An extra day of workshops, a strong indie rock element, and a bigger spotlight than ever on Alberta artists are but three of the features that will make this summer’s Calgary Folk Music Festival a special one, says the event’s artistic director.
Kerry Clarke revealed the lineup for the festival’s 31st year on Wednesday with hip alternative acts The Avett Brothers, Stars and St. Vincent among the biggest draws, along with Grammy Award-winning soul singer Roberta Flack, perennial folk fest favourite Michael Franti & Spearhead and country folk heroes Ian Tyson and Corb Lund.
"The Avett Brothers are huge," says Clarke of the North Carolina folk rockers who have drawn comparisons to Townes Van Zandt, The Beatles and even The Ramones. "They have indie fans but they come from a bluegrass and instrumental background and they’re considered really hip."
Long a buzz band, the Avett Brothers popularity reached a new level last year with the release of their latest disc I and Love and You, produced by Rick Rubin, famous for his landmark work with Johnny Cash and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many.
"We’ve been working on getting Stars for a number of years . . . and St. Vincent is a big one, too," adds Clarke. She’s confident that folk fans will be mightily impressed by the "cinematic experimental pop" of St. Vincent, whose album Actor made many a critic’s best of list last year.
The Swell Season, Cat Empire, Dan Mangan, Romantica, Ohbijou and Hill Country Revue – a southern rock offshoot of the North Mississippi Allstars – are other acts in keeping with the festivals mission, to push the boundaries of what fits in the folk realm, while remaining true to the genre’s roots.
Clarke even goes so far as to bring in electronic artists, so long as they have one foot planted in world music, such as Brazil’s DJ Dolores or Delhi 2 Dublin, whose electro-acoustic sound incorporates Irish and North Indian folk melodies.
Of course, the more traditional folk singers are well represented in this year’s lineup, too, with Joe Henry and Tom Russell being particular standouts.
"They’re stalwart folk songwriters from the States," Clarke says. "They have a lot of critical acclaim and a really strong fanbase, but they aren’t necessarily household names. . . . We try to bring in these important artists that are sometimes tragically under-appreciated."
Clarke is also proud of this year’s considerable Alberta contingent, with 13 artists among the 68 on the lineup from this province. Among those are the iconic Tyson, ever popular Lund and impressive up-and-comers like Shane Ghostkeeper and Chris Gheran.
But, like many who attend the festival year after year, Clarke is always more excited about the workshops than any one main stage artist. She lives to program this side stage action, where artists from all points of the lineup are thrown together in the hope that they’ll collaborate for real moments of musical magic.
These workshops, always a highlight of Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the festival, have now been extended, for the first time, to include Friday afternoon.
To Clarke, its another example of how the folk festival has grown over the years, to become one of the premier events of the Calgary summer.
"It’s a way for us to provide some programming for all the people who line up, who get there early," Clarke says. "It’s another way to expand our festival and that’s something we’re excited about."
