Canmore Folk Festival - Stan Rogers Stage

This year’s Canmore Folk Festival featured some captivating performers, in particular Carolyn Wonderland and Delhi2Dublin.

Whenever I tell friends I’m going to attend a Folk Festival, the response ranges anywhere from a deeply perplexed expression to that of barely suppressed sarcasm, as I can see them processing their mind’s images of the stereotype that typically associates this diverse cultural music experience with the simple notion of a hippie playing an acoustic guitar while other hippies sit in the grass singing along to a rousing chorus of Kumbayah ! This is a gross misconception borne of ignorance, although it is true there are acoustic guitars and hippies, even some hula hoops, and perhaps Buffy St. Marie isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but in reality there’s something for just about every kind of music lover at a modern day Folk Festival . . . well, almost.

This year’s Canmore Folk Festival offered up a stellar and diverse lineup that included Canadian Indie Faves Joel Plaskett, Elliot Brood, and Luke Doucet, Industry icons Ian Thomas and Murray McLauchlan, World Music Troubadours Ti Coca & Wanga-Nègès (Haiti) and Etran Finatawa (Niger), American fan favorites Steel Wheels (bluegrass) and Carolyn Wonderland (Blues-rock), and relative newcomers Michael Bernard Fitzgerald (Calgary) and Delhi2Dublin (Vancouver), who clearly drew the younger fans but also endeared themselves to the appreciative crowd of all ages, who at times had to endure some persistent rainfall.

I attended the Sunday Night line-up that began with Ti Coca & Wanga-Nègès who already had several people up dancing in a designated area off to the side of the stage, followed by Steel Wheels and their infectious Blueridge mountain bluegrass and country roots stomp-along songs that got the audience involved, and which at times almost felt like an Alabama concert.

After that it was the laid back balladry of Lunch At Allen’s which features legenadary canadian artists Murray Mclauchlan, Ian Thomas, Cindy Church, and Marc Jordan running through some of their personal hits, largely from a bygone era, and although it was fun to hear Ian Thomas do an acoustic version of “Painted Ladies” which he introduced as a song most of us probably had on a K-Tel record at one time or another (guilty-as-charged), I have to admit that for me this was the segment that started to enter into Folk Festival Stereotype territory. It was time to browse the row of food kiosks which turned out to be just as wonderfully diverse as the music, from Gelato to Thai food, and ultimately my choice, Beef Donair on a Grilled Naan. Mmmmmmm.

What happened next was in my opinion the highlight of the Festival, because that’s when Carolyn Wonderland took the stage. I profess to knowing very little about her before sunday night, but judging from the Tour Dates on her website I gather she has a pretty solid following in the southern U.S. and Europe. A Blues-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Austin Texas, she is impressive to watch, or should I say, a spectacle to behold as she appears to embody the fused reincarnation of Janis Joplin and Stevie Ray Vaughn as can be evidenced in her vocal style, guitar chops, and renegade rock n’ roll swagger. Even her between song banter and personality reminded me a little of Janis, and her soulful wails certainly do that comparison justice. The addition of her virtuoso guitar playing certainly makes her someone to admire, and it was only fitting to hear the familiar riff of Johnny Winter’s “Still Alive and Well” near the end of the set, a natural fit indeed.

After a rather subdued set, albeit one laced with the lap steel guitar wizardry, musings, and insightful humour of legendary multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, it was time for the much anticipated arrival to the stage of Vancouver based Delhi2Dublin who’ve been together 5 years, have recorded 3 albums, are busy touring internationally, and appear to be gaining a lot of buzz, including here in the Bow Valley after some recent shows in Banff and Canmore.

Described as “an energetic mash-up of Bhangra, Celtic, Dub, Reggae and Electronica with global rhythms and club beats“, it wasn’t a big surprise when within the first few minutes the people who’d been gathering along the sides of the audience soon spilled into the crowd, which evetually meant everyone was then either standing or dancing, but it didn’t appear to fade most of the savvy Folk Fest faithful. At one point the band even made an apology between songs to those who’d been comfortably seated all night, but by then it was obvious the energy this band creates is not for a seated audience, and it may be one of the few times a Folk Festival has actually been transformed into a Rave !

Good Times, Good Times . . . can’t wait for the next one !

SPECIAL NOTE: Michael Bernard Fitzgerald’s performance at Friday Night’s street party and on saturday afternoon were especially good, in particular his songs “Maxime” and “Amazed”. He even did a cover of the Springsteen song “Dancing In The Dark”, which wasn’t what I expected, but hey, it worked ! This is definitely another young artist to follow . . .

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If you have little or no background in web design and development, than consider this series the “Web Design 101 Video Handbook” which should jumpstart the learning process faster than the long, drawn out task of interpreting pages of text and print screens when it comes to written tutorials. Not only that, but there should be something here for everyone, after all a lot of it is based on my own practical, real-world experiences dealing with what’s required, what’s available, and what works best in a variety of situations.

Until recently my familiarity with the town of Canmore never really extended beyond it’s relevance as a stopover between trips into the backcountry, so I profess to not knowing all that much about the history of the town and surrounding area. The general knowledge is that it was a sleepy coal mining town until the 1980′s at which time mining operations had ceased and the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics were a reality, eventually putting the Canmore Nordic Center on the world map.

Ever since then it has embedded itself in the international psyche with it’s natural beauty, and of course caught the attention of Hollywood where numerous movies have been filmed, among them “Last of the Dogmen”(Tom Berenger), “Mystery Alaska”(Russell Crowe) and “The Edge”(Anthony Hopkins).
*Last of the Dogmen included several scenes filmed right in the town, most notably a chase scene on horseback down main street …

Anyway, I’ve gathered together a few factoids about Canmore which I thought were interesting enough to share, and here they are . . .

- Canmore is taken from the Gaelic Ceann more which means Big Head, the nickname for Malcolm III who was the King of Scotland between 1057 – 1093. Now I know I belong ….

- Between 1902 and 1930, Canmore and neighboring Deadman’s Flats were actually part of Banff National Park, although at the time it was called Rocky Mountain National Park.

- Nearby Deadman’s Flats supposedly got it’s name from this story … Legend has it one or more Stoney Indians were trapping illegally in the area (once part of the National Park) and spotted a Park Warden approaching. With no way to escape without being seen, they smeared themselves in animal blood and played dead, which apparently worked rather well, because as the Warden went to report the dead bodies they made their getaway with the beaver pelts. Word of the incident quickly spread, and soon the distraught Warden, humiliated over the way in which he’d been duped, resigned his post and opened up what would become the first liquor store in the Bow Valley (okay … I’m making that part up …)

- There appears to be some dispute over the naming of The Three Sisters mountain peaks looming to the town’s southeast. Some believed a surveyor in 1883 named them by altering the previous nickname “The Three Nuns”, however the most popular theory is that the first Banff Park Warden, George Stewart, named them after his daughters Frances, Olive and Grace. What we do know for sure is that it had nothing to do with a chinese man scaling the summit … (see Ha Ling Peak)

- At the time of the Olympics in 1988 Canmore’s population was a mere 3,200. By 2006 that number rose to well over 16,000, a growth that continues at an astounding rate and has many permanent residents and environmentalists feeling this once little mountain hamlet is being unnecessarily developed, negatively impacting the area’s wildlife corridors. Population is expected to reach 25,000 before the available land is tapped out.

- Became headquarters for Canada’s Alpine Club in 1980.

- Gary Andersen lives here. If you don’t know who I’m talking about than you probably didn’t watch much NFL Football in the 1980′s and 90′s. I’ve been a huge Minnesota Vikings fan for many years, a team Gary was the place kicker for and with which he had his “perfect season” when he converted on all 35 attempted field goals and 59 extra points, an NFL record to this day. He retired in 2004, moved to Canmore, and fittingly operates a Fly Fishing Charter business called Perfect Season.

- MY FAVORITE FACT OF ALL. The Coffee Mine in Canmore has some of the best food in all of the Bow Valley, so if you’re passing through and want to find out what you’ve been missing because you’ve been eating at Tim Horton’s all this time, make a point of stopping by …

But perhaps the most prevailing fact of all, Canmore is a slice of paradise that will weave it’s way around your heart until eventually you find you no longer want to leave … and that’s a good thing !

* Originally posted by Jeff Burns on TheBurnsyBlog.com, June 27th, 2007

Already enjoying great popularity on Vancouver’s underground scene, this rising rock n’ roll entity are a band poised for world domination, and here are a couple of reasons why . . .

They have the musical chops: These guys can play, and I’m not just talking about technical chops, they also know how to write interesting songs that demonstrate a versatility in rythmns punctuated by tight, sonic blasts that can suddenley segue into a soothing melodic vocal or soft guitar texturing. They’ll come charging at you like a Musical Force to be reckoned with, and the intensity of their live show leaves you feeling a little like you’ve been assaulted, but in a good way.

They have the Look: They look completely natural on stage, and let’s face it, stage presence and showmanship go along way  in making you stand out from the rest. Singer David Isbister has the confidence and swagger of any veteran Front Man when it comes to transforming the songs visually on stage, as well as the requisite charisma necessary to keep an audience engaged. And Guitarist Alan Calimbas doesn’t need a spotlight to draw your attention as he pulls ferocious power chords out of his guitar as it’s held high in the air, propelling himself 360 degrees in stages with a series of well timed karate kicks. This would make Pete Townsend proud …….. yes, they are a fun band to watch!

They have a good product: Most of the time bands don’t like to be compared to anyone else, but if Alexis-on-fire, Sublime, and Incubus had a baby ………

I haven’t heaped this much praise on another band since we opened for Van Halen (uh … no, wait, that was a dream I had …) so needless to say they were a hard act to follow … which didn’t really matter because they showed us great support during our performance, so they’re not only a great band but a great bunch of guys as well.

You can preview some of their tunes on their MySpace page.

* Originally posted by Jeff Burns on TheBurnsyBlog.com, Sept. 9th, 2008

There was a great scene in the movie “The Commitments”

Unfortunately there has been a great number of tragic figures in the music industry, not only because of how they died but because they were great talents snuffed out at such an early age.

There is of course the “27” club, or rather curse, so named on account of the coincidence that some of the most famous rock stars perished at exactly that age … Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Curt Cobain … apparently by drug overdose/suicide.

Rock Stars are also infamous for the number of tragic deaths having occurred as a result of choking on their own vomit, one of the most famous being John Bonham the drummer for Led Zeppelin. He, like many others, simply drank himself to death one night, purportedly with around 30 – 40 shots of vodka as he passed out on his back and vomited in his sleep, never waking up. And even though society has many tragic figures from all walks of life who meet similar fates, it is these Artists who we idolize and whose downfall we witness that captures our imagination and sorrow as they fall victim to the same dark recesses of the soul which ironically also led to their inspiration and success.

Although the most famous ones are legendary as symbolizing the excesses of Rock Stardom, to live fast and die young, there are also the lesser known musical icons whose passing is perhaps even more tragic … in some cases certainly more disturbing. A couple of musical artists I revered and respected will be truly missed by many who connected with their songs and the genuine way in which they sang from the soul … a place they dared go because they had to.

Elliot Smith, a singer-songwriter whose dark introspective songs won him critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination, released five solo albums that received widespread acclaim from rock critics but garnered only modest commercial success. “Miss Misery,” recorded for Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting,” was nominated for an Oscar in 1998.
He committed suicide by stabbing himself in the chest in 2003 at the age of 34.

Jeff Buckley, considered by critics to be one of the most promising artists of his generation after the release of his 1994 debut album Grace, had a small but devout following. His strange but brilliant fusion of rock, jazz, and pop was highlighted by soaring vocals with range that appeared unequalled. He was meant for great things …

He drowned in the Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississipi River, in Memphis, Tennessee on May 29, 1997 at the age of 31. It is speculated that Buckley may have committed suicide because according to a witness he simply waded out into the river wearing heavy boots, submerged and never surfaced. It was confirmed that Jeff had not taken any illegal drugs before his swim and a drug overdose was ruled out as the cause of death. It was also reported that the night before his death Jeff admitted to several loved ones that he suffered from Bipolar disorder.

There are of course many more to be remembered, too many … some to be idolized by hoisting a drink with a celebratory yell up to the sky, and others with a more sombre tribute, a tearful farewell to a soul whose darkness was a double-edged sword …

* Originally posted by Jeff Burns on TheBurnsyBlog.com, March 21st, 2006