Latest news with #EdmontonFolkMusicFestival
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Folk Fest Friday: Mars and Venus night with Allison Russell, Stephen Wilson Jr. summons Springsteen
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content From the female disco incantations of Allison Russell to the muscular King of the Hill twang of Stephen Wilson Jr., the great, diverse hydra of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival began to fully emerge from its misty cave. Article content Article content If folk fest has a hump day, it's Friday — a kind of liminal space between just getting going and that free-range, kaleidoscopic fractal wonderland of 13 hours a day of proper weekend programming. Article content Walking around the fully-open grounds, you start to get into that random vibe of knowing around every pack of plastic-plate noshers and volunteer blue monster T-shirts something wonderful is happening for someone on any of six active session clamshells, striped green and white for peace, prosperity and unity. Article content But as local singer-songwriter Everett LaRoi noted early Friday night wandering about with no goals or expectations, it's like a radio dial where you can just stop wherever it pleases. Article content Being a bit of a D&D dork wizard-lured me to Acoustic Alchemy jam on Stage 2 at 6 p.m., plus Shaela Miller gave off a good impression using the folk fest rare words 'Depeche Mode' and 'New Order' in her bio. Article content Article content Hosted by Manitoba's deep folk roots Dry Bones — banjo-picker and emcee Leonard Podoluk's late dad co-founded EFMF's elder sister in Winnipeg — handsome Aussie barefooter Kim Churchill was back from last year with a slight trim, mesmerizing guitar duo Ryley Walker and Bill MacKay filling up the stage. Article content Article content Those two pulled me closest, an acoustic double windstorm of delightfully avant-garde jazz somewhere along the echo border of Django Reinhardt and John Fahey, though if anything of all things their finger-plucking interplay reminded me of the way The Stanley Brothers' voices wove around each other into a single vibration. Article content Dry Bones did a nice Bill Bourne tribute — good to see he's being kept alive in song — while Churchill told a cute story about how his high school career counsellor advised him not to live in a camper van and play music for a living. Whoops!
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Trad and glam swirl as RKS, Serena Ryder and Aysanabee rock folk fest
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Pouncing and rolling around on stage with legs in the air, Rainbow Surprise Kitten clawed in International Cat Day a few hours early Thursday night with a legendary shake-it-up rock-out in the misty rain. Article content Article content Rain and thunder! Or the fear of it, anyway, was the unofficial pre-opener for the 46 th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival — tens of thousands of Gallagher Park hill bags heavier with assorted rubber gear and towels on a generally lovely cloudy day that did not encourage free-range beer chugging. More like under-blanket snuggling. Article content Article content Now based in Toronto, he mushroom-gathers prestige indie Juno wins and Polaris noms with his upbeat Elder-channelling, gravel-revving voice full of hope and trying to figure it all out. Relatable, singalong resistance. Article content The set opened with the recorded spoken word Interlude 9 of album Watin, named for the musician's grandfather, explaining words in their language, including 'Nosuk, nosuk magizokege means my grandchildren are growing up,' and 'Ebiisay ketizgo, that means heaven.' Article content Article content The band introduced themselves playing the slow-rising Dream Catcher, the pounder Nomads, followed by the energetic Bringing the Fire. Article content Asking who'd seen them in 2023, Aysanabee waved left and right over the verdant rise of raincoat witnesses. Article content 'We played over there, we played over there,' he said from the big stage under the 46 — a number of encouragement from the divine realm. 'Now we're playing here! Thanks for selling out Thursday — that's you!' Article content Article content Impossible to ignore at Aysanabee's side was singer Lala Noel in her blood-orange-slice earrings, backing up his distinct voice with Dark Side of the Moon, OG Star Trek choral heights and this very infectious smile. Article content Miles Gibbons did a nice job on the looping drums, Dean Aivaliotis on keys, with Nick Tateishi playing guitar, all together through a dozen countries in the last year and change.
Edmonton Journal
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Folk Fest sells out of four-day, Saturday and Sunday tickets
Article content After going on sale Saturday morning, passes for this year's Edmonton Folk Music Festival have been selling like green onion cakes. According to a release from festival organizers Saturday evening, four-day passes for the event, and single Saturday night tickets had sold out.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Edmonton Folk Festival tickets go on sale Saturday
Edmonton Watch Here's your reminder to get your tickets for the 2025 Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Dust off your tarps: Edmonton Folk Music Fest tickets go on sale Saturday morning
Tickets for one of Edmonton's biggest and most iconic festivals go on sale Saturday morning. Edmonton Folk Music Festival will be bringing big acts like The Roots, Mt. Joy and Serena Ryder to Gallagher Park for its 45th year. Weekend tickets for adults go for $234 while single day passes range from $109-$115. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m.—and they do sell quickly. About 25,000 people set up their tarps and lawn chairs on the hill to watch acts and hear music from all over the world. Festival organizers said that 60 per cent of the 2025 performers are new to Edmonton. More food vendors are anticipated, as well as more shade and accessibility tents. The festival runs from Aug. 7-10.
