REVIEW: Edmonton Folk Music Festival Returns After Three Years Off
I looked out my window on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 4 with trepidation. That evening, I would be heading to the first Edmonton Folk Music Festival in three years – so of course it was pouring.
Hearty Folk Fest fans share with a glowing pride their battle stories of surviving the rain, wind, mud, heat and smoke. I am not one of these people. Thankfully the rain stopped and a few rays of sunlight emerged through the grey clouds as the afternoon progressed. My planned tale of wet woe and misery would need to be modified.
I have to admit that as eager festival-goers entered the park to place their tarps to the sounds of bagpipes, I got a bit teary – and ran into NDP leader Rachel Notley. “I’m so pumped to be here. It’s going to be fun!” she said, citing Orville Peck, Allison Russell, The National, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats – the closing act Thursday evening – as her must-sees for the weekend.
People came early not just to get a prime tarp spot, but to spend time in community. Many of us haven’t seen each other for a while. While the camaraderie of the volunteers was obvious, the lineups for food and merch began almost immediately (with the washrooms to follow later on) and held steady all evening.
I have my own personal Folk Fest ritual: hiking to the top of the hill. That last bit towards the top always takes my breath away. This time though, my hyperventilating was not only because of the view, but because my body knew it had been three years since the last ascent. Despite a return to capacity crowds (Thursday evening was a sell-out), there were reminders that this was no longer 2019. The festival promoted itself as being “mask-friendly,” despite few people choosing to don one, and hand sanitizer was available in various conspicuous locations. The festival was also “cash-lite,” with cards loaded up in the merch tent. Cards were also needed to purchase beer, which could consumed throughout the park. Gone are the days of some folks spending the entire weekend in the beer garden – now, it’s all beer garden!
My personal favourite pandemic pivot is the temporary stoppage of the reusable plate program, with food vendors using biodegradable plates and cutlery instead. So much for the kids’ capitalist enterprise of collecting people’s plates to get the $2 return fee.
The biggest reminder that the pandemic is not yet over was reflected in a major change to the evening’s lineup. Buffy Sainte-Marie was originally scheduled to open the festival, but unfortunately the 81-year-old contracted Covid and cancelled all of her summer shows. In her place was Winnipeg’s William Prince, whose deep, rich voice carried songs inspired by gospel, country, and folk. He instantly won the crowd over with his honest sentiments about faith, love, and family.
Next up was KALEO, a band originally from Iceland (now based in the U.S.) that defies musical pigeonholing. Meaning “the voice” in Hawaiian, KALEO’s lead vocalist Jökull Júlíusson (who often simply goes by “JJ,” above) demonstrated his broad range, from falsetto to swampy growl and back again through songs that embodied rock, soul, and blues.
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, a perennial fan favourite, closed the evening with energy and passion. The Southern funk/country/rock/blues fusion combined with Rateliff’s stage presence that was at once frantic and charming, was a winning combination. Born in St. Louis, Missouri and now based in Denver, Colorado, Rateliff is a strong vocalist and guitarist who moves about the stage with charisma and confidence.
As the sky grew darker and the candles started to glow on the hill, I only needed to don my jacket due to the cooling temperatures. Though the walkways were muddy from the heavy rains earlier in the day – what’s a music festival without a little mud? – the weather stayed dry and the performances were hot.
Friday’s headliners will be The War on Drugs and Orville Peck; Saturday main stage features Katie Pruitt, Larkin Poe, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Allison Russell, and The National; and Sunday winds up with Matt Andersen (main stage 2 pm Sunday), with the evening performers Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Lord Huron. Sessions also run on six different stages Friday through Sunday.
