Latest news with #NewfoundlandandLabradorFolkFestival
CBC
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Iceberg Alley is going to rock out at Quidi Vidi for 10 days this summer
Festival season in St. John's is full steam ahead as Iceberg Alley joins the growing list of organizations announcing its musical lineup. The Iceberg Alley Performance Tent will be open for ten nights in Quidi Vidi this summer, running from June 19-29. Old Crow Medicine Show, the band that popularized a song co-written by Bob Dylan's, Wagon Wheel, is kicking off the festival. ZZ Top is also hitting the stage, along with Mother Mother, Chilliwack and many more. Filling a ten-night schedule with dozens of musical acts isn't a simple job, says festival producer Shawn Basha. "You can't have five days in a row of classic rock," Basha told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. "We get a headliner first," he said, "we have to find two other bands that are going to complement that band on that particular night. But then the next night, we don't want the same type of genre of music so we have to try to go get something else." Earlier this week the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival announced its lineup for July 11-13. Last month the Churchill Park Music Festival announced The Killers would be its headline act. Iceberg Alley was under fire last year because of a lack of female representation on the lineup. Basha says in 2024 it was unintentional, but it's a similar situation this year. British Columbia rock band Mother Mother is the only headliner offering up any gender diversity so far. Basha says festival organizers face unique barriers when it comes to booking performers because Newfoundland is an island. His team strategically picks featured acts based on where they're touring, he says. For example, if someone has a stop in Europe, they can play in St. John's on the way there. It may be hard to get there, but Basha says the island still has a distinct charm. "Every band who plays here thinks this place is magical," he said. Iceberg Alley also makes sure local artists are getting their time in the sun, says Basha, withTim Baker, Mick Davis and Thin Love, Damian Follett and Rum Ragged set to perform. A busy summer Newfoundland and Labrador is heading into a summer packed with events like the Canada Games and other music festivals but Basha says that doesn't complicate his job booking acts. He says he also works for the Churchill Park Music Festival and they co-ordinate to make sure they go after different performers for the separate festivals. "We're trying not to step on each other's toes. And Churchill Park is a totally different thing because that is a large outdoor venue," he said. "The bands that they're going after are way out of our wheelhouse because we would never be able to afford them, because we don't have the attendance." Basha says the lineup usually isn't announced until everything is set in stone. June 26 is the only day of the festival where the lineup hasn't been announced yet but Basha says it's coming soon.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
The Folk Arts Society and its festival are in 'severe danger' of shutting down due to shaky finances
A pillar of Newfoundland and Labrador's musical landscape is at risk of collapsing. The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society launched a "Save our Festival" campaign Thursday, appealing to corporations and the public for donations to help keep it and its annual folk festival running. "We are in danger, in severe danger of closing not just the folk festival, but the Folk Art Society as a whole. And nobody wants that," former executive director and current board president Julie Vogt told CBC News on Thursday. The festival, which has been running for nearly 50 years, lost the organization about $104,000 last year. Now, the society is running on empty. Vogt, who left her post in August, is back as a volunteer during her retirement to get the organization out of its sticky financial situation. She's drawing from her extensive experience as an accountant. A lack of financial knowledge is common in arts organizations and other non-profits, she said, and the Folk Arts Society was no exception. "They recruited, I believe, five times and could not get a qualified treasurer to go on the board," Vogt said. "So, the weeks [after the festival] turned into months and they had no good financial statements." It isn't the first time the organization found itself in a tough spot financially. According to Vogt, it was "at the bottom of the well" in 2019, when the group lost over $80,000. But when the 2024 festival season rolled around, Vogt said the Folk Arts Society had $45,000 of reserve funds. That reserve has since dried up, and the Folk Arts Society is pleading for help. Will there be another festival? The 2025 festival is already on the schedule for July 11, just four months away. Vogt is optimistic that it will still go ahead. "We are going to turn this around with corporate donations," she said. The Folk Arts Society is open to sponsorship offers, and is seeking donations from folk lovers all over the country. The board is also seeking to recruit more volunteers and potential board members. Despite the financial troubles, Vogt says the organization can be trusted with those donations. "The finances are now well in hand once again," she said. "I'm back. I told the board, 'fine, I am not leaving.'" In the meantime, the plan is to run the festival with volunteers and a small paid staf. That is if the board can collect enough donations. Vogt is refusing to let the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival meet the same fate as the recently shuttered Vancouver and Regina festivals.
