News & Reviews
No Depression: Doug Heselgrave
Chick Magnets: Calgary Folk Festival - Saturday evening - The Head and the Heart/kd lang
"Look at you Calgary! You're so grown up" - kd lang from the mainstage Saturday night
It's true. Calgary has had image problems ever since I can remember. Most famous for its beef, cowboys and rodeos, it's been an uphill climb for the frontier city to get any respect. As an editorial in The Calgary Herald noted on Sunday, most people in the world think 'Alberta' is a song by Eric Clapton and have no idea that it's a place where millions of people have made their homes....
A rafting trip down the Bow River
The folk fest hosted a group of national and international media. What better way to show them Calgary than a float down the Bow River, docking at Prince's Island Park, followed by lunch at the River Cafe? We threw Kris Demeanor and Dan Vacon in the rafts too!
Shane Yuhas: Audience member video
A beautiful video made by one of our audience members.
Elgin-Skye McLaren: Radio 3 Sing for your Song contest winner
A lovely thank-you letter to Grant Lawrence from the winner of CBC Radio 3's Sing For Your Song contest: the prize was a weekend at the CFMF, flights and hotel accommodations.
New Depression: Gillian Turnbull, blogger
It’s taken me nearly a week to get over how soaked I got at last week’s Calgary Folk Fest. Granted, I don’t get along well with rain, but in 17 years of attending the festival, and even in the week that I spent in St. John’s before the festival, I have never been so cold and wet. At one point during Matt Andersen’s set, my friend glanced over at me in a double hood, drenched jeans, and umbrella and said, “You look miserable.” I guess I was...but I found out it was nothing that a warm bar and a beer couldn’t fix. Luckily, the skies cleared for the end of Friday night’s set, and the rest of the weekend was sunny and warm.
Chris Lake, Calgary Herald: Stay folked up, even after Folk Fest
Crowds rushed the stage after one song by The Head and The Heart for the biggest satellite stage surprise. The masses were silenced by k.d. lang's rendition of Hallelujah for the least surprising moment of awe.Hula hoopers, hippies and tarpies converged in harmonious coexistence with weekend warriors and festie rookies, like myself.
Colin Way Goes Folk
A beautiful collection of polaroid images of the 2011 festival.
Amy Badry, The Gauntlet: Recycle, or go folk yourself
As the Calgary Folk Music Festival turned 31 years old last week, it showed it's still capable of introducing attendees to new ideas, musical or otherwise. This year the Folk Fest yet again increased the number of eco-initiatives at the festival.
XOXOJess: Top 5 Calgary Folk Festival Moments
Top 5 Calgary Folk Fest Moments
Alan Ranta, Exclaim! Calgary Folk Music Festival 2011
Proving legions of so-called 'tarpies' weren't crazy for waiting all night at the gate just to throw their blue space-savers down at the main stage, the Calgary Folk Music Festival outdid itself again this year in terms of artists and infrastructure. This is clearly one of the best-run festivals in North America, with an overly friendly crowd reaping the benefits of an eclectic yet accessible lineup that always runs smooth as clockwork.
