After my hectic July and more relaxed August, M and I saw out the summer with a trip to Folkfest yesterday (Day 3). Initially tempted to attend by Basia Bulat's inclusion on the Ravenlaw stage, we had a fun and relaxing day in the sun. I now know more about banjos than I did on Friday, thanks to the afternoon workshops; we also saw the end of the Song Maps workshop.
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| The Moon stage - The Little Stevies |
As a Folkfest first timer, I can't comment on the new site vs old site, but there is certainly plenty of room at Hog's Back Park. Our only real complaint features the main CUPE/SCFP stage area. Whilst the rest of the site had a great laidback, fun vibe, the CUPE/SCFP stage was much more anonymous and less laid-back. The division of the main stage audience area into (presumably) VIP/seating and general was quite weird. Whilst the Moon stage - smaller acts from other stages doing short inbetweeny sets - is a great idea, the CUPE/SCFP stage just wasn't inviting. There also seemed to be a 'bright' sound problem which was very off putting. Of the 2 sets we saw there, Rural Alberta Advantage suffered more from this; personally I thought their May show at Ritual was better but the crowd seemed to have fun. Slightly fewer problems with the early part of Bright Eyes' set, but we ended up moving to the Falls stage to see Lazy Bones. The 'festival proper' part of the sight was well organised, making use of the natural undulations to block sound, so all the workshop stages were in one corner, the Ravenlaw stage was in a natural amphitheatre, with the Falls stage dominating the food area. One note about food - in my opinion the bar tents should have been selling cider. Next year maybe?
Earlier in the day, we stumbled across The Little Stevies on the Ravenlaw stage. Hailing from Melbourne, the band were finishing up their first Canadian tour. Very entertaining banter, and an indie-folk sound reminiscent of Woodpigeon, their set perfectly matched the weather and the mood. A definite recommendation and favourite of the day!
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| The Little Stevies |
One of the volunteers recommended Wooden Sky, who had packed out the Falls stage (with an extra audience behind the tent) for a very solid set. Seemingly grunge-folk, they had a very good reception but to our ears felt slightly repetitive. At this point (late afternoon), we also saw the first of 2 Kim Churchill sets. Impressive for 1 man and a six-string, Kim's sets were great crowd-pleasers. The other early evening show we passed through was a blues-rock style set from JJ Grey and Mofro.
The bank above the Ravenlaw stage (our favourite stage for bands and atmosphere) was full by the time Basia Bulat and band started. Whilst I have only heard a few songs of Bulat's online, they were enough to plant a seed in my mind. The first song, the haunting 'It Can't Be You', featured Bulat solo on charango; a quality start to an excellent set (Ming at PhotogMusic has the full setlist on his photoblog). 'Run' was particularly catchy, and Bulat's performance of an old Polish hit, 'W Ziolynym Zoo' (In the Green Zoo) was very amusing. My initial reaction is that Bulat's voice has hints of Joni Mitchell and Elite Hotel-era Emmylou Harris. All in all an excellent day!
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