Winnipeg Folk Festival

A weekend in Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Folk Festival is incredibly close to my wife’s heart. Heck, it’s close to basically everyone from Winnipeg’s heart. And as part of our unofficial marriage contract, I owe her one family trip to Winnipeg each year, and more often than not, it’s scheduled around the festival. It’s a perfect time to reconnect with friends and family and a great opportunity to discover new music in a wonderful live setting.

Over the years, we’ve stayed with family, with friends, and even camped. One year we even brought my parents and they loved it. But this year, we decided to mix it up and splurge on a stay at the Fairmont, the Festival’s official Home Hotel. Since my wife and kids volunteer at the Festival and I had a special pass, we had shuttle access to the grounds, which was a major perk.

Planning the Festival

One of my favourite things to do before a festival like this is to pre-plan my schedule. I went through the artists, had a decent idea of who I should see, then I sent the list of artists to one of my music nerd friends (Oliver) for him to fill in any gaps that I had. By the time I landed, I had a full, finely-tuned agenda, ready to go.

I’ve also created a Spotify playlist of all the Folk Festival artists for you to enjoy.

Winners & Losers

Winner: The Weather

Aside from some late-Thursday rain and cloud cover Friday, the weekend was hot and sunny. The prairies have been dry this summer, which made for solid walking conditions, a big win for festival-goers, especially those who like to abandon their shoes. .

Loser: Air Quality

Unfortunately, the dry weather also contributed to an especially brutal wildfire season across Western Canada. A state of emergency had been called in Manitoba for the second time this year and the smoke was obvious throughout. Manitoba's been hit hard. My thoughts go out to those affected and I truly hope everyone can return home safely soon.

Winner: The Lineup

At first glance, there weren’t many “must-see” names, but I was totally wrong. The more I listened, the more I liked. From Jake Vaanderland to the Folk Bitch Trio, from Viik to Etran d’Aïr, there was an abundance of great new music to discover.

Loser: The Sound

The sound engineering was a letdown this year. Too much feedback and inconsistent volume levels became a recurring issue. Even several artists I spoke with noticed the same. Here’s hoping this gets addressed for next year.

Winner: Homegrown Talent

Western Canada is producing some truly excellent music. Standouts included Jake Vaaderland and the Sturgeon River Boys (Saskatchewan), Leonard Sumner and Begonia (Manitoba), and Noeline Hofmann (Alberta). Western Canada is in good hands with these fine young acts leading the charge.

Loser/Winner: The Bugs

Winner: Me. Loser: The mosquitoes. One big upside of the dry weather, I barely noticed any bugs. This can be a real problem at the festival, but not this year.

Highlights: Workshops

Workshops can be hit or miss, but I’m going to focus on the three that I really enjoyed.

Which Side Are You On

A protest-songwriters' circle inspired by Pete Seeger and hosted by Atlanta's Christopher Paul Stelling, this was a phenomenal kickoff. Joined by Leonard Sumner and Allison Russell, the session offered a rich mix of personal protest, genre-crossing expression, and powerful storytelling.

With Stelling, I felt like I was transported back to the 60s. What he was singing about meant something to him and was important. Here’s “Better Days” which he released last year. He’ll be on tour in October and November including a show in Toronto on November 4.

Leonard Sumner was a surprise for me. I didn’t know what to expect from the Anishinaabe MC/Singer/Songwriter but holy shit he was great. His storytelling was engaging and funny, but felt completely genuine and heartfelt. I was completely lost in his performance as his sound would jump from one musical genre to another. Sometimes R&B, then country, then hip-hop. The sound may have changed, but the landscape of the story stayed consistent. On his website he has this quote – in this era of unsettling history and healing wounds of the past, Sumner's music is an expression of medicine that walks the line between fortitude and fragility. – I couldn’t agree more. Here’s “Dreamcatcher” from his latest album AANJICHIGAADE.

Allison Russell is great, sheer class. The Montreal artist’s stories were incredible and her band was banger. I hung on every word and for a protest circle, she looked like she was having the best time. She switched between the banjo and the clarinet during her songs and it was so great learning a little bit more about her. Here’s her latest single, “Superlover” with Annie Lennox. You can catch Russell in August at the Edmonton Folk Festival and in Toronto opening for Blue Rodeo at Budweiser Stage.

Start Making Sense

Portland-based Jeffrey Martin led this introspective Saturday morning session, joined by The Folk Bitch Trio, The Lone Bellow, and Ye Vagabonds. Thoughtful songs, warm stories, and strong synergy made it a festival highlight.

I originally got confused and thought the Jeff Martin from the Tea Party was hosting, but was pleased to find out that it was Portland-based singer Jeffrey instead. His music comes through in a wonderful way, just a man and his guitar telling us how things are and maybe how we can make things better. Here’s his most recent release “Edge of Lost”. He’ll be in Edmonton in August for their folk festival. This was his first trip to the WFF, I’m sure that it will not be his last.

All the way from Melbourne, Australia, the Folk Bitch Trio may be relative newcomers to the festival scene but the audience couldn’t tell. Through wonderful stories to wonderful melodies, they came across as more advanced than their years. I went out of my way to catch a couple of their sets over the weekend; they are going to be something. The Folk Bitch Trio have their debut album coming out next week. Here’s their latest single, “Moth Song”.

The funniest part of the showcase was when Brian MacGloinn from Ye Vagabonds realized that Jeffrey Martin, who he hadn’t met before that morning had spent a weekend sleeping in his bed while he was on tour. Ye Vagabonds were exactly what you wanted out of an Irish folk band, superb story tellers and music that made you want to either sing-a-long or quietly close your eyes and nod to it. It was also their first time at the festival and they were on point throughout. It's been a while since we’ve had some new music from the group, but a new album should be around the corner.

Last but certainly not least in the workshop was The Lone Bellow. They produced polished Americana with quick stories and wonderful tunes, they worked well with the other acts to help set the tone for the day. Oh, you knew I was going to play this song, their cover of The Killers “When You Were Young” – I always knew it was a country song at its core. You can catch The Lone Bellow right across America this Fall.

West is Best – Honky Tonk

Hosted by Petunia and the Vipers, this Western Canadian showcase was a wild, twangy delight. I’d planned to catch something else, but stayed after Viik and I’m glad I did. The best thing about this Western Canadian hootenanny was their ability to jump in and play along with others music. You see it at any music hall in Nashville and I definitely saw it on Saturday afternoon.

Noeline Hofmann grew up in Southern Alberta and her music is a testament to her heartland. From bittersweet ballads to gritty barn-burners her voice is like the prairie in full bloom and her band is awesome. They were like a slick group of gunslingers that could be called upon at any honky tonk on Lower Broadway. She’s touring throughout the rest of the year, if you get a chance to see her, definitely jump at it. Here’s her latest “The Bullfighter”.

For 30 years, Vancouver crooner Vern Lockhart has been performing as Petunia and The Vipers. His write up says imagine David Lynch and Nick Cave had a hillbilly baby that yodelled – and I can go along with that. His band was spot on and he even sang a song in French as a shoutout to his extended family in New Brunswick. What an entertainer. Here’s a live version of “The Cricket Song”.

I’ve seen the future of Canadian country music and its name is Jake Vaaderland and the Sturgeon River Boys. The 1950s rock-country is strong in this foursome from Saskatchewan. The stories, the quips, the interaction, the ability to play along with the other bands, Jake and his crew should be followed for years. At 22, he’s already won his first Juno, there will be a whole boatload by the time he’s done. You can catch Jake and the boys on tour through the rest of the year.

Other Highlights

Viik

Every single song started with, so this song is about a 17 year-young woman who did [this]. Norway’s Elisabeth Vik took the audience on a journey through Nordic folklore. Along with her Scandinavian bandmates, their performance was hypnotic and entertaining with each emotional track.

Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee

During the pandemic, partners Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee created The Weekly Rodeo. It was a way for them to create new music by covering others’ music and putting it out for us to hear. They decided to do their first live event at the festival. Picking songs from a hat, they went from their own song to covers from Tom Petty, the Stones, Dido and others. Here’s a couple of their previously recorded Weekly Rodeo spots including Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers” and Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You”.

Final Thoughts

The Winnipeg Folk Festival never fails to deliver and this year was no exception. Despite a few hiccups with sound and air quality, the energy, talent, and community spirit made it a truly memorable experience. You’ll definitely find me back at Birds Hill Park next year.