Festival Blog
Our roots writers choose their must-see folk-fest side-stage essentials
FFWD Weekly July 22, 2004 - Preview Article by FFWD Staff
MARY-LYNN McEWENS PICKS
· Gonna Shine Up My Boots
Steve Earle
Corb Lund
Caitlin Cary
Sunday, 4:30 p.m.
Sunterra Stage 5
A bad boy with a golden heart, a good boy with a sunny-side-up streak
of cowboy, and a born-again Southerner experienced in using her
exquisite voice to airbrush the bruises outta good-bad boys music so
she can punch up some bruised songs of her own. All three of them up
close and personal? Am I dreaming?
· United Kingdom?
Andy White
Dick Gaughan
Thea Gilmore
Martyn Joseph
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Ship and Anchor Stage 1
Festival associate producer Kerry Clarke is telling all who ask about
her must-see pick for this year, Londoner Thea Gilmore. Clarkes hooked
on Gilmores lines like "Theres a rumour/Dirty as a chimney
stack/Quiet as roadkill" and on the young singers musical brio. Team
her up with the touching, dry-witted and politically astute songs of
the other three writers, and everyone will be hitting the same target
just with different weapons.
· Odd Ball, Corner Pocket
Chuck Brodsky
Paul Kelly
Rae Spoon
Andy White
Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Burlington Resources Stage 2
An American, an Aussie, a Canadian and an Irish-born Aussie transplant
mirror the blending of different place, gender and style. The
commonality is songwriting that is a strainer for souls poured from the
blender of life.
MARTIN KEMPS PICKS
· United Kingdom?
Andy White
Dick Gaughan
Thea Gilmore
Martyn Joseph
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Ship & Anchor Stage 1
Odds are good that Maggie Thatcher wont be showing up for this one. Or
Tony Blair for that matter. But four amazing songwriters will be there,
including Thea Gilmore, who is currently burning up the folk charts (if
there is such a thing) with her latest release Avalanche. While being
from the Commonwealth might unite them, expect four different styles
coming together on one stage.
· Regime Change Begins at Home
Michael Franti
Saul Williams
D'Bi Young
Dick Gaughan
Saturday, 4:10 p.m.
Bass Brothers Stage 4
Folk music wouldnt be folk music without songs of political
responsibility and social justice. All of these musicians are well
versed in the concepts, including Michael Franti, one of the most
enthusiastic and intense side-stage participants Ive ever witnessed.
With the artists coming from different spots on the globe from Canada
to Scotland to the U.S. the common denominator here will be the
critical eye and thoughtful voice.
· Lord Have Mercy!
Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
Ruthie Foster
Martyn Joseph
Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
Bass Brothers. Stage 4
Gospel-influenced sessions are always one of the hits of the festival,
especially when they involve Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage
Choir, who tend to whip the crowd (as well as the other musicians on
stage) into a testifyin frenzy. Come for the music, stay for the
salvation.
· Absolution.com
Weakerthans
Veda Hille
Scott Merritt
Thea Gilmore
Sunday, 3:20 p.m.
Bass Brothers. Stage 4
This is an actual website, but it has nothing to do with actually being
absolved of anything. Or music, for that matter. This session, however,
is sure to feature a myriad of stories to freshen the soul, from some
of the festivals hip kids.
SHEREEN TUOMIS PICKS
This job aint getting no easier as the years go on. Every year theres
far too much good music to pare it down to a simple three favourites.
There are a dozen great concerts to see, but youll have to find them
for yourself. I also cant just pick one of the sessions including
Michael Franti, because theyre all going to kick ass. See at least one
of them.
· Voice Squad
Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
Fiamma Fumana
Rani Arbo
Daisy Mayhem
Saturday, 3:40 p.m.
Ship and Anchor Stage 1
This is my out-on-a-limb pick. I cant quite imagine how
Italian-folk-meets-electronica, and
classical-violin-meets-lounge-music-in-Appalachia and
glory-hallelujah-tells-the-a-cappella-story-of-Afro-American-roots will
end up blending together. Tillery and the Choir are longtime friends of
the festival and are always a safe bet for hip-shaking fun. Only time
will tell whether the cross-cultural mix will end up lifting the roof
to a higher place. Im betting it will.
· Guit Griot Blues
Corey Harris
Mighty Popo
Olu Dara
Ruthie Foster
Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Field Law Stage 3
This is an unquestioned slam-dunk. These are four absolute virtuosos at
story-telling, guitar-picking and playing well with others. You know
how you go to these sessions in the hopes that something exquisitely
more than the sum of its parts will develop? This session is your
guarantee of that. Corey Harris and Olu Dara have an incredible depth
and breadth of musical influences and love to back up people as much as
they love leading the parade. With the Central African and southern
states covered so well by Popo and Ruthie, this is very nearly the
quintessential Afro-American diaspora experience.
· Queer As Folk
Billeh Nickerson
Rae Spoon
Mariko Tamaki
Sunday, 4:30 p.m.
Artisan Homes Stage 6
Gawd bless the 21st century, where a folk festival is a place you can
go to see queer artists picking banjos, singing songs of heartache and
telling the stories of their lives. Im expecting youthful, funny,
edgy, quirky, intelligent, heartbreaking commentary on life and other
things that shouldnt be taken too seriously. Even if youre not queer,
you should definitely check it out.
· Six Degrees of Separation
Shooglenifty
Nathan
Michael Franti
Sunday, 11:40 a.m.
Field Law Stage
OK, I lied. I had to pick this one. Shooglenifty, also longtime
festival faves, are an absolutely uncontainable, uncategorizable good
time. It wouldnt be fair to call them Celtic, because then all the
Celtic-music haters wont read any further. Its just as unfair as
categorizing Michael Franti and Spearhead as simply hip-hop or Nathan
as simply folk-pop. They all blur those boundaries with immense energy
and skill. If Spearhead and the Shoogles can find some common musical
ground, this ones going to be off in the stratosphere, with Nathan
hanging on for dear life.
