It was great seeing so many talented musicians perform - Edmonton does have a thriving acoustic roots community.

Today a bunch of us are road-tripping it to Red Deer for the Waskasoo Bluegrass season kick off. Chris Stuart & Backcountry are in concert with opening act Black Lightning Bluegrass. Workshops in the afternoon beginning at 2:30. Concert at 7:00 PM

I am back from a fabulous weekend in Victoria with my good friend Carol. We went to the spa for a massage and pedicure, ate lots of great food, drank g&ts, bought my first pair of jeans, took an Ashtanga yoga class, walked around Victoria and caught up on each other's lives. It was great. Carol I miss you already.

In Chains singing "Going Up On the Mountain"

NBCMS folks performing "In The Pines".

The Blind Boys of Alabama were all class and put on a great show.

Ralph Stanley

My favourite moment was when a bunch of us yelled us "How Mountain Girls Can Love" and they played it. It was written by Ralph Stanley but was sung by his son. They also sang Angel Band.

Colin Linden watching from the side

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. We also saw Roseanne Cash and John Prine.

It was a great day - I highly recommend the Festival - great lineup.

Lost Highway

Nashville Bluegrass Band

Special Consensus

Down To The Wood

Rae Spoon

Nathan

Handsome Family

Arlene Bishop

Rachael Davis

And on the Main Stage...

Lhasa

Ani DiFranco

The Dance of the Umbrellas

David Byrne

It was another fantastic year, I left feeling full of great music.

Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez sounding great. And looking great - I especially loved Carrie's caramel coloured boots.

Jerry Douglas on the main stage.

Derek Jones who plays bass with Jerry Douglas was phenomenal!

The highlight of the day was of course seeing Earl Scruggs perform.

Banjo players hoping to get their banjo parts signed.

The first session that I went to on Friday was the Learn by Heart with Ferron,
Michael Franti, Rodney Crowell, Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez.

I enjoyed seeing Ferron again, she still has a wonderful warm presence and great songs. She was joined with Jami Sieber on electric cello.

And I can see why Sam and Wind like Michaell Franti - he's a very charismatic, warm person. The workshop should of probably been called "Songs from Iraq" - it became quite refreshingly political and set the tone of the weekend for me.

The Dixie Hummingbirds

Martin Simpson and Jerry Douglas performed an amazing set together. It was one of my favourites - I loved watching how they were communicating non-verbally to each other while jamming.

Jerry Douglas

Lucky Dube

The hill at Main Stage - I am on my way to the Beer tent to meet Marshall for a drink. Thanks to the organizers for ordering Big Rock Rock Creek Cider - it tasted great after an afternoon listening to great music.

The first band Jaojoby got the festival grooving to a great start.

The Dixie Hummingbirds were FABULOUS - great harmonies and wonderful musicianship. Highly recommended.

I would tell you more but I have to rush off to work!

Tonight's lineup (Friday August 6)
Lucky Dube
Great Big Sea
Michael Franti and Spearhead

Had a good time at the crossing but Martial's Resnophonic Blues Bag was a real jam buster.
-- Augie

Russ and Ed playing twin fiddles

Al Green was wearing a white tuxedo and passing out red roses to all the women who flocked to the stage. He kissed one woman on the cheek and she was just bouncing euphorically. It was great. The band was TIGHT. There were two drum kits, a horn section, rhythm and lead guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, organ, two backing singers and two young men dancers. The band was amazing and dynamic and were all grooving and watching Al's every move like hawks. One tidbit - Al was drinking Gatorade. Oh, I will never forget the way he flicked the sweat off his brow - very sexy.

The only thing that was a little disappointing is that at times the sound was too "bassy" and "boomy". The bass drum was too loud and the vocals, guitars and horns not prominent enough in the mix. It kind of reminded me of listening to loud rock music in a basement. But Al Green's vocals cut through despite it. He sounded great and still has IT. He performed the most soulful version of Amazing Grace - I will never be able to hear that song again without thinking of him.

The set consisted of a mix of gospel songs, songs from his new album "I Can't Stop" and older songs from the 70s. The evening finished with "Love and Happiness". Most everyone was grooving and dancing in the aisles. The crowd gave a hearfelt and 10 minute long standing ovation but Al Green didn't came back for an encore. The crowd though was energized and in good spirits and eventually drifted off.

It was a great show - not too miss!

The music was great - the lineup included Maple Creek, Emory Lester Set, Hungry Hill, Restless Lester, Homefire and Black Lightning.

Maple Creek

Hungry Hill

Restless Lester

A highlight of the weekend for me was hearing Marion Linton play the fiddle with the Emory Lester Set. It was perfect - beautiful, inspired and full of emotion and passion. Unfortunately I was too busy soaking the sounds up to take a picture. It was also wonderful to see Kene Hyatt again (he was my instructor last year at Sorrento) and Emory Lester.

Morgan and Debbie - two fun loving and sassy gals

There was an open stage every evening which gave a lot of people a chance to perform a couple of tunes. Marshall even got up and played a few blues numbers. The jamming was OK but not great - or at least wasn't for me. When I woke up Saturday morning my cold had turned into some sort of laryngitis - I could barely talk let alone sing. By Sunday it was still there so instead of performing in the band contest we performed in an open stage with Sheila and Jeannette singing harmonies and playing banjo and guitar, me on bass and Marshall on mandolin. Marshall came up with a good nane - the Froggy Mountain Gals. Guess I was croaking like a frog or something.

Al playing on the rocket. Al was kind enough to lend me his bass so I wouldn't have to lug mine. Thanks Al!

I played a little bit of mandolin and Matt Hotte gave me a short lesson on picking. I love Matt's playing - he's a very tasty and talented player.

I call this one "Wildwood Flowers on Mountain Side"

We had a great time - we've already booked our room for next year. Maybe we'll see you there.

Prairie Dawg

Restless Lester

Black Lightning Bluegrass Band

Gun Fight

Homefire

Jamming

On Saturday we will have an open stage and a band scramble. The charge for Saturday is $5.00. Again you will be able to stay overnight for free as long as you are off the grounds by 10:00 AM Sunday (this does not apply for those staying on for the Katie's Crossing Bluegrass Festival).

On Sunday June 20th, Katie's Crossing will host their 2nd annual Bluegrass Festival. The festival starts at 1:00 PM. Featured bands include Restless Lester, Home Fire, the Black Lightening Bluegrass Band, Wildwood Flower and the Hotte Family Band. The charge for this festival is $12.00. This event is not part of the NBCMS Solstice and not sponsored by the NBCMS. Another option is to purchase a weekend pass for $19.00 which includes the NBCMS Solstice jam, the Sunday Bluegrass festival, a pancake breakfast on Sunday and (rough) camping for the extra day.

Katie's Crossing is located 5 miles east of Highway 21 at the corner of Range Road 221 and Baseline Road. An easy way to get there is to depart from Edmonton east on 101 Avenue (Baseline Road), continue on Baseline Road all the way through Sherwood Park, continue on that road past Highway 21 and on past RR 222 (the road that leads into the town of Ardrossan). About 1 mile east of RR 222 you will come to a railroad overpass. Just before the overpass on your right, you will see a caboose and a few railway coaches. That is it.

For more details http://www.bluegrassnorth.com/pages/1/index.htm or phone Carolyn at 922-4204.

The Steep Canyon Rangers: http://www.steepcanyon.com

The Reeltime Travellers: http://www.reeltimetravelers.com

Sierra Hull (12-year old mandolinist): http://www.sierrahull.com

Last year Jeannette couldn't sing because of a cold but luckily Ted stepped in and helped us through the weekend practising our harmonies and learning some new songs. This year he was on photo duty and took some cool shots here are a couple. Thanks Ted!

Sheila, Augie and Jeannette freezing their buns off.

But the excellent instruction and jamming more than made up for it. I decided this year to take the mandolin class and left my dawghouse at home. Al was cool and lent me his blond Engelhardt-Link for jamming.

Rob Baker was the mandolin instructor and is an excellent taecher. After a weekend at mandolin bootlcamp I can now play 4 finger chords, know the movable chord patterns, doublestops in the key of G and D and performed a break in a song in A. Amazing.

I wasn't really in the picture taking mood so Jo volunteer to take a few over the weekend. If it wasn't for her there wouldn't any at all. Thanks Jo!

Here's the main dining room/concert hall/barn dance.

Outside on the veranda

Dirty Hat Band

Homemade Jam

Rob and Dodie Baker with Carol Newlove on bass.

Ruth Henderson with friends

Wildwood Flower with special guest Brad Oviatt

Brad Oviatt passionately teaching the folks about harmony.

Clogging workshop

Allakomi
Beolach
Arlene Bishop
Blue Rodeo
Bill Bourne
Bonnie Bramlett
brava
Bowser and Blue
Jim Bryson
David Byrne featuring the Tosca Strings
Bobby Cameron
Rodney Crowell
Cory Danyluk & Sarah Card
Rachael Davis
Ani DiFranco
The Dixie Hummingbirds
Jerry Douglas
Lucky Dube
Fred Eaglesmith
Ferron
Four Men and A Dog
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Amos Garrett and the Festival House Band
Dick Gaughan
Genticorum
Great Big Sea
Ken Hamm
The Handsome Family
Haugaard & Hoirup
Andrea House
Wanda Jackson
Jaojoby
Martyn Joseph
Ron Kavana
Paddy Keenan and Tommy O’Sullivan
Kaki King
Dennis Lakusta
Lhasa
David Lindley
Madagasgar Slim
The McDades
Ellen McIlwaine
Rory McLeod
Brian McNeill
Natalie Merchant
Lynn Miles
Mortal Coil
Nathan
Oh Susanna
The Paperboys
Perfect Storm
John Reischman and the Jaybirds
Garnet Rogers
Earl Scruggs with Family and Friends
Al Simmons
Martin Simpson
Chris Smither
Spirit of the West
Rae Spoon
The Strawbs
The Swiftys
Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez
Hans Theessink & Insingizi
Linda Tillery and
the Cultural Heritage Choir
The Waybacks
David Wilkie
Hawksley Workman and the Wolves

Ticket Info
Tickets for Festival 2004 go on sale Saturday, June 1. Limit of 10 weekend passes per purchaser. Prices for 2004 are as follows:

June Adult Personal pass $109 Adult 4-Pack pass$129
July* Adult Personal pass $130 Adult 4-Pack pass $150
August* Adult Personal pass $150 Adult 4-Pack pass $170
Youth Festival pass (12-17) $55
Adult evening (6PM on) $40
Youth evening (6PM on) $25
*IF AVAILABLE

Seniors (65 and over) and accompanied children (under 12) continue to be free. Proof of age may be requested at the gate.
Note: There are NO individual tickets for all-day admission for Saturday or Sunday. The sessions (workshops) experience is reserved for full Festival pass patrons except for Friday nights.

What does this mean to me?
Earlybird (June) full Festival passes are the best value price for 2004 saving you 40% off the full value. Even in July and August, you get excellent value with 21.5 hours of main stage music and 15 hours of multi-stage sessions.

Buying tickets
All tickets go on sale Saturday, June 1 at 9 AM MDT
Charge by phone— call 780-429-1999—9 AM to 9 PM June 1; after June 1: 9:30 AM to 5:30 Mon-Wed & Fri; 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM Thurs call Ticketmaster 780-451-8000; service charges apply; limited number of tickets available

In-person Festival ticket office—10115 – 97A Ave. (see map in Festival Information) Earlybird tickets go on sale at 9 AM June 1. There will be a lottery for order of purchase. Please DO NOT line up before 8 AM. Ticket office hours 9 AM to 6 PM June 1; after June 1: 9:30 AM to 5:30 Mon-Wed & Fri; 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM Wednesdays in July. Payment accepted—cash, Visa, MasterCard, debit cards, cheques (cheque orders will be held until the cheque clears).
Ticketmaster—locations and hours in Telus Yellow Pages under Tickets
On-line—www.ticketmaster.ca—service charges apply; limited number of tickets available

Getting phone order tickets Pick-up—after July 2 at the Festival office (10115-97A Ave) or at the Main Gate during the Festival Courier—tickets for addresses in Edmonton, Sherwood Park or St. Albert will be delivered to a daytime address –for an additional $6

Mail—tickets outside of Edmonton will be mailed –registered - for an additional $6 ($10 international) TICKETS PURCHASED BY PHONE WILL BE MAILED/COURIERED AFTER JULY 3.

Pics coming soon...

Going up Bragg Creek

Going up to pick

Going up Bragg Creek

Learnin some new licks

OK so its lame - but I am excited cause I am going up to Bragg Creek FAMI Music camp with the Flowers to learn how to play mandolin. Just have to go in to work for half a day and then come home, finish packing up and hit the road. Got Marshall's mandolin, my iRiver h120 mp3 recorder, bottle of wine and lots of warm clothes. Hopefully we won't freeze our fingers off.

Everyone got a good groove on and kicked out some solid blues.

Model T-Ford

It was a nice evening doing one of my favourite things - playing music with friends.

Tonight is the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan at the New City Likwid Lounge featuring T-Model Ford, Kenny Brown and Cedric Burnside, and Paul "Wine" Jones. It is going to be THE blues show of the year.

I bought a copy of the Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suites which he performs on double bass. I crank it up at work - great getting into the zone music.

http://www.shuffledemons.com

See the Obstinatio Trailer video clip with Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck.

Here's a quote that someone sent in.

"I came to the conclusion that our old time bluegrass is like a sparkling spring rill, and we are just trying to keep the muddy waters from polluting it from all the runoffs of other music." - D.B. from PA

Bluegrass Ecology.

Hello everyone
The St. Thomas Coffee house where we have been hosting our openstage for the past 3 years has been sold. However the new owners which just took over last week have agreed to keep our open stage running. So, on that note our next open stage is May 6th. 7:30 start. It's always the 1st Thursday of the month.

Penny and Jim

So if you feel like playing a few tunes or soaking up some acoustice music while drinking a cup of something good and a slice of fabulous pie head down to the St. Thomas Coffee House at 44 St. Thomas St., St. Albert, 458-8225.

Poster sightings around town

On Friday, I went to the Full Moon Folk Club to see Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart perform. The place was full which was a nice surprise considering all of the other events happening in town. As a nice treat, Brock Zeman and Keith Glass opened the show with a set full of song gems. Brock is a great songwriter – his songs remind me of my favourite Texan songwriters but have great original stories and hooks. Keith Glass was in fine form and played some beautiful acoustic guitar and some nice tasty slide. Keith has a studio in Ontario called Acoustic Valley. I also caught Brock and Keith on CBC Radioactive and CKUA’s Folk Routes but missed their JunoFest set. Well worth checking them out.

Brock Zeman, me, Keith Glass

Mark Stuart and Stacey Earle

Mark Stuart and Stacey Earle opened their first set with “Fishbowl” which is a very catchy tune – can’t seem to get it out of my head. They are a fun and quirky pair. Did you know that Mark is on the Chet Atkins diet?

After that I went Junofesting – off to the Masonic Hall to see David Francey (the place was packed for his set – congrats on the Juno), Maple Creek (they were in fine form and are currently recording their next album with Emory Lester), and Bill Bourne (I got some dancing in with Bonnie on the balcony).

Steve Dawson and Jim Byrnes

On Saturday, Marshall, Kathy, Mike and myself went to the Junofest blues evening to soak up some acoustic blues. We saw Mark Sterling playing his acoustic slide guitar, Kyle Riabko (a good rock/pop guitar player even though his performance was slightly affected), Jim Byrnes with an amazing fiddle/trumpet player (I unfortunately forget his name) and Steve Dawson (congrats on the Juno), and Harrison Kennedy (great blues guitar and kazoo).

I didn't catch the Junos on tv or live but the Juno awards that I am interested in are actually presented on the Saturday before. Got a Juno story?

Saturday
room A
9:00 HOST - Mark Sterling
9:15-9:55 Kyle Riabko
10:15-11:00 Jim Byrnes
11:20-12:00 Harrison Kennedy
12:20-1:00 JUNOFest Roots-Blues Jam
room B
8:30-9:10 Ben Sures
9:30-10:10 Wendy McNeill
10:30-11:10 Terry McDade
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cook County Saloon - 8010 Gateway Boulevard
Friday
9:45-10:15 The Trucks
10:45-11:30 Lisa Hewitt
12:00 midnight Charlie Major

Saturday
9:45-10:15 Dustkickers
10:45-11:30 Tracy Millar
12 midnight Tom Phillips and The Men Of Constant Sorrow
host the JUNOFest All-star Country Jam
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four Rooms Restaurant & Lounge - 137 Edmonton City Centre East
Friday
9:00-9:40 Ann Vriend
10:00-10:40 Emily Jordan
11:00-11:40 Steve Pineo
12:00-12:40 Keith Glass

Saturday
9:00-9:40 Kelly Alanna
10:00-10:40 Christian Mena
11:00-11:40 Kyla Sandulak
12:00-12:40 Johanna Sillanpaa and Aaron Young
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longriders - 11733-78 Street
Friday
9:30-10:10 Doug Jenson & The Feel Kings
10:30-11:10 Tacoy Ryde
11:30-12:10 Derek Miller
12:30 Bobby Cameron

Saturday
9:30-10:10 Exit 303
10:30-11:10 Superseed
11:30-12:10 Painting Daisies
12:30 David Gogo
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nest at NAIT - 11762-106 Street
Friday
8:00-8:40 Three Dead Trolls
9:00-9:40 J.I.F
10:00 Old Reliable
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New City Likwid Lounge - 10081 Jasper Avenue
Friday
9:15-9:45 The Waking Eyes
10:00-11:00 Buck 65
11:150-12:15 Matthew Barber
12:30 Matt Mays and El Torpedo

Saturday
9:30-10:10 Out Of Your Mouth
10:30-11:10 Kinnie Starr
11:30-12:10 The Trews
12:30 The Dears
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Power Plant Café & Bar (U of A campus) - 114 Street, 89 Avenue
Friday
9:30-10:10 Jason Plumb
10:30-11:10 Barlow
11:30-12:10 Captain Tractor
12:30 The Floor

Saturday
9:30-10:10 The Swiftys
10:30-11:10 Clayton Bellamy
11:30-12:10 Danny Michel
12:30 Joel Plaskett Emergency
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Red's Entertainment Complex - #2556, 8882- 170 Street
Friday
All-Ages show presented by Black Dot Productions
8:00-8:30 The Mark Birtles Project
8:45-9:15 Our Mercury
9:30-10:00 The Operators
10:15-11:00 Wednesday Night Heroes
11:15 Mad Bomber Society

Saturday
Urban Night presented by the Urban Music Association of Canada
10:00-11:00 DJs Shortround & Echo
11:00-11:15 Blessed
11:25-11:35 Warparty
11:45-11:55 Darkson
12:05-12:15 Politic Live
12:25-12:40 Carl Henry
12:45-12:55 Kia Kadiri
1:00-1:15 Fresh I.E.
1:30 Jeff Hendrick
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sidetrack Café - 10333 - 112 Street
Friday
Roots/World Music Night presented by Canada Council and CBC
9:30-10:00 Sandy Scofield
10:20-11:00 Steve Dawson
11:20-12:10 Oh Susanna
12:30 ¡Bomba!

Saturday
9:00-9:40 John Henry
10:00-10:40 Bottleneck
11:00-11:40 Shaye
12:00 Blackie and The Rodeo Kings
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seedy's Bar - 10314-104 Street
Friday
10:00-10:40 Knee Deep in Grass
11:00-11:40 Roger
12:00 midnight Dale Ladouceur & The Broke Ensemble

Saturday
10:00-10:40 Faunts
11:00-11:40 Darrek Anderson & The Guaranteed
12:00 midnight King Muskafa
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre - 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Friday - doors 8:00, show at 8:30
8:30-9:00 Terry Morrison
9:20-10:00 Christine Hanson
10:10-11:00 The Fates

Saturday - doors 7:30, show at 8:00
8:00- 8:50 and 9:10- 10:00 songwriters-in-the-round:
Danny Mack, Tom Philips, Stewart MacDougall, Corb Lund
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sugar Bowl Coffee & Juice Bar - 10922- 88 Avenue NW
Friday
9:30-10:10 Cris Cuddy
10:30-11:10 Mike McDonald
11:30-12:10 Le Fuzz
12:30 David Gogo

Saturday
9:30-10:10 Danyluk & Card
10:30-11:10 Andrea House & Chris Smith
11:30-12:10 Shuyler Jansen
12:30 Wilfred N & The Grown Men
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Von's Steak and Fish House - 10309 - 81 Avenue
Friday
9:00-9:45 Mike Stack
10:05-10:50 Duane Steele
11:10-12:00 Gord Matthews

Saturday
9:00-9:45 Joanne & Hayley Myrol
10:05-10:50 Brock Zeman (with Keith Glass)
11:10-12:00 Jake Mathews
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Yardbird Suite - 11 Tommy Banks Way
Friday
9:00-9:40 Chris Andrew Trio
10:00-10:40 The Kent Sangster Quartet
11:00-11:40 John Stetch
12:00 midnight Dave Babcock hosts the JUNOFest Jazz Jam

Saturday
9:00-9:35 The Bobby Cairns Trio
9:50-10:10 The Bomba Trio
10:30-11:00 Jeri Brown
11:10-11:40 Ranee Lee
11:50-12:20 Michael Kaeshammer
12:30 Sandro Dominelli Quintet

Saturday, April 3
Intense Songwriting Workship with Ron Hynes. For serious writers interested in taking their craft to the next level, this 3-4 hour session on Sat. afternoon costs $100.
For details, call Bill Werthman 780 288 8111

Sunday, April 4
Songwriters' Circle featuring Buck 65, esthero, Corb Lund, Danny Michel, Shaye, Liam Titcomb ; hosted by Cindy Church, Marc Jordan, Murray McLauchlan, Ian Thomas
Winspear Centre;
Noon;
Tickets $26.50 + up
428-1414 or 1-800-563-5081

Sunday, Apr 4
Juno Awards
Rexall Place
Tickets $57-91.50 at Ticketmaster 451-8000.

They have been great helping me - I have been such a pain in the you know what and they have always been amazing. I just have to send in the new measurements for Big Momma and they will cut the fabric, embroider it and sew the case. Can't wait to try it out.

Homefire Band

Anne and Bob

Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek: Vicki Simmons on bass was playing a Carvin bass which sounded great and had a wonderful acoustic tone.

Dale Ann Bradley, Jesse Brock, Michael Cleveland

They were are excellent musicians. But Michael Cleveland's fiddle playing is unbelievable - smooth, sweet and beautiful.

Afterwards we headed down to the Sidetrack to see The Undertakin' Daddies. Sheila and Marshall drinking Grasshoppers.

The Undertakin' Daddies shaking it up

The bass is a modified 1/4 size bass that comes apart for travelling - very cool. The neck fits in a gun case (?) and the body fits in a special made case. That must simplify life on the road.

Afterwards we met Mark Thibeault who is the resophonic guitarist in the band. He owns a company called Rayco Resophonics and builds guitars - they sound great. He also married to Jenny Lester which made our day! It was great to finally see the UDs and hang out - I can't remeber the last time I was in a bar.

Judy at the Music Enrichment Program

I toyed with the idea of keeping the bass for awhile and using it for jams and camps but after playing Big Momma I can't go back ;) Truly I am a one-bass woman. And this way other people can rent it. Bye Bass! Thanks for everything. Have fun hanging out at Smokin' Ed's place.

On the left is my NEW bass - 7/8th in size (big!) Czech and on the right is the 3/4 West German one I am renting from the school board.

I am still in shock. It was a fluke finding it - we were looking for a mic and saw this one - it was a rental so has a couple of dings and is much bigger than what bass players traditonally play. The bass feels enormous but I am sure I will get used to it. It has a tone that I love, big sound and was very affordable. I feel inspired to improve my technique and get better intonation. Woohoo! I own a bass :)

We went up and played for about 30 minutes to a very appreciative crowd. It was a blast and felt like a historic moment - The Woodbend Bluegrass Band was born.

The Woodbend Bluegrass Band:
George Bayard, Les Eberhardt, Windi Hanson and Toby Tellier

It was fun and a learning experience for me. I am still figuring out how to use monitors and microphones. Being amplified is very different from playing acoustically. I have ordered a pickup for my bass (Bass Master Pro - 4 sensor unit with preamp) which will maybe make things a little easier.

Woodbend Bluegrass Band - has a nice ring to it :)

Went to the Full Moon Folk Club last night with Sheila to see Tim Hus and Down To The Wood. Great show - Tim Hus' storytelling is amazing and the DTTW boys did a great job. They played some bluegrass standards like I am Weary, Blue Ridge Cabin Home and added in some songs from Gordon Lightfoot and Dylan (I think). I had a good time. Down To The Wood is also playing on March 2nd at The Stanley Milner library as part the Discover Series - check 'em out!

Iris with her Martin guitar and her warm boots

When she walked on and started to play it was so quiet it was like no one in the crowd was even breathing. Her delivery is so sincere and feels so intimate it is spellbinding. I had the sense that she was baring her soul and sharing the deepest sentiments but without seeming affected. She is a great songwriter and an excellent performer.

Iris at the piano

She played a couple of gospel songs including some from her newest cd which is a collection of oldtime gospel tunes. She also played beautiful renditions of When My Mornin' Comes Around,

Walkin' Home
"I'm walkin' home tonight
The streets are glowing 'neath the pale moonlight
I look around, there's not a soul in sight
and I'm walkin' home
Once again I hear my mother's voice
and all us kids making a bunch of noise
If I'm not careful I might start to cry
Just walkin' home tonight"

and The Way I Should
"And it's true that I don't work near as hard
as you tell me that I'm supposed to
I don't run as fast as I could
but I live just the way I want to
and that's the way I should"

Iris also played a Lefty Frizzell song but I can't remember which one. She finished the evening with Let The Mystery Be, Our Town, I Still Miss Someone (J. Cash) and Keep On The Sunny Side (Carter Family). It was a great quiet evening of good songs.

One line that stuck with me but one that I don't know which song it is from is
"You make me feel like the place where I come from".

Good songs have a way of making me see the world differently - sometimes when I hear a great line it's like my perspective changes. I would love to be able to write them.

Mike Sadiva, Jeannette Sinclair, Sheila Hallett, Toby Tellier and Smokin' Ed Zenko

Obviously I am into performing with my eyes closed. Actually I have a knack for blinking when a picture is being taken - one of my great talents - fast blinker.

The talented Erin singing "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and flat-picking the guitar in her band Shortgrass with Kayla and Al. Happy birthday Erin!

Penny and Jim sounded great playing songs from their new album. They were excellent hosts - helping us to get setup and being so encouraging. The house was packed and I had a good time listening to the variety of music: Brian Gregg, The Riverdale Bluegrass Band, Rob and Doddie Baker and many more. The jam happens on the first Thursday of every month and if you are in the area try to go - you'll have a great time.

We didn't have a fridge in our room so Marshall filled a bucket with snow to chill the beer and wine.

Once we had put our drinks on ice we headed for the jamming room.

There were about 20 people there who had been going strong since the night before. That's bluegrass stamina... they were already 18 hours into the bluegrass jamming marathon (minus 6 hours of sleep). They had a nice fire going and an endless circle of songs, we jumped right in.

Unthawed performing at the Open stage

In the Pines - Blues Grass fusion

Shortgrass with Momma Bear and Little Boy Blue

Caroline and Kayla

We left Sunday after brunch to head home and get ready for the work week. I had fun playing bass and playing a little mandolin using cheater two-finger chords. Everyone's fingers were sore and I have a beautiful blister on my right hand bass plucking finger (thanks for the bandaids Pat!). One of my favourite overheard lines of the weekend: My fingers are sore. Sore fingers? You want to be a bluegrass player or not? Suck it up! Maybe next year we can get a massage therapist to come and offer 10 minute shoulder massages to help keep us going.

I loved the retreat, it was great fun to play music with so many interesting people and a good way to get out of the city. And as Ed mentioned there were no pesky instructional workshops to interrupt with jamming time. I feel recharged. Too bad J-bird and Jo weren't there. I think they would have enjoyed it and I know they were both missed. Hopefully next year.

Pat was the Emcee and did a great job introducing the bands and was sweet enough to announce our Wildwood Flower event next Saturday.

Edmonton's very own Black Lightning Bluegrass Band opened the show.

Kayla photographing Open Road. Caleb Roberts (mandolin player) would ham it up and give her a great big goofy smile everytime he say her snapping shots.

Open Road played two sets with a great mix of songs from their Cold Wind cd and songs from their upcoming cd. They are a very solid band and Bradford Lee Folk's (guitar player) vocal style is quite unique and in my opinion makes the band. You can check them out at : http://www.openroadbluegrass.com

Al, Erin and Sheila went up and played Foggy Mountain Breakdown - what a talented family - they looked and sounded great up there. Then Jeannette, Sheila, Don and myself played "Sitting Alone In the Moonlight", "Your Love is Like a Flower" and "The Road Into Town". It was OK, I am still getting used to having my own mic - I much prefer an omni mic, it seems easier to get the harmonies right. Practice I guess.

Then part of the Sinclair clan went up and sang a few. Nice harmonies.

It was a good night even though it went a little late for my taste - I couldn't seem to get the momentum to leave which gave me a good chance to catch up with some of the people from the club. I think it'll be a long day at work.

Talked to my mom today and she is sending me some French Canadian fiddle songbooks! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

On Saturday, we went to visit our favourite music store The Acoustic Music Shop to check out the fiddles in stock. I was looking for a particular sound - warm, gritty, mellow and had yet to find it. I met Emile Kryvenchuk who is a fiddler in Athabasca, he was also in the fiddle room trying out fiddles. He had just been in to get a couple of fiddles appraised and let me try one. I fell in love.

I knew that the fiddle that I would buy would look and sound a lot like this one.

Notice the little wild rose attached to it.

Emile offered to sell it to me. With Rod's blessing I accepted and handed it over to Rod to setup. It took a lot of will power to leave it there but I did knowing it was in capable hands!

Thanks Emile and thanks Rod - I am going to have a lot of fun squeaking and sawing and hopefully eventually making beautiful music.

On Thursday, Wildwood Flower performed at a Christmas party. It was fun - the group was into it and tapped their feet and sang along. At the end we attempted to play some Christmas carols like Joy to the World, Silent Night, Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Thank goodness they were singing - it helped cover up our scrambling to play the tunes. Needless to say they were bluegrass style!

The really amazing thing is that we got our first standing ovation (I kid you not). The crowd stood up and clapped and shouted encore - looks like they enjoyed it and had a great time. Well, so did we. And I got a Christmas centerpiece to help me with my (lack of) Christams decorations.

It is jam-packed with amazing footage - unbelievably good stuff. Muddy Waters, the great great Sonny Boy Williamson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, John Lee Hooker and my favourite Willie Dixon (and many others).

Willie Dixon was amazing - especially playing the dawghouse. He is such a large man that the standup bass looked like a cello in his hands. It really is a great watch.

Bought tickets to see Ramblin' Jack Elliott presented by Folkways Alive on March 13/04.

After rehearsal this afternoon I am meeting J-Bird at Homefest 2003. I am looking forward to seeing Laura Vinson perform. And it's all for a good cause.

Here's Barry Allen and Marshall opening the box. First one out of the box goes straight to Sam.

Time to start planning a little cd release party! Oh and we haven't set up online distribution yet so drop us a line at marshall[@]doctorblues.com if you want one and we'll make arrangements (brackets are there to try to fool spam spiders so please remove them before you email us).

What a great weekend, on Friday night there was an instructor band scramble and since there were not enough instructor bass players a couple of students were invited to join in on the fun. Here I am with Brad Oviatt, Rob Baker, Windi Hanson, Dave Johnston and the banjo player from Homefire (I have such trouble remembering names).

The workshops were good, M took a mandolin class with Emory Lester while I took a bass class with Terry Knutson. I picked up some tips on left-hand technique, playing slap bass and playing walking bass. It was very worthwhile and I appreciated Terry's commitment to his students - he's a very fine teacher.

The jamming was of course fun - though most of the jams were quite large, I like it best when I get to jam with 5-7 people. When it gets bigger than that I find that folks can't listen as well. I went to bed early on Saturday night - before midnight. I was feeling under the weather and exhausted so I crashed. The jam next door went on until around 2am. So I fell asleep to great music.

The highlight of the weekend for me was the feedback we got from the Down To The Wood guys. We asked if they would spend some time with us (Wildwood Flower gals and Smokin' Ed) to give us some pointers on how to use a condenser/omni directional mic. If you have ever seen one of their shows you know that they have it down pat - zig-zagging in and out of the shared mic. It's a treat to watch. I got some great tips on bass placement (turn the bass away from the mic during the quieter vocal parts and towards it during instrument breaks (excluding guitar breaks since the guitar is such a quiet instrument). Also, Glen showed me how to move with my bass during a song (while playing) - I'll have to practice - not as easy as it looks. Don't think I will be learning how to walk the bass while walking the bass anytime soon if you know what I mean. J + S got some pointers on moving in and around the mic and how to gracefully swap places without anyone getting an instrument in the eye. We also got feedback on how close/far to get to the mic. The DTTW guys were very generous with their time and helpful. Thanks guys! They have a new cd out which has great bluegrass harmonies and instrumentation. Pick one up if you can (I looked to find where you can get one online but no luck so I guess they only sell it locally).

I had fun this weekend and can really feel it today - my arms (from playing so much) and left knee (from standing all weekend) are sore. It was well worth it - the next bluegrass weekend is the Winter Camp in January which will be an all jamming weekend (no instruction).

The Northern Lights Folk Club presented David Francey at The Arden Theatre last night. Dave Clarke started the evening with some of his guitar compositions: very beautiful and tasty.

Dave Clarke

David Francey started his set with "Paper Boy" and played a good mix of songs from all of his albums. It was amazing how people would hoot and holler when they recognized a song by the opening chords. Which to me means that David Francey is a singer-songwriter superstar. Or well on his way anyways. The Arden was packed and the audience very appreciative. Of course the crowd sang along, it wouldn't be a Francey concert with no crowd participation. For the encore David played a touching tribute song called “Heavy Load” to a women who passed away this past year in Edmonton.

David Francey and Dave Clarke

I enjoyed David's fine songs and Dave Clarke's fabulous guitar playing and harmonies. But what made the evening was his storytelling. Before every song, David would tell a story about the song: where he wrote it, what inspired him, what the song is about. It was a great concert.

So many musicians are covering his songs. At the Full Moon Folk Club, Ruth Moody of the Wailing Jennys performed a haunting rendition of Brakeman's Daughter. Del McCoury performs a rousing version of Mill Towns on his newest album “It's Just the Night”. There are many more of course and they are listed on his site.

I left and drove to J-bird's birthday party where we jammed until early in the morning (2:00am – that's early for me). The songs never stopped flowing - it was great. The WildWood Flowers made an appearance. I even sang my version of “Firewater” by Penny Lang while J-bird played it and sang harmony. It was a great musical evening – I feel so full!

Streets of Edmonton at 2:30am. Yup, that is snow.

They were playing at The Arden tonight and I braved the freezing temperatures (low of -15 expected - crazy I know!) to check it out. It started out with Kim hoping that by the end of the evening we would be feeling like riiiipe, fuuuulll, bursting pears and they would do their best to wash us over with warm and luscious feelings. I am obviously paraphrasing, she was much sexier and eloquent.

Kiva (keys), Kim Baryluk(lead vocals), Sunny Breaks (bass), Julene Gravett (drums) and Lindsay Jane (guitar).

To say that I enjoyed the concert is an understatement. They are all very fine musicians - very tasty. Kim is the High Priestess of singer-songwriters, Lindsay Jane was a treat to hear, Julene's drum solo was the best I have ever heard (usually the drummer loses my attention within 5 seconds - but she was interesting), Kiva's overtones were out of this world (I had never heard anything like it - very cool), and Sunny was holding it down oh so melodically on her 5 string bass. Their harmonies of course are undescribable but I will try - beautiful, rich, enveloping. Check out their site for sound clips to hear more.

It was an exceptional evening, I did leave feeling much better. On the ride home I did a lot of thinking and came to a few conclusions:

• I listen to too much music by men and not enough by women
  
• I have been too hard and I want to try to be softer
  
• One of my blessings has been the women I sing and play music with
  

Sooooo I want to:

• Cool it a little on the high lonesome bluegrass sound and listen to more delicious earthy music such as Joan Armatrading, Wyrd Sisters, Rory Block, Penny Lang, Laura Love, Aretha Franklin, Sweet Honey On the Rock, The Pretenders, The Wailin Jennys, Joni Mitchell. Any suggestions? Please add a comment below.
  
• Get a handle on my allergies. Not sure how I'll go about it. Hopefully it'll come to me cause they are cramping my style.
  
• Sing and play bass more - a lot more.
  
• Meditate a little more, exercise a little more and eat better.
  
• Practice more Loving Kindness: May All Beings be well, comfortable, peaceful and happy.
  

If my mom had been with me it would have been a perfect evening.

Feel the luv

I had procrastinated in buying a ticket and when I got to the Strathcona Legion I found out that they were sold out! Good for the FMFC and the Jennys but bad for me. Luckily a few seconds later someone had an extra to sell. I had been looking forward to seeing the Jennys again - the last time was at Blue Skies a couple of summers ago. So I was in and the place was packed and jumping!

I found a seat beside Fred and Ron on sound so got a great seat. With those two there I knew the sound was going to be great (it was). The opening act was a band called Nothin' But Trouble from Calgary.

They played fun, original and clever songs like Pretty Girls, I Faked It and Pick Up Truck.

Pick Up Truck chorus
I'm gonna trade in my fella and buy me a pickup truck.
I've tried so hard with my fella but I just had me no luck.
If I'm gonna be taken for a ride I rather be on the driver's side.
I'm gonna trade in my fella and buy me a pickup truck.

They were great and got the crowd going. At the intermission, I overheard someone say that they hoped the next act was good cause they were gonna have to work to top that. No problem for the Jennys. They were wonderful. Beautiful voices, solid harmonies, great songs and accomplished musicianship. I just kicked back and soaked up the lush siren vibe.

I was kind of hoping I would win the 50/50 draw so that I could buy all their cds. They each have solo projects which I am sure are also amazing. At one point in the show they were asking for the names of great Edmonton restaurants. After the show I gave them a card with Bua Thai's address (link is to a restaurant review by Stuart Adams!) and Allegro's Italian Kitchen address, my two favourite restaurants. Oh, I should of mentioned Whole In the Wall too. Anyways, it was a wonderful evening of music. I am so glad I didn't miss it. One of my favourite concerts of the year.

The Laws opened up with some beautiful songs. They are a husband and wife duo who are both songwriters and who have great harmonies. They were here for the Edmonton Folk Fest a couple of years back but unfortunately I missed them. They are just back from Texas and had some good stories to tell. Texans call their style "Yaaallternative!"

John Reischman and the Jaybirds played two great sets. They play the smoothest, coolest bluegrass I have ever heard.

Memorable songs for me include: "North Shore" where the banjo player Nick Hornbuckle played the tastiest banjo break, Susan Crowe's "Come with Me" and Trisha Gagnon's "Blackberry Bramble".

The highlight for me was of course watching Trisha Gagnon perform. She is wonderful to watch and listen to. She has graciously said yes to my request for a lesson tomorrow. Hopefully she will be able to make time between preparing for tomorrow's performance at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove.

Byron Myhre joined the group for the encore and played some twin fiddle with Greg Spatz. They finished off the evening with a beautiful rendition of "Indiana Firefly".

Toby, Jo and Sheila watching the concert

WildWood Flower and the Weeds :)

The Harmony Belles

Arnold, Charlie, Bryan and me on deck before we perform one of Charlie's originals

Group shot - this time J-bird doesn't have her eyes closed. Bryan, Sheila, Jeanette, Charlie, Toby and Arnold

Sandi and friend in the main hall listening to the Band Scramble concert on Friday night. I don't remember the woman on the right's name even though she was in the same Band Scramble Band - sorry! She plays fiddle and mandolin. Sandi is a singer-songwriter who plays guitar. After the concert, J, S and I went to the Cougar Cabin for the bluegrass jam - for the first time ever I wasn't the first to bed - Rick, J and I stayed up until 4am and closed the bg jamming down. I also managed to catch a bit of blues jamming too which was great.

Our room was right beside one of the workshop rooms, I woke up to the sweet sounds of Windi's mandolin workshop. Here's a picture of a deer outside my window.

Later that day I attended a bluegrass jam. There were already two bass players so Rick graciously lent me his guitar so that I can practice my rhythm playing. He is pictured here on the left playing mando.

Marilyn and friend playing the auto harp and mandolin to “Somebody Robbed the Glendale Train”.

In the afternoon we practiced some and then decided to go for a walk to the river.

Astrid? Aster? I am so bad with names. Ariel is the camp dog and came with us. She had a great time fetching the sticks that Sheila tossed into the river.

On Saturday night we had an open stage - the caliber of the groups was amazing. The highlight was Sharon singing a hot, steamy and sizzling rendition of "Love Me like a Man". She has a great voice and really let loose. We were perched up on the stairs soaking it all up. She received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Wildwood Flower went up with the help of Charlie and Bryan from the Dirty Hat Band. We performed the song "The Road Into Town" by Chris Stuart. Jeanette did a great job singing melody, she picks the greatest songs to sing.

Jeff Simms performed Train Leaves Here This Morning and I backed him up on bass and harmony.

I also went up with the Dirty Hat Band to help with one of Charlie's original songs. That was quite a thrill for me (I look so serious though on stage - you wouldn't know how much fun I am really having!)

Snack time and mingling before the clogging and fiddle tunes begin.

Sheila, Don, Jeanette and me

After the concert there was of course more jamming, I went to a singer-songwriter jam, a 60s folk jam and then headed back to the Cougar Cabin for more bluegrass jamming. Unfortunately it was getting late and the jam was breaking up so a bunch of us grabbed some snacks, listened to a Tom Jones 8-track (what's new pussycat?) and chatted before we crashed too.

Sunday goodbyes

Charlie and Bryan

Windi and Jo. Jo graciously took photos of us when we were on stage and went around and took lots of other shots too- thanks Jo!

Sheila and J-bird

Barry Luft. He did a great version of Shenandoah were he had invited about 2 dozen of the men in the group to come up on stage and sing. All those manly voices sounded wonderful together.

Don

Edmonton folks group shot

It was a great weekend. Very relaxing and fun. I think I have the music bug and will make the FAMI camps part of my yearly events.

Gonna hit the books first though and continue preparing for the 70-316 exam - C# yummy.

On my mom's urging I decided to go, I phoned in to Festival Place and ordered a ticket. The man who answered the phone was a little strange - well it was probably me. I haven't been clicking with people lately, feeling disconnected, grouchy, unkind, uncompassionate and impatient. I have no idea why but it just keeps creeping in. So after the phone conversation from hell, I sat back and tried to conjure up a little L&K (Love and Kindness that is. As in "May all beings be well, comfortable, peaceful and happy." By that way that includes you :)

So I had some dinner and drove to Sherwood Park which is about a 25 minute drive from my house. The fall colours are out, very beautiful.

Taken while I was driving there.

So the concert started at 7:30pm and I got there in time to have a glass of white wine and read the program. My seat was a little squished but not bad for last minute. The house was packed.

Buffy was amazing. She truly is a bigger than life person. Watching her perform made me feel like being a more generous, loving person. Her and her band performed for 90 minutes with no intermission. She played so many songs and since I am not familiar with most of her work I don't know all of the titles but a couple that struck me were "That's What Little Kids Do" (very sweet), "He's An Indian Cowboy In The Rodeo", "The Big Ones Get Away", "Fallen Angels", "Starwalker" and "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee". I am very glad I went, she was lovely.

The one unfortunate thing was that the sound wasn't very good and didn't do her or her band justice.

Buffy mentioned that she has been very involved with the Cradleboard Teaching Project - Check it out at http://www.cradleboard.org

It was a great show, they wowed the sold out crowd, which was comprised mostly of older folks (cause you know I love the ole folks music!). As I was walking out of the theatre at the end of the night, folks were buzzing "They are soooo talented", "I loved them, they are so versatile - from blues to jazz to folk, amazing". No kidding - guess these guys have got the right formula to make it on the Canadian scene. I wish them luck and hope they do.

I took a bunch of photos - but since it was a low light situation and I didn't want to use my flash and disrupt (even more than I already had) the photos are a bit blurry.

Chris Frye, Marc Atkinson, Glen Manders, Adrian Dolan

Jeremy Penner, Adrian Dolan

The many talents of Glen - he can play it...

drum it...

and bow it like an angel. I have to remember to email him the next time he's in town and ask for a lesson - he does cook.

The Bills have a new site design, looks good Adrian.
They are now on the Beard tour. Go to http://www.thebillhillyband.com/newsite/frameset.html and click on Beards. Scruffy.

The Box Office and Main Gate

Nettie and Anne Marie in the Kids Area

Nettie and me

Barry Allen and the security team

Trevor and Colleen

"Be Careful What You Wish For" Workshop with Tom Russell, Bruce Cockburn, Dar Williams and Nanci Griffith

Mary Rankin and Marshall Lawrence

The only mainstage act I caught was Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra. Great set of course.

Ominous clouds rolled in. We left after Nanci Griffith to go home and pick up our instruments for the party. I brought my standup bass and Marshall brought his National guitar. Le Vent du Nord were going strong in the main jamming room - I wish I had the chops to join in. The dancers were improvising some square dancing and feet were flying!

Serving line crew whooping it up

Marshall jamming some blues in the lobby.

I sat in on a jam with Anna Sommerville, Marc Ladouceur and a few other fine folks. It was one of the mellower jams and and I enjoyed hearing everyone's songs.

Had a conversation with Vic Bell about "blogging" and photo albums. He's been writing pieces on the different festivals that he participates in for years and I love reading them. He's been to all 24 Edmonton Folk Fests and is very involved in the Canmore Folk Fest.

It was a great weekend - I am of course tired but feeling full - I met quite a few amazing folks, heard a lot of great music and even got to play a little. In my book this year's festival was a success. Can't wait until next year!

Galway To Graceland Workshop with Blue Highway, Davy Spillane, Ricky Skaggs, Tony McManus

Carolyn, Kayla and Matt Hotte and Ward shared a piece of their tarp with me. They managed to get the best seats - right in front of Ricky Skaggs.

Davy Spillane, Ricky Skaggs and Tony McManus

Ricky talked a bit about the evolution of Irish/Celtic music to what later became Bluegrass. When the Irish immigrants moved to the Appalachian Mountain regions, over time the joyfulness in Irish music changed to more of a sadness and longing for families and country left behind. He sang a beautiful hymn to illustrate this point.

Davy Spillane played a song on his Irish pipes. Tony McManus played a tune in a very interesting guitar style. Blue Highway sang with some amazing four part harmonies.

One hilarious moment was when one of the Blue Highway members started speculating how Memphis and Bluegrass would have mixed. Ricky did a hilarious impersonation of Ralph Stanley - "Blue Suede Shoes" a la "O Death".

After everyone had done a round, they all played a rousing version of St. Anne's Reel. Blue Highway's dobro player is a very fine player.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

Preparing for the lantern parade through the audience. The hill looked spectacular with the candles light up and the lanterns marching through. I took a few pics of them getting ready.

Taj Mahal & The Trio

I enjoyed Taj Mahal's set. Marshall met him afterwards and got to shake his hand.

The fabulous Norah Jones - they played a good solid set. I enjoyed the vibe on the hill - everyone was hushed and soaking up the feel. I think that is Ken's Kay Bass up there on the stage.

We left before Solomon Burke to go change and get our instruments for the post concert jams. Heard that his set was great and over the top - lots of fun.

When we got to the Party, Amos Garrett and the house band were kicking it up. We went upstairs to the "Quiet Rooms" to see if any picking was happening. The Bill Hilly Band and friends were playing some of their great stuff. Marshall jammed out some blues in one of the smaller rooms. I wandered around hoping that a Bluegrass jam would sprout and it did later in the evening (I mean earlier in the morning). I got a chance to swap some songs with Craig Korth and a couple of other people. I had fun running with the big dogs :)

Well, got to get ready to do it all again. Can't wait to catch Nanci Griffith's set.

I am off for another day of Folk Festing!

Between the Lines Workshop with Lennie Gallant, Blue Highway, Patty Griffin and Eric Bibb

Kitchen shift

Kitchen crew

Mainstage concert

Tony, Monica and me

The Funk Brothers

Party crew

Thurday's lineup:
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings
Blue Highway
Mariza
Daniel Lanois
Jim Cuddy Band

Marshall on the Dessert shift. The two women are trying to get out of the picture not trying to duck from the whipped cream!

The EFMF Kitchen - where all the food to feed the performers and volunteers is made and served. I am on the Serving Line team, which means dishing out the yummy food.

Blue Highway - they played during my shift but I got to take in a song or two during my break. Also after my shift got to hear Bob Jahrig playing his betweener on Mainstage. He nailed it - it sounded great. He has such a great "James Taylor" like voice and good songs.

J-bird, Marshall and Sheila on the hill

I wasn't expecting to see them - what luck to bump into them. There are so many people there that it's sometimes hard to hook up even when you have plans to. A bunch of us went to the beer tent to check out the Big Rock beer and the beer tent scene. Found out about the orange line rule - once you have purchased your beverage remember to go on the other side of the orange line. DO NOT step over the line :) not only could the line be used to see how drunk people are ("Please walk along the line miss/mam") but it reduces congestion around the beer serving area.

Had a good chat with Bonnie and Sheila about remembering songs. I know the words to only one jam song - "Used To Be" by Bill Monroe. Bonnie said that she found that the first five songs were the hardest to get down but after that it became much easier. Same with fiddle tunes. Bonnie as well as singing/fiddle/guitar has also played bass for years. So I am inspired: my goal is 5 songs before BCBW at Sorrento.

We missed most of Daniel Lanois' set - it sounded much more melodic and appealing to me than at the Calgary Folk Fest. Maybe he was just having a down day(s).

The food vendors at dusk.

Walking down to catch a cab home. We left early and missed Jim Cuddy's set. I only heard a few snippets of music: my shifts this weekend are from 5-9 which is unfortunate cause I will be missing some of the mainstage but glorious cause we will be party/jamming bound.

View of downtown on the ride home. We made it home before the thunderstorms rolled in - I hope that the concert was done before it hit cause it sounded pretty severe. The forecast calls for chances of severe thunderstorm tonight and tomorrow night. I will be bringing my raingear, too bad I don't have rubber boots - I might be needing them.

The woman on the left is coordinator for desserts but I can't remember her name so I will call her the Dessert Queen.

Vicki Fannon and friendly masseuse

I went to the Edmonton Folk Fest office to pick up our volunteer packages after work. Getting on the volunteer crew was such a last minute thing. It'll be a blast to volunteer - be able to meet some new people, feel more connected to the festival and of course late night jamming.

The festival office was humming with activity - I can't believe it all starts tomorrow night. Everything looked well in hand.

The only downside is that I might miss Blue Highway and Ricky Skagg, hopefully not since I am on such a bluegrass kick lately. Who knows maybe they will be jamming later - I am thinking of bringing my dawghouse. I'll see how gutsty I feel.

Homefire

Restless Lester

Edmonton's very own Maple Creek

Bluegrass Diamonds - I enjoyed them a lot - they are a francophones from New Brunswick. French bluegrass - "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Special Concensus

Down to the Wood - they have their first cd out. They sounded great - I even jammed with Marc L. in a group jam after the concert for a few songs. Last year at this time, I had never jammed before and now I can mostly hold my own and even sing a few. Who knew.

S & J having a good bluegrass time.

Went to Blueberry Bluegrass fest last night. They had some good bg bands. Of note, were the D. Rangers, a group of guys from Winnipeg doing some alt country. I was particularly interested in the muck-bucket bass. It looks like their website is down but someone mentioned that the specs on how to build one are on their site. I might just try to build one.

D. Rangers

Muck-bucket bass

Our friend Toby

We went to the Sinclair's camp site to jam afterwards. I had a great time playing. Jamming is the best thing in the world, even better than... chocolate.

I ran into a couple of people, Brian Sanderson of the SilverHearts from Peterborough and Tamara among others.

My Mom

Tamara and Lilith

Son de Madera was excellent.

The highlight for me was seeing Michelle Shocked perform. I love that woman. Click here for a video clip of her performance. Rumour has it that she draped herself in an American flag at the Saturday morning workshop but I missed it, not sure why she did it. She must have left early - she didn't show at the Saturday afternoon workshop. I hope I get to see her perform again soon.

You can see video clips from many of the mainstage performances here.

The beautiful and strange Jane Siberry

Daniel Lanois: I didn't realize how self-indulgent his music has become, I think he's been down south for too long. While his drummer was amazing and very tasty, the other vocals, while very good, seemed out of place in the mix.

Workshop hosted by Jane Siberry. It was quite entertaining watching her and Daniel Lanois clash. Very different styles with everyone showing their true colours.

Buskers playing with fire on the way back to the hotel.

Feet Don't Fail Me Now Workshop with Slainte Mhath, The Cottars and Le Vent du Nord. What kind of instrument is he holding? Bass Mando?

Le vent du nord - they were great and will be at the Edmonton Folk Fest. Maybe I can learn how to "taper les pieds" from them at one of the workshops. You never know.

Kathleen Edward

I didn't get pictures of Ruthie Foster and Ani Difranco who were both wonderful (of course). We did see Ani at the hotel elevator as we were going up on Sunday to pack. She is such a tiny person to contain so much energy or chi as she calls it - she is such a powerhouse. The crowd went absolutely wild when she went on. It was great.

It was a great festival – I would do it again.

We went to Thorton Court patio to celebrate - it has the best view of the river valley.

Here are some sound bytes:

• Rosalita 1 MP3 (845 KB)
  
• Rosalita 2 MP3 (614 MB)
  
• Rosalita 3 MP3 (874 MB)
  
• Rosalita 4 MP3 (384 MB)
  

Here are some pics that I took.

Mike

Sheila

J-bird, Willie and Caroline

Al

Linda - warming up to go on

Ron and Mike

My band this evening were the Mad Cow Patties:
Rose on mando,
Erin on guitar,
Dave on guitar,
Augie on banjo,
Willie on fiddle,
and me on bass.

Went to the Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, John Hiatt concert last night. It just reaffirmed to me how much I LOVE Guy Clark's songwriting - if I could write songs I would want them the have the same qualities. It was brilliant. Lyle Lovett was a wonderful performer - fun and with a great presence. I sat beside a couple from Austin who are travelling with Joe Ely - they work for a radio station down there similar to CKUA. I would love to visit Austin -so much good music has come from there - they said the best time would be in September for the Austin City Limits Music Fest. Maybe some day.

Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely and Guy Clark

One last jam session before we go.

Jamming

The birthday boy with near beer, a guitar and shacking up with 5 babes. Can it get better than that?

Wildwood Flower with Charlie Ewing (one of our instructors)

Al's bass class with the fiddle class performing at the Sunday night concert

More jamming

We went to see Down To The Wood perform last night at the Uptown Folk Club. They are a great local bluegrass band. It was inspiring to watch, our band has such a long way to go. DTTW are currently recording their first album, I am looking forward to hearing it.

Went to the bluegrass circle and had a good time. Practiced with J & S again in the freezing cold basement. J is out of town on Friday but it looks like S and I and whoever we can get to help out are going to perform at the Uptown Folk Club Open Stage. Marshall and Charles are also going to play a couple of songs.

Youssou N'Dour's statement:
"It is my strong conviction that the responsibility for disarming Iraq should rest with the United Nations. As a matter of conscience I question the United States government's apparent intention to commence war in Iraq. I believe that coming to America at this time would be perceived in many parts of the world - rightly or wrongly - as support for this policy, and that, as a consequence, it is inappropriate to perform in the US at this juncture.

It is my fervent wish to return to the US in better times. But I find it impossible to imagine playing concerts in America when such grave issues are confronting all the peoples of the world." - Youssou N'Dour