Meet the Folkers

So a while back The Ottawa Citizen asked if anyone was interested in blogging about any of the local music festivals for them, in exchange for festival passes. I applied to blog about the Folk Festival. I kept waiting and hoping, but I never heard back from them. By the time I realized they weren’t going to contact me, it was too late for Early Bird tickets, and I couldn’t really afford the full-price tickets, so I resigned myself to missing the Folk Festival this year.

But then I got some unexpected last minute luck. On Friday, while I was busy having my annual checkup (everything checked out, by the way – I’m good for another trip around the block), Bob Ledrew emailed me and asked me if I’d be interested in some complimentary tickets to the Folk Festival for Friday and Saturday!

I happily accepted, and invited GC as my date. He happily accepted my invitation.

I like the new venue, at Hog’s Back. A couple of the smaller stages and workshop areas are tucked into the natural features of the park, giving it kind of an amphitheater feel. (I liked the old venue at Britannia, too, so I’m not taking sides in that debate.)

I ran into Robin and Judy, and Robin said one of the things he likes about music festivals is discovering good artists he hasn’t heard before. This got me remembering some of my favourite musical discoveries at the Folk Festival over the years, including Eliza Gilkyson, Karen Savoka and Ray Bonneville.

This year I added two more to the list: Vance Gilbert, and Steve Poltz. I thought they were both hilarious. Poltz is a natural storyteller with some wild history to draw material from. Gilbert is one of those spontaneously witty people in front of an audience, and he’s also musically funny. In a good way, of course.

I’ve always liked that the Ottawa Folk Festival books artists for multiple shows and workshops throughout the festival. This means that musicians don’t just pop in and out, but actually stay and participate. It also means that if you run into friends who tell you about a fabulous act you missed because you were at another stage, you can check the schedule (or, in our case, the app) and make a point of catching them later on.

What else? The mural. Arthur II (that’s his real name; it’s pronounced Too) manages the participatory art project at the Folk Festival. Everyone’s welcome to join in and leave their mark. GC noticed that the mural this year was most definitely orange. Arthur denied that it was in honour of Jack Layton. But since it was a collective mural, you never know…the people were in an orange mood this week.

The food was okay, but on the pricy side. I tried the pizza, but they give you two tiny, skimpy pieces for $5, and after you’re done, you still want poutine. GC liked his vegetarian hot dog.

Happily, you haven’t missed the Folk Festival. Today’s the last day. It costs $42 for an adult day pass. Check out the lineup on the website, and then go!