You know, I could swear I remember the Edmonton Folk Music Festival as an event that attracted names like Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, K.D. Lang, Billy Bragg, Wilco, the Barenaked Ladies… thank God the Edmonton Journal is here to tell me, and in a mysteriously defensive tone, that the new harder-to-get-to and harder-to-get-into version of the festival, which features Buffy Sainte-Marie (yes, really) as the headliner, is just as wonderful as ever. After all, don’t the organizers deserve bonus points for making sure that the cash registers are solar-powered? (No word on where the kilowatts for all that amplification and stage lighting come from, but it probably doesn’t add up to much. Any connection to that giant power plant just a few blocks away should be underplayed, and please don’t mention the Indian burial ground it’s sitting on top of with Miss Sainte-Marie in earshot…)
Comments (21)
I felt the same as you before this weekend, but it actually turned out to be a pretty damn good festival. I would have preferred the vampire slaying Buffy, however...
Posted by Andy Grabia | August 13, 2007 1:57 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 01:57
OK, who had 1:57 in the pool?
Posted by Colby Cosh | August 13, 2007 2:08 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 02:08
For which line?
Posted by Andy Grabia | August 13, 2007 2:22 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 02:22
If they held a Folk Fest where the entire bill consisted of you being anally violated onstage by Ralph McTell and Dave Van Ronk, you'd still come home Sunday night saying how great it was.
Posted by Colby Cosh | August 13, 2007 2:37 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 02:37
Since I actually went to the Festival, I'd say my opinion on the matter is 100% better informed than yours. There was lots I disliked, and lots I liked. The lack of mainstream headliners was offset by some solid middling acts, and some excellent to extraordinary sessions. And the rain held off all weekend, which was no small mercy.
Posted by Andy Grabia | August 13, 2007 3:18 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 03:18
The idea of "information" involves some uncertainty relating to the signal. We all could have predicted Andy's Generic Folk Fest Review (some good, some not so good!) before the performers even hit the airport.
Posted by Colby Cosh | August 13, 2007 3:25 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 03:25
That James Hunter character is playing a cool guitar. (The dual-P90 Les Paul Special in Limed Mahogany? That's pretty cool.)
I'm jus' sayin'.
I notice these things, you know.
Posted by Billy Beck | August 13, 2007 5:58 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 05:58
I should have gone if only to see Catherine O'Hara ......... 's sister.
Posted by Jason | August 13, 2007 8:57 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 08:57
I'm a little startled that Mr. Grabia and Mr. Cosh both feel so strongly about a pointless little argument. Was it really necessary to introduce the image of anal rape?
Posted by James Kabala | August 13, 2007 9:15 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 09:15
Yeah, and why is Cosh jumping to the conclusion that second-rate folk performers would be arriving at the airport?
Posted by Anon | August 13, 2007 10:53 AM
Posted on August 13, 2007 10:53
"Was it really necessary to introduce the image of anal rape?"
Given that someone named Andy probably wasn't born with a vagina (or has had one installed since), yes.
Posted by Sean | August 13, 2007 12:06 PM
Posted on August 13, 2007 12:06
Very well, Sean.
Correction: Was it necessary to introduce the imagery of rape of any kind?
Posted by James Kabala | August 13, 2007 1:34 PM
Posted on August 13, 2007 13:34
We all could have predicted Andy's Generic Folk Fest Review (some good, some not so good!) before the performers even hit the airport.
As we could have predicted your dislike of more things you haven't seen. News alert: Colby Cosh thinks something universally appreciated is overrated.
Posted by Andy Grabia | August 13, 2007 3:27 PM
Posted on August 13, 2007 15:27
The Folk Festival is not universally appreciated.
Posted by Jason | August 13, 2007 4:03 PM
Posted on August 13, 2007 16:03
> a pointless little argument.
Says you. I enjoy every single bitchslap. Folk music is a sexless, witless, motionless form of entertainment and it deserves mockery from the first note. I'm ashamed that it wasn't until a Steyn column in a recent year that I recognized the absurdity of the concept of the "original folk song".
It's amazing that even today theres a new generation of blue-jeaned, sincere, six-stringed gumbleeding artists making money at it. And from that most precious older generation, we're still getting frogwash like this.
> Was it necessary to introduce
> the imagery
It's this fear of amplified, fuzztone communication that makes folk music such a miserable place to find meaning.
Folk sux. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Posted by Crid | August 13, 2007 8:06 PM
Posted on August 13, 2007 20:06
Uh, you know it's been 41 years since that guy shouted "Judas!" at Dylan, right? Pete Seeger lost the Cold War, you can loosen the tie a little.
Posted by Colby Cosh | August 13, 2007 10:36 PM
Posted on August 13, 2007 22:36
I would visit here if only to read the titles of your posts.
Posted by Richard Ames | August 14, 2007 1:33 AM
Posted on August 14, 2007 01:33
"Play it fucking loud."
Posted by Andy Grabia | August 14, 2007 2:31 AM
Posted on August 14, 2007 02:31
Crid: "Folk music is a sexless, witless, motionless form of entertainment and it deserves mockery from the first note."
It does have its moments. Stringband's "Show us the length" was one of them.
James: "Was it necessary to introduce the imagery of rape of any kind?"
I'm the wrong person to ask.
Posted by Sean | August 14, 2007 1:28 PM
Posted on August 14, 2007 13:28
Crid: you fucking go, boy.
+1
Posted by Billy Beck | August 14, 2007 10:18 PM
Posted on August 14, 2007 22:18
> it's been 41 years
Colby, those little weasels won't go down.
> you can loosen the tie
But it's a skinny one!
Posted by Crid | August 15, 2007 12:21 AM
Posted on August 15, 2007 00:21