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Canmore & Calgary Folk Festivals Calgary (July 2003) that Michael Franti and Spearhead were in last year, Horace X failed to generate quite the same startling "This is the most boring place in the world!" barked audience reaction, but their indescribable mix of styles some yuppie into his cellphone on Thursday night at seemed well-received. Myself, I’d like to have their Prince’s Island. This was during Ricky Skaggs’ CD just to play for people, prefaced by the question performance! On one hand, this suggests that, contrary "Wanna hear something weird?". to some claims, the Calgary lineup does not cater exclusively to the lowest common denominator. On the But as usual, the most offbeat material was found away other, it gave me a momentary swell of ego, a from the mainstage, where too many acts seemed confirmation of the superiority of my own tastes. Most overwhelmed by the immobile grandeur of the of the massive audience seemed quite pleased by most structure and often were on the stage for too short a of the Festival, and so was I. time to make a proper impression (this was the case with Australia’s The Waifs, though their mere four This was the record ticket-selling year for the Calgary songs Sunday evening made me wish I had gone to Folk Festival, and I was lucky to find people seated some of their workshops). Too often workshops result quite near the mainstage to whom I was best known as in musicians simply trading solos, but with effort one somebody’s brother but who were happy to set me up can find some examples of genuine interaction and with a square of tarp nevertheless. It was absurdly hot, musical experimentation. I took a particular interest in with only a short burst of rain coming during Slainte the musicians from the Far North, appearing in Mhath’s mainstage set, where claps of distant thunder conjunction with a Glenbow Museum exhibit. Sarah complemented their sound. A strange ruling by the city Nya Laakkuluk Williamson did a terrifying prevented smoking in the beer garden; I wouldn’t care Greenlandic clown act, and perhaps my personal (there’s something amusing about smoking and highlight was the Wisdom of the Ages workshop, with drinking becoming mutually exclusive activities) the Australian Aboriginal group White Cockatoo; I except for the resulting clouds of oppressive cigarette don’t know if anybody’s ever tried to back Inuit smoke everywhere else. This policy made nobody throatsinging with the didgeridoo before, but it’s a happy, and should be amended. pretty good match. Another successful workshop featured Horace X, Slainte Mhath and genial Nova The sound seemed oddly ragged from time to time. I Scotia hip-hop artist Buck 65 (who introduces himself witnessed a level of communication between as "Rich") combining their sounds into something very performers and sound people during sets, sometimes effective, if indescribable. And there were excellent even on the mainstage. All seemed quickly remedied, workshops on dance, gospel, blues (the latter two both and the artists didn’t seem to be more than mildly with the excellent Ruthie Foster); in short, wide dismayed, but it did work to tarnish the Festival’s enough material to cater to most tastes. image of spotless professionalism. Could it be that, despite the innumerable volunteers, the Festival is Oh, and this review cannot end without reference to actually short of people with such specific talents? the India Palace Restaurant’s Curry in a Hurry, which drew me back again and again, because its sweet smell The improved numbers this year were clearly due to a wafted to all corners of the island not overwhelmed by concentration of big names like Elvis Costello, Ani cigarette smoke, and the Smithrite portapotties, which DiFranco and Daniel Lanois, each of whom performed somehow smelled like roses even on the fourth day. admirably. I particularly liked Lanois’s dreamy, fine- Whatever they cost, it was well worth it. tuned set (he was constantly tweaking dials between Murray Leeder, Calgary numbers) that sounded more like a studio recording than any live material I’ve ever heard. I liked DiFranco’s material a lot, especially the political stuff, Canmore, Alberta (August 2003) and in fact I enjoyed almost every solo female singer- songwriter I saw. Costello gave a mellow, comfortable From the moment on Saturday afternoon when the performance of a no-longer-angry no-longer-young piper begins to lead the parade of advance ticket man; not what I expected, but quite welcome. In fact, holders to the main stage for tarp placement, until the "mellow" describes much of the mainstage material finale on Monday night when the entire audience this year, with exceptions like Britain’s fluorescent- stands to sing along with "Mary Ellen Carter" and clad fusion group Horace X. Placed in the same slot "Four Strong Winds", you know that this is a festival 27 with a special friendly touch. The 26th annual Down the Track", "Still Lovin' You" (which Tom Canmore Folk Festival, held on August 2-4, is a great describes as his favourite song of all time, though he success. The Festival features 32 workshops and 18 doesn't know its author), and their finale, Hank main stage groups. It enjoys fine weather, spectacular Williams’ "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)". On the down peaks, and wonderful music. This makes it easy to side, some of the group's vocal work is not always well forget the haze softening the mountains and the blue synchronised with Tom's lead singing. sky; to ignore the faint smell of smoke in the air; and to overlook the occasional fall of small flakes of black Next up are The Duhks (Winnipeg). The audience or white wood ash from the forest fires burning to the begins to warm up with their first vocal, Gillian Welch west in British Columbia. and David Rawlings' "Rock of Ages", with the lyric "Round, round, wanna go round, wanna see the Rock The eight best-received acts, based on my assessment of Ages, till my body gives up, gonna read the gospel of applause, standing ovations, record sales, and pages". The applause is even better for a country style comments from audience members are, in approximate version of Woody Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd" and for descending order of popularity, Martyn Joseph Tommy Sands' "Your Daughters and Your Sons". The (Wales), Mary Gauthier (USA), Eric Bibb with Leon audience begins to sing along on the nonsense chorus Bibb (UK and Canada), and Ruthie Foster with Cyd of the Appalachian "Leather Winged Bat", and is on its Cassone (USA); followed by Fruit (Australia), The Bill feet clapping and dancing for The Duhks' two last Hilly Band (Canada), Willie and Lobo (USA), and The numbers in French Canadian style, one medley Wailin' Jennys (Canada). I find it disappointing that the beginning with the traditional "Le meunier et la jeune crowd seems to prefer the non-Canadian acts to the fille" and another medley beginning with "Roddy Canadian ones. McCorley" (!) (words by Ethna Carberry to a traditional tune). An audience member near me says Canmore has a reputation among artists and among "amazing guitar" (though I feel that some of their attendees as a relaxed, intimate, and happy Festival. In ensemble playing could be in better tune). common with other smaller festivals across the country, the pressures of size and money haven't The Laura Love Duo (Seattle), long time favourites at drained the life out of this festival. Don Hansen, one of Canmore, then take the stage and begin with a number the MCs, said that artists realise that Canmore is "less of 60s style protest songs including Laura's own "I of a commercial endeavour" and "not concerned with Want You Gone" which she describes ironically as "a making money, more of a real festival." There is "more kind of a love letter to our president George Bush." contact between the artists and the public, between the The crowd comes alive with very enthusiastic applause artists and the volunteers." "Artists tend to take more for her amazing a cappella performance of the gospel risks, play more out on the edge," he said, and song "Blind Bartimus". There is applause to greet the "workshops tend to be more collaborations." As if in first lines of Laura's "I'm a Givin' Way" with its proof the three lead women of the Australian group evocative line "I'm the only shade in a thousand miles Fruit, Susie, Sam, and Mel, animate every workshop of sun" and very good applause at its conclusion. Laura that they take part in, collaborating actively with the is especially relaxed with this audience, and they love other acts on stage, and getting performers from the it. There follows an interesting jazz/country influenced other acts to collaborate with them. Many of the artists interpretation of "Amazing Grace". There is an have the entire audience clapping along, singing along, unfortunate loss of connection with the audience whistling along, yodelling along, or dancing along. Not during Laura's offering of Jimmie Rodgers and E.T. a sit-on-your-hands audience. Cozzens' "In My Dear Old Southern Home" when she Leonard Podolak, one of The Duhks, said "we've been tries to get the audience yodelling along with the looking forward to this festival for a long time, we've yodelling chorus. It is asking more than the crowd is heard such great things about it." comfortable trying tonight. The number of people standing to request the encore is probably less than it Saturday night might otherwise have been.

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