Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference
| October 11, 2012 | to | October 14, 2012 |
Now in its 25th year, the OCFF conference is the key event for Ontario’s folk, roots, and traditional music community. Spanning four days and three nights, it’s a long weekend programmed to the hilt with provocative speakers, educational seminars, engaging roundtable discussions, informal meetings, performer showcases, and the best jam sessions outside of the festival circuit, all combining to make the OCFF conference an essential and inspiring experience for over 850 attendees (including artistic directors, presenters, and provincial, national, and international industry organizations).
Event Highlights:
- Conference
- Panel discussions
- Gala dinner
- Showcases
- Silent auction
- Exhibit hall
- Annual General Meeting
- Mentoring sessions
- Workshops
- Networking
Festival Information:
General information: 613.560.5997 / 1.866.292.6233
General information email: info@ocff.ca
Location: Sheraton Fallsview Hotel, Niagara Falls, ON
On the Web: www.ocff.ca
Map:
[mappress]
Ottawa Folk Festival
| September 6, 2012 | to | September 9, 2012 |
Festival Description:
TBD
For the 18th edition of the Ottawa Folk Festival there will be an additional day added to the event and a physical move to a new festival site. This means that the 2011 Ottawa Folk Festival will become a four-day event, running from Thursday, August 25 to Sunday, August 28.
For the first time, the festival will be set amidst the natural beauty of Hog’s Back Park. The Ottawa Folk Festival is a four-day celebration of music, dance, visual arts and community featuring an eclectic mix of musical performances on evening and daytime stages. We are family-friendly, community-focused, culturally diverse and committed to sustainability and eco-friendly initiatives.
Event Highlights:
- Spectacular musical acts
- Dance Tent
- Kids Zone
- Enviro Tent
- Artisan Village
- Food Fair
- Festival Gardens
- Hydration Stations
- Large volunteer area
- Workshops with artists
- Fun, relaxing atmosphere
Festival Information:
General information: 613.230.8234
Location: Hog’s Back Park – 601 Hog’s Back Rd, Ottawa, ON
Tickets: www.ottawafolk.com or through the office at 265 Catherine Street, 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON (613.230.8234)
Capital tickets.ca, 613-599-FANS (3267), 1-877-788-FANS (3267)
All Sports Experts and Sens Store Locations
Compact Music – 190 & 785 1/2 Bank St.
Ottawa Festivals – 47 William St.
Ottawa Folklore Centre – 1111 Bank St.
Rideau Centre Kiosk - 2nd Floor, Rideau Court
Les Galeries du Hull - 320 boul. St-Joseph
Website: www.ottawafolk.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=34962066397
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottawafolk/
YouTube: http:///www.youtube.com/user/OttawaFolkFestival?feature=mhee
Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/OttawaFolkFestival
Map:[mappress]
265 Catherine Street, 2nd Floor,
Ottawa, ON K1R 7S5
Canadian Folk Music Awards
| November 24, 2012 |
A national, juried award programme for Canadian folk music.
This year’s award ceremony will take place at the Isabel Bader Theater (Toronto) on Sunday, December 4th.
In addition to the Award Gala and Reception (Dec. 4), we also have a movie premier on Friday (Dec 2) evening, the Nominee Showcase on Saturday (Dec. 3) night and Workshops on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 4).
You can find all the details of the events on the CFMA website.
Festival Information:
General information: 613.730.2887
General information email: info@folkawards.ca
Location: Isabel Bader Theater, Toronto
On the Web:
Website: www.folkawards.ca
So much more than music
Janice Thiessen, EMC
Photo courtesy of EMC
The Ottawa Folk Festival is soon to kick off so what better time than now to spot light it’s founding sponsor the Ottawa Folklore Centre.
Many people in the community may have taken lessons from the centre or know musicians who became success stories from talents learned from within their walls, but who really knows the back-story?
Full story: So much more than music
Ottawa Bluesfest boss steps in after folkfest director steps down less than a year after hire
Bluesfest head Mark Monahan is in charge of booking acts for the 18th annual folkfest after the Ottawa Folk Festival?s artistic director Dylan Griffith stepped down before Christmas.
After less than a year in the job, the Ottawa Folk Festival’s artistic director Dylan Griffith quietly stepped down before Christmas, leaving Bluesfest’s Mark Monahan in charge of booking acts for the 18th annual folkfest.
“Basically he left by mutual agreement,” Monahan said. “There were decisions he had to make and issues around the changes, and we both decided that maybe it’s better if he went.”
Griffith had a two-word response to requests for an interview: “Old news,” he wrote, declining further comment.
Following a nationwide search, Griffith, a former Whitehorse resident, was hired last January to “hipify” the struggling festival and attract new audiences. He replaced Ottawa musician/facilitator Chris White, who co-founded the festival in 1994 and helped to build it into a family-friendly, musically adventurous weekend in picturesque Britannia Park.
Griffith booked a bold lineup for last August’s event that included hip-hop veterans Arrested Development, but the festival’s main stage was rained out on the final day, sending the event deeper into debt.
Bluesfest, Ottawa’s massive summer music festival headed by Monahan, stepped in and bailed out the cash-strapped folkfest in November by providing funds to pay outstanding debts. As part of the takeover, Bluesfest replaced a handful of the folk festival’s board of directors, bringing in experienced Bluesfest board members Bob Provick, Connor Grimes and James Leal, as well as the Black Sheep Inn’s Paul Symes.
The NAC presents Canadian Folk Music Award nominee Kate Reid
The NAC presents Canadian Folk Music Award nominee Kate Reid at the Fourth Stage on October 13, 2010
Singer-songwriter Kate Reid, nominated for the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award in the New/Emerging Artist category, performs at the National Arts Centre (NAC) Fourth Stage on Thursday, October 13, 2010. The NAC is thrilled to present this brilliantly talented folk artist whose unique approach to songwriting using humour, introspection and spoken word has garnered her both critical and popular praise on the Canadian folk music scene.
Read more
Ottawa Folk Festival takes on new challenge
Phil Ambroziak | EMC
Organizers are hoping a new take on one of the city’s most popular summer music festivals will result in a new audience while still attracting longtime traditionalists.
The Ottawa Folk Festival is scheduled for Aug. 13 to 15 at Britannia Park and, while it will still feature everything that has made it a popular event in the past, this year’s festival plans on being bigger and better than ever.
Although all acts that will be appearing at the festival have yet to be confirmed, Mr. Griffith noted that long-time fans will be pleased to see such folk music legends as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott while new groups such as Arrested Development will have a somewhat different approach in terms of lyrical content and how they connect with the audience.
“There will be new artists and new genres, but they will all have a connection to our roots in folk music,” Mr. Griffith said.
Full story on the EMC website: Ottawa Folk Festival takes on new challenge
Final Audition Winners Clarksdale Moan and The Musettes to Play Ottawa Folk Festival
The 2010 Ottawa Folk Festival Final Auditions took place on Thursday, June 10th at the Library and Archives of Canada, awarding two exceptionally talented acts Clarksdale Moan, and the Musettes with performance slots at this year’s festival.
Judges Louise and Harvey Glatt, donators of the One Fret Less Award, Kay Kanbayashi, artistic programming coordinator at the NCC, and Dean Verger, long-time proprietor of legendary folk café Rasputin’s, had the difficult task of selecting the top act in each category.
The admittedly nervous performers each put on strong, crowd-pleasing performances, making the judges’ decisions tricky to say the least. In the end two acts stood out above the rest. To Bob LeDrew, OFF board member and MC of the Final Auditions, the judges panel was not an envious place to be.
“I was really impressed with all six performances. I would not want to be a judge. There was a great diversity present in the acts in the style of music being performed from more traditional delta-blues to singer-songwriter” said LeDrew.
Winner of the youth category (aged 16-25), The Musettes won not only the coveted festival performance slot but also the Galaxie Rising Star award and a cash prize of $1000. The three charming young women that form The Musettes met at Canterbury High School, where they graduated from the vocal program. The Musettes music is a cheerful blend of harmonized vocals, ukulele, acoustic guitar and the fiddle that has been compared to The Wailin’ Jennies and The Good Lovelies. The Musettes members Laura Inostroza and Rachel Harrison beat out the other two acts in their category despite being short a member, as fiddler and vocalist Meaghan LaGrandeur was overseas doing charity work. They will use their prize money to invest in new equipment to further improve their sound. To The Musettes the big payoff is the chance to play in this year’s festival.
“It means a ton to be performing in the Ottawa Folk Festival. It’s such an opportunity to be playing with such well known performers,” said Laura Inostroza.
Open category winners (aged 26+), Clarksdale Moan took home the One Fret Less award as well as their time slot and $1000 cash prize. From Chateauguay, Quebec, Clarksdale moan is comprised of vocalist Kevin Harvey and guitarist Kenny Pauze, who together play definitive blues, complete with heart-felt vocals, slide guitar, harmonica and pounding foot stomping. A true blues act, Clarksdale Moan took their stage name from 1930’s blues band Son House’s elusive recording “Clarksdale Moan”. The duo’s emotional performance was what set them apart from the competition.
The 2010 Ottawa Folk Festival will take place August 13-15 at Britannia Park. For tickets go to www.ticketbreak.com.
Ottawa Folk Festival Announces 2010 Line-Up, Early Bird Passes Now On Sale
OTTAWA – Just two weeks remain to purchase early bird passes to what is shaping up to be one of the most exciting events in Ottawa’s busy summer festival season. Last week, the Ottawa Folk Festival unveiled this year’s initial line-up, announcing an eclectic and dynamic mix of acts that stretch and redefine the term “folk music”.
“Folk music means different thing to different people, and I think it’s part of our job to explore the parameters and push the boundaries of what’s presented within the context of folk music” says Festival Director Dylan Griffith. “I’m interested in the connections between traditions and generations, and often these are found in very unexpected places.”
One unexpected act at the festival this year will no doubt be Arrested Development, the Atlanta-based hip-hop collective that rose to prominence in the early ‘90s and has been enjoying a critical and popular resurgence of late. Fusing together elements of hip hop, gospel, jazz, blues and soul, their music offers a deep human connection through sonic celebration, while the political and social themes explored in their lyrics will resonate with a broad spectrum of festival goers.
A more traditional but no less exciting choice for the OFF is folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who will be making his long-overdue first appearance at the festival this year. A friend of Woody Guthrie, an inspiration to Bob Dylan and a five-time Grammy winner honoured just last year for Best Traditional Blues Album of the year, Ramblin’ Jack is a true pioneer who has managed to stay relevant to successive generations over the course of his over 40+ year career.
Acclaimed American roots-rockers Calexico are set to add to the ever-growing legion of fans of their compelling hybrid of South-western musical styles and influences, a sonic jamboree that fuses elements of folk, jazz, Tejano, mariachi, Morricone, surf-rock and
country to create a truly unique sound distinguished by equal parts cinematic grandeur and stunning quiet beauty. A dynamic group not to be missed.
Closing out the festival this year will be a home-grown legend in the making – founding member of iconic Canadian alt-country group Blue Rodeo and celebrated solo artist Jim Cuddy. Having appeared at the festival in 2005, Cuddy’s reputation as one of the country’s finest song-writers and most compelling live performers has only grown in the intervening years, making his return to Britannia Park a much anticipated highlight of this year’s event.
The 17th edition of the OFF will also feature a stellar contingent of Ottawa artists, including indie-folk outfit The Acorn, hometown favourite Jim Bryson backed by Winnipeg’s The Weakerthans, and festival favourite The Mighty Popo.
International highlights at this year’s festival include the award-winning traditional Scottish folk act LAU, British punk-folk troubadour Frank Turner, Welsh guitar virtuoso Gareth Pearson and the superbly original Namgar, whose unique fusion of traditional Buryat folk music with ‘70s rock elements has led to their being dubbed “the Mongolian Jethro Tull.”
Other boundary-pushing artists sure to electrify audiences this year include other-worldly Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq, taboo-busting queer folk-pop collective The Hidden Cameras and global fusion ensemble Delhi 2 Dublin.
More traditional folk festival fare will include Toronto bluegrass outfit The Foggy Hogtown Boys, politically minded singer-songwriter Jon Brooks, and Yukon “sweet dark” old time country crooner Kim Beggs.
The 17th annual Ottawa Folk Festival will take place from August 13 – 15 in Britannia Park. A three-day celebration of music, dance, visual arts and community, the OFF will feature an eclectic mix of musical performances on two evening and five daytime stages, plus participatory music workshops, wellness activities, beer gardens, artisan and craft vendors, special children’s and family performances and much, much more.
Early bird passes are available until May 31st at the Ottawa Folklore Centre, Ten Thousand Villages in Westboro, all three CD Warehouse locations, on-line at ticketbreak.com or by phone at 1-866-9-GET-TIX. Adult weekend passes are $69; youth (16-15) and seniors $39. 15 and younger get in free.
Full line-up, ticket and other information available at ottawafolk.org.
2010 Ottawa Folk Festival Line-Up:
The Acorn
Aidan Knight
Arrested Development
Bahamas
Bruce Peninsula
Calexico
Carolyn Mark and the New Best Friends
Chris MacLean
Coco Love Alcorn
Delhi 2 Dublin
The Foggy Hogtown Boys
Frank Turner
Gareth Pearson
The Hidden Cameras
Horse Feathers
Hoots & Hellmouth
Jill Zmud
Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans Band
The Jim Cuddy Band
Jon Brooks
Kim Beggs
Ladies of the Canyon
LAU
The Mighty Popo
Namgar
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
Rock Plaza Central
Tanya Tagaq
Further artists to be announced soon!
Shaking up the folk festival
Lineup runs from hip hop to traditional
By Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
Read more: Shaking up the folk festival
