It didn’t feel like the kind of evening to start off an outdoor music festival, with dark clouds in the sky, and reminders of last month’s flood visible around the island. But it takes more than weather and weariness to stop devoted tarpies from having a good time at the Calgary Folk Music Festival. The opening day of the four-day fest — which features headliners including Thievery Corporation, Steve Earle and Creedence Clearwater Revisited — was chock full of big sound, from the Gypsy brass of Fanfare Ciocarila to the Monster of Folk member M Ward. But the biggest sound, and biggest highlight of the night was definitely Brittany Howard and the rest of Alabama Shakes. The Shakes opened their set with the shimmery organ and guitar and plaintive vocals of Rise to the Sun. Howard, in her trademark glasses and dress combo, segued from a brief hello into Always Alright. The band, fresh off stints at Glastonbury and Saturday Night Live, filled the park with their blues-tinged rock that had everyone on the fringes up on their feet. The masses ate it up, and when they got to their hit Hold On, there were people standing up all over the crowd. But really, this kind of music isn’t meant for sitting down is it? Howard’s big voice was aptly matched by her bandmates, especially by guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell, who laced their songs with head-bobbing riffs. For his part, M Ward, who was making his first appearance at the Folk Fest, got off to a quiet start, but after a couple of quieter tunes, really got things going with the rollicking twang of Four Hours in Washington and the chugging rhythm of Chinese Translation, featuring his great gravelly voice and his superb guitar work. The singer-songwriter, known as much for his partnership with actress Zooey Deschanel as for his solo work, alternated between upbeat songs and more soulful, introspective numbers that let his voice and guitar echo over the crowd, which was still filing in through his set. The highlight of his set was a rocking version of Roll over Beethoven, and to cap things off, Ward and his band wrapped things up with a suitably noisy version of the Buddy Holly classic Rave On. Earlier on in the evening, straight from Ontario by way of Central America, featuring a definite groove, Danny Michel and the Garifuna Collective melded social conscience with the tropical rhythms of Belize. Switching back and forth between his own songs and the music of the Garifuna Collective, the set offered listeners a chance to hear the direct influence behind Michel’s music. Whether it was his latest single What Colour are You or the authentic music of Belize, the collaboration brought some much-needed sunshine to a cloudy evening on Prince’s Island. The evening got off to a lively start, courtesy Fanfare Ciocarlia, who blend lively Gypsy music with ferocious groove. Even though the island crowd hadn’t yet filled out, there were more than a handful of dancers who were getting their toes tapping off to the side of the mainstage.

dave.breakenridge@sunmedia.ca

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