet appreciation of my Old Man, who I think were here for the Ladies of the Canyon, and just stuck around for the main show to socialize. The food there is pretty good, although I wish they wouldn't put a caveat that all patrons must spend money on food. Most people would happily do so any way, it just cheapens the show to make it seem like just a way to move more food through the kitchen.

A Good Enough Day

Date: 12 October 2010

Venue: Myer Horowitz

Guests: Scott

Tickets: $12

Hannah Georgas:

Hannah Georgas is a wonderful pop-roots artist from Vancouver. I first saw her open for Said the Whale in 2009, and since then, she's done quite well for herself. This show was just before the release of the 2010 song quest Road Songs album, which had her single "Drive". Her first full length album "This Is Good" lives up to it's title. A few of my favorite tracks of hers are: "The Beat Stuff", "The Deep End" and "Lover's Breakdown"

Setlist: 
This is Good
Chit Chat
Thick Skin
Shorty
Lovesick
The Beat Stuff
Ode
Dancefloor
Bang Bang You're Dead
All I Need
Waiting

Royal Wood:

First off, Royal is one handsome and talented individual. Looks this good paired with talent is one dangerous combination. This Peterborough native is also half of a Canadian music super couple, married to Sarah Slean, although he mentions being married, (breaking the hearts of half the audience) I only knew to look from what was heard on CBC... no coat tails needed. He brings class to the Canadian Singer/Songwriter music scene in his pressed suit paired with the suave look. His lyrics are thoughtful paired with gentle melodies, you can definitely see why this Canadian was names 2010 Songwriter of the Year on iTunes. I thought of my sister Lindsay hand her husband often during this set: I'm so glad was their first dance song. The video for the track "Juliet" really made Scott and I fall in love with Royal (his real name) after Dean and Kate added it to their wedding compilation mix.

Setlist:

Aged
On Top of Your Love
Weigh Me Down
I'm So Glad
Juliet
Do You Recall
You Can't Go
Waiting
Birds On Sunday
Found
Tonight I'll Be Your Guide
Mirror
Acting Crazy
Lady in White
Don't Fall Apart
Suzanne
Silently

The set was great. There was a good balance of slower melancholy tunes and more up-beat songs. His style puts a thoughtful tone to any song, as you can see with his thoughtful cover of Pumped Up Kicks, (a great song in it's original form too). I never really understood the course until hearing Royal's cover. I like the song much more now, though it's quite a bit darker than it's original would suggest.

We stuck around after the show and were able to have a chat with Royal, and the Bassist Steve (who looks like Derek Zoolander) about his electric Bass, which I haven't seen before, but had a sound that I really loved in a easier to manage size. Scott and I got a vinyl, and we were invited back on stage after the show to meet with the rest of the band and have a little chat. The band was so nice and friendly; a great way to finish a wonderful show.  

PS: Royal is coming back to Edmonton 28 September 2011 at the ARTery!