Local singer Nolan builds buzz on big stage
Journal writers followed three Folk Fest players this weekend, including producer Terry Wickham and kitchen manager Stephane Levesque. Today, Amanda Ash hangs out with Edmonton singer Joe Nolan. Joe Nolan is only 23, but his grizzled voice hints at experience beyond his years. He’s a man of cigarettes and sad songs.
The Edmonton-based artist (he’s from Fort Saskatchewan) released his debut album Goodbye Cinderella in the fall of 2011 to critical acclaim, garnering a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Best New/Emerging Artist in 2012.
Nolan, a musician on the cusp of something much bigger than his curly mop of hair, could find himself breaking through in 2014.
Last month, he signed a deal with Canadian label Six Shooter Records, which will release his followup record Tornado next winter. In the meantime, he continues to conquer hills along the way — tiny ones in the local scene and large ones like the Folk Fest — all for the love of music. This is his first time playing the Edmonton Folk Music Festival as a solo artist. 11:30 a.m.: Wearing a chambray shirt, black denim jeans and a wool driver hat, Joe arrives at Stage 1 via golf cart. He leaps off and ducks through the dark rabbit hole that is the stage door. 11:39 a.m.: “I’m just writing down my set because I haven’t yet,” Joe says. He’s sitting at a weathered picnic table, scribbling words on a piece of paper. This is how he usually works. Emotions are his compass and his set list depends on the moment. He fumbles with a pack of cigarettes and slips one out. Head down, he writes. 11:59 a.m.: Joe hops on stage. He tilts his ear downward and tunes three different guitars — a pastel blue electric, a teal acoustic and an intricately carved brown acoustic. His curly hair tumbles into his face. 12:09 p.m.: The smell of patchouli briefly floats through the air, but disappears just as quickly. Whiskey-stained hardwood and dark despair would’ve made a more appropriate aroma for the set. 12:39 p.m.: Joe slips into stage persona like a pair of old brown boots. He’s soft-spoken and sweet, but when he sings it’s a lament. Next up is Bleeding, a song filled with pain and desperation. 12:44 p.m.: Joe asks the audience permission to take off his shirt. “I’m dripping up here,” he smirks. He opts to perform in a white T-shirt. A girl in the audience screams “Why are you so hot?” He gives an embarrassed laugh. “The sun, man, the sun!” 1:02 p.m.: Fans and friends gather to congratulate Joe backstage. He shakes hands and smiles bashfully. One friend wonders why he didn’t take off his pants along with his shirt. Joe retrieves a cigarette from his pocket. 1:11 p.m.: Joe and his youngest sister Nataya — who sings backup vocals — forego a golf cart and decide to carry their gear to the lock-up. They strap guitars to their backs and cradle amps in their arms, hauling them clear across Gallagher Park. The path is a minefield. The two swerve around sugarcrazed children. 1:25 p.m.: Joe is keen on catching Lynn Miles back at Stage 1. On the way he confesses, “I shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m a bit of a zombie today.” He looks guilty. There was an after-party at the Westin Hotel last night. He wasn’t supposed to go, since he had an “early” radio interview with CKUA this morning at 10 a.m., but he wound up stumbling home in the wee hours of the morning. 2:03 p.m.: An intense hunt for a donair. Joe searches the concession row but it’s nowhere to be found. He settles for something similar to chicken shawarma. A combination of the heat, yummy food and overall festival commotion makes him want to go escape behind the mainstage. “I don’t like crowds,” he reveals as he winds his way around strollers and ice-cream-licking festivalgoers. “I’m shy.” 3:30 p.m.: There is a lot of commotion behind the mainstage. Suddenly, Joe’s bandmate Russell Broom stumbles out of a tent. “I’ve just … had … er … lots of beeeeer,” he slurs, feigning drunk. Joe turns pale. Russell laughs at his wellexecuted prank. It takes a few minutes for Joe to gain his colour back.
3:32 p.m.: Joe and Russell decide to take a golf cart to his next show on Stage 6. “This is a first!” Joe exclaims. “I’m used to carrying my amp up dark alley stairways.” 3:50 p.m.: Joe has an interview with Shaw TV. Russell — a seasoned guitarist who toured and played with Jann Arden for 15 years — uses the opportunity to dish about Joe. “He creates simple lyrics and simple music. Sometimes I have to stop playing in the middle of a song. I have to turn away so he won’t see me tearing up. He’s a freak of nature.” 4:11 p.m.: Nataya arrives at Stage 6. Russell recognizes another prank opportunity. He feigns drunk, telling her he did eight shots. 4:12 p.m.: There is talk about whether Joe should take his pants off onstage for $100. “But … we don’t know what he’s got on under there,” Russell reasons. “The Folk Fest is PG-13.” 4:30 p.m.: It’s show time. The adrenalin kicks in. Poker faces take over. Onstage, Joe takes off his shoes and shirt so he doesn’t overheat in the scorching sun. His pants stay on. 5:34 p.m.: Young women in crop tops, tank tops, short shorts and cute dresses wait for Joe at the gate after the show. He says hello and signs autographs for the group, including a few kidlets with starstruck expressions. 5:45 p.m.: Joe is going to meet a girl off-site. A girl? “You could say girlfriend.” 8:02 p.m.: Joe returns to Gallagher Park and is nibbling on chips and veggies in the beer tent behind the mainstage. He chats excitedly about his record, Tornado, and how festivals like the Folk Fest fuel his creative process. Even if he spends a whole day ingesting merry music, what comes out of him at the end of the day is still dark and depressing. “It’s almost like it’s my job, my role. I’m not that sad of a guy. It’s like my responsibility to say what people are feeling when they don’t know how to say it.” 8:29 p.m.: Russell joins Joe at the table. As he sits down, he knocks over an orphaned beer glass and spills it on Joe’s jeans. “I spilled on his pants in hopes he’d take them off,” Russell grins. 8:35 p.m.: Joe and Russell share band stories. Thankfully, there have been no after-show proposals from crazed fans … yet. Russell tells stories from the years he spent with Jann Arden. He received racy sexual invitations. He received phone calls in the middle of the night from a stalker who insisted the songs were about her. And then he tells Joe of the time he was 23 and witnessed a drummer go on a heroin binge in Victoria. “(Music) isn’t all glorious,” he says. 9:15 p.m.: Joe heads out to the hill to watch Lisa Hannigan perform. The sky resembles a My Little Pony’s tail as fiery oranges and pastel pinks streak across the horizon. 1:03 a.m.: Joe turns down afterparty invitations in favour of turning in for the night. He’s staying at his sister’s place in Bonnie Doon, living a life in limbo until his career dictates where he goes next.