MUSIC MEDLEY AT FOLK FEST
Expect an eclectic mix of styles and performers
MAINSTAGE AND HEADLINERS
The folk-fest folks have never shied away from offering acquired-taste options on its mainstage (The 2016 lineup included Cat Power, Bonnie Prince Billy and James “Blood” Ulmer). But this year’s mainstage choices appear to align with more mainstream tastes. This is particularly true when it comes to the four headliners.
Thursday will feature political firebrand Billy Bragg in historyloving folky mode (see interview on C2). Teamed with esteemed producer/songwriter Joe Henry, the duo will be offering a selection of train tunes from the duo’s excellent Shine a Light: Field Recordings from The Great American Railroad album.
On Friday, Dallas Green will be headlining as City and Colour, the melodic and increasingly soulful solo project from the one-time co-screamer of highly caffeinated post-hardcore act Alexisonfire.
The weekend will see the return of two Can-Rock stalwarts: the Barenaked Ladies on Saturday and Blue Rodeo on Sunday. Other highlights of the mainstage will include Quebec indie-popster Coeur de Pirate, Ontario folk-popster Basia Bulat, iconic Americana singer-songwriter Dave Alvin and his brother Phil, and Irish alt-folk singer-songwriter Foy Vance.
FOLKS? THAT’S NOT ALL
While the Barenaked Ladies and Blue Rodeo may be a few years removed from edgy, folk fest never fails to line up a sampling of artists sure to annoy folk purists and confuse the gently swaying baby boomers in the audience.
This year, that includes the wonderfully named Holy F*ck, Toronto’s intensely noisy industrial-electro act, and BadBadNotGood, also from Toronto, who offer a provocative blend of jazz prowess and passion for hip-hop.
GET CULTURED
Offering the sounds from different cultures is another cherished hallmark of the Calgary Folk Music Festival and this year is no exception. For one, there’s a good deal of Indigenous music from Canada. That includes Polaris Prize-winning Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Mohawk electronicmusic performer DJ Shub, singersongwriter William Prince and Edmonton’s nehiyawak, whose music is steeped in the musicians’ Cree heritage.
Those looking to globe-trot a little farther afield can look to Colombia’s Sidestepper, the North African sounds of FARIS and Haitian roots music of Chouk Bwa Libete. Make sure to keep an eye out for workshops during the day. Some of the best music on Prince’s Island is the result of cultures playfully clashing on side stages in extended instrumental excursions.
CLOSER TO HOME
If your tastes run to more regional fare, the folk fest will also present a healthy sampling of the eclectic music scene in Calgary and surrounding area.
This year that includes popelectronica duo AM Static, the genre-jumping Sargeant & Comrade and ever-morphing Metis act Ghostkeeper, whose latest record Sheer Blouse Buffalo Knocks is an early contender for one of the year’s best.
Scene veterans Forbidden Dimension and 100 Mile House will be featured alongside relative newcomers such as British expat Benjamin Longman and Lindi Ortega, the popular Toronto-born country singer who recently moved here from Nashville.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCE
Canada Far & Wide: Grands Esprits (July 26 at the Jubilee Auditorium)
While not on festival grounds, or during the festival, this celebration of Canadian songs was co-curated by Calgary Folk Music Festival artistic director Kerry Clarke and her four counterparts in Winnipeg, Regina, Vancouver and Canmore.
The Canada 150 project will have festival performers Jason Collett, Basia Bulat, Cris Derksen, Turkwaz, DJ Shub, Melisande (electrotrad), Birds of Chicago and Barney Bentall putting their stamp on traditional Canadian songs and favourites from icons such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.
Tickets are free but you have to get them at the folk fest office (1215 10th Ave. SE).
The show is July 26 at the Jubilee Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.