2012 Folk Boot Camp at NMC
The 7th Annual Folk Boot Camp at NMC is a three day workshop series running in conjunction with the Calgary Folk Music Festival that runs July 24 to July 26, 2012 at the National Music Centre (134 11 Ave SE). www.nmc.ca
Folk Boot Camp at NMC offers a unique chance to learn from the festival’s favourite guitar heroes and songsmiths. Festival artists teach a dozen of the willing for three hours, three days in a row, among the Centre’s collections of rare and curious keyboards, organs, Theremins, and instruments played by the Rolling Stones.
Folk Boot Camp at NMC is geared towards musicians that have a basic grasp of their craft and want to supplement their own studies with guidance from some of the world’s finest musicians.
Registration opens April 26
Registration: $150 per workshop
Register online or phone 403-233-0904
Special Discount:
Register in two workshops - 1 morning, 1 afternoon - for $250
Discounts can only be applied by phone. Call 403-233-0904
Resgistration includes
- Three-day workshop, breakfast or lunch depending on registered workshop
- Free admission to the screening and artist talk "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus" with Jim White, Tuesday July 24 9:00 pm, Plaza Theatre
- 15% discount on four-day pass for the Calgary Folk Music Festival (call the Folk Festival office to purchase at 403-233-0904 and identify yourself as a Boot Camp registrant)
The Workshops
Sam Baker - Unleash Creative Mysteries (songwriting)
Tuesday July 24 - Thursday July 26
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sam Baker has turned his own life tragedies into hard-hewn, transcendentally wrought grit-and-grace, reflected through his raspy, spoken word-esque vocal style. Although words don’t come easily to Sam, he has developed a rare ability to paint stories and images with language. His literate, poignant narratives lace together the world’s tragedies, complexity and deep beauty in compelling, closely observed narratives of eccentric and marginalized people.
Sam will help students crack open their imaginations, gain greater self-awareness and confidence in their skills and songwriting, give insight into writing tools and processes plus guide students in adapting and inventing a language that suits their creative needs. He’ll build on old foundations and help you create new ones.
This class is open to songwriters of all levels and experience. Bring a sense of adventure and an open mind.
Mark Berube - Melody is Queen (songwriting)
Tuesday July 24 - Thursday July 26
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Nomadic poet Mark has released 5 albums and toured widely in Europe and North America with his band. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, curator of many-layered compositions and a master of marrying pop, Afro-beats and strings to create ancient sounding folk ballads and sophisticated lush chamber-folk. Mark’s vivid, brave words, soaring voice and creative song structures seamlessly build upon each other with chimes, crackling percussion, keyboards and poetic turns of phrase for a fearless expression of beauty and raw exuberance.
He and his band will help you deal with writer’s block and take you on a deep songwriting exploration - including lyrics, melody, arrangements and structure. They’ll help you arrange and re-work songs, bringing you out of your comfort zone to expand your horizons and knowledge, with tricks to develop time signatures, key changes and rhythmic variations. You’ll learn to resist old habits and explore new possibilities that will strengthen your writing. You’ll come away with new songs, arrangements and rhythmic ideas.
The class is intended for writers who have composed many original songs plus ideally have learned covers from different musical genres. Come aware of your own songwriting reflex habits. Bring your instrument, an inquisitive mind and an openness to try new things.
Luke Doucet - Sleepwalk Guitar Clinic
Tuesday July 24 - Thursday July 26
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
A road warrior, performer, record producer, songwriter and curator of Toronto’s Sleepwalk Guitar Festival, Luke’s inventive, evocative, fearless guitar work and songwriting have been highlighted with his early band Veal, current group the Falcons and as one half of the acclaimed duo Whitehorse with Melissa McClelland. He’s a seasoned session player who has toured with NQ Arbuckle, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk and others. He cooks on atmospheric rock ballads, surf rock tunes, finger-picked ballads and experimental post-rock indie songs.
Luke will teach on both acoustic and electric guitars. Stylistically, the class will cover all the ‘old school’ genres – country, surf, rock & roll and roots. He’ll touch on the Nashville system of communicating guitar chords and intervals. He’ll help unleash your own musical personality and instrumental approach by covering different methods and tunings, string gauges, slides and effects, all in the name of improving your skills. You should emerge with a renewed ability to try new techniques and approaches.
This intensive is open to guitarists at an intermediate level who are willing and able to explore new guitar picking and playing territory.
Donna Grantis - Blues Jamming 101 (guitar)
Tuesday July 24 - Thursday July 26
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Donna’s a Toronto-based guitarist, composer, musical director and educator who’s known for her tasty, creative, electric shredding guitar work, improvisational wizardry and versatility. She performs with Shakura S’Aida, Divine Brown, the Women’s Blues Revue and others. Studies in jazz morphed into focusing on instrumental psychedelic rock, blues and funk. Her jazz-rock trio recently released their debut Suites; a concept record featuring original instrumental music named after Donna’s beloved guitars. She’s an educator on the Guitar Workshop Plus faculty and also teaches privately.
Her teaching approach is geared towards creative expression and developing a comprehensive understanding of the guitar. She’ll cover the basics: note names, intervals, keys, 12-bar blues structure and then relate theory to audio recordings. She’ll discuss various techniques, including lead and rhythm guitar approaches. You’ll learn about different blues styles and soloing concepts – phrasing, tone, call-and-response, rhythmic motifs and comping styles. Donna’s ultimate goal is to give students the necessary tools to develop their own blues guitar playing skills.
You should be at an intermediate level to participate in this clinic.
Jon Langford - Songwriting: Anyone Can Do It!
Tuesday July 24 - Thursday July 26
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Jon Langford has grit in his voice and melody in his soul. A punk-rock pioneer, leading alt-country light, troubadour for our times, musicians’ mentor, uncommonly-skilled visual artist, he’s a prolific singer-songwriter who writes with the authority of having really lived. He has lent his ham-fisted guitar stylings to Old 97s, Kelly Hogan, the Sadies and Alejandro Escovedo recordings. He’s a central Mekons, the Waco Brothers and Pine Valley Cosmonauts member and acts as a reeling papa bear figure to musicians looking for direction and reassurance in the sometimes-vicious music industry.
Jon will reflect on his songwriting history, beginning with visual arts and punk rock through to country and folk music. From his DIY approach and a ground-up folk tradition, he’ll focus on simple, direct songs unbound by rules that can also tackle the real world situations and people. He’ll discuss what makes a good song and how to best communicate. He’ll play examples of songs by pure writers like Woody Guthrie, Ernest Tubb, Joe Strummer and Elvis Costello and do participatory songwriting.
This class is open to songwriters of all levels and experience. Bring a DIY attitude.
Shakura S'Aida - Presenting Your Voice 101
Tuedsay July 24 - Thursday July 26
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
You may have spotted Swiss-born, Brooklyn-raised and Canadian-based singer and actress Shakura S'Aida performing at a Festival in Dubai or Russia, on the Blues Cruise, at her one-woman show of Nina Simone’s music or acting in TV shows Lost Girl and Flashpoint. From her beginnings 20 years ago as world music band Kaleefah’s lead singer, this versatile jazz/blues vocalist and consummate performer has blown audiences away with her scorching vocal style, uncanny ability to deliver powerful original songs and also get deep into the guts of the most venerable standard.
Her vocal intensive will guide you in finding your true voice. Shakura will help you identify and strengthen your entire vocal and performance presentation. You’ll learn how to present yourself authentically on stage and to have confidence in your performance ability. You’ll gain a new understanding of your vocal capabilities and a fresh awareness of how strongly perception can be changed by the sound of a voice.
Workshop participants don’t require any experience; just an interest in singing and a willingness to stand on the edge and jump off.
