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
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!
Canadian Folk Music Awards Coming To Winnipeg In 2010
Winnipeg has built a reputation as a great host for music events, including the Juno Awards, Canadian Country Music Awards, and Western Canadian Music Awards. The city is home to world-class venues, internationally-recognized artists, and successful music business companies. Local roots artists, including The Duhks, The Wailin’ Jennys, Nathan, Romi Mayes, Chic Gamine, James Keelaghan, and Twilight Hotel, have racked up numerous awards, hit stages across North American and Europe, and landed on charts and in magazines around the world. Winnipeg is also home to the legendary Winnipeg Folk Festival, which has inspired and fostered new generations of folk acts through its annual outdoor festival as well as its year-round training and events.
“We are thrilled to support the Canadian Folk Music Awards as a keystone event in the recognition of the tremendous talent and creative community of folk music in Canada,” said Winnipeg Folk Festival executive director and Host Committee member, Tamara Kater.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=26110
The Ottawa Folk Festival in Full Bloom
“Dig Your Roots” is the 2009 slogan for the Ottawa Folk Festival, to be held August 21 to 23 at Britannia Park. This slogan refers not only to the music at the Festival, but also to the fact that this year’s Festival will have a major Gardening theme. Under the skilled guidance of long-time Ottawa Folk Festival performer Ana Miura, the Festival will offer a rich array of garden-related activities, discussions and musically-themed events throughout the weekend.Many of the gardening activities will take place in the Festival’s new Gardening Village. This area will include the Garden Stage offering a range of seminars and discussions, the Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton Advice Tent where attendees can chat with gardening pros, and several large-scale participatory projects, including a Patchwork Garden and a Zen Garden. The Gardening Village will also offer a range of planting activities and garden-themed crafts for children, with opportunities to decorate flower pots and plant seeds to take home. As well, children will be invited to colour in one of Meredith Luce’s beautiful drawings of native flora and fauna. These pages will then be displayed as part of a 200-square foot “Paper Garden” in the Dance Tent.
The Garden Stage will host fascinating discussions and workshops with facilitation from CBC’s Ed Lawrence, the Ottawa Japanese Cultural Centre (OJCC), the Worm Factory, USC Canada and many others. Ed Lawrence, CBC Radio’s renowned horticultural expert and best-selling author, will host discussions on how to garden without pesticides, and will participate in book-signing sessions on both Saturday and Sunday. The OJCC will host a Kimono demonstration and a Japanese tea ceremony, courtesy of Camellia Teas of Ottawa. As well, the OJCC will run workshops on making origami flowers, and Rebecca Cragg will host a demonstration of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.
The Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton will be on hand to provide free gardening advice to all attendees on both Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. They will also have a selection of hands-on activities for children, such as propagating geraniums from cuttings; saving and re-planting radish seeds; and starting a peanut bush from seed. Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton (MGOC) draws on information and resources from over 800 Master Gardeners around the province, and many more world-wide. Gardening experts provide volunteer time to assist home gardeners through help lines, advice clinics, lectures and articles. According to MGOC member Rebecca Last, “The Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton are thrilled to be part of the Ottawa Folk Festival’s gardening theme this year. We are a group of trained volunteers who provide unbiased horticultural advice and expertise to home gardeners.”
Of course, there will be several types of gardens on display at the Folk Festival. For the Patchwork Garden project, volunteers built 30 wooden planters and distributed them in advance to a variety of community groups and artists prior to the Festival. Recipients were asked to plant a mini-garden inspired by the Festival’s “Dig Your Roots” theme. In this way, the “patches” will reflect the diversity to be found in our community, and will celebrate that diversity in the form of a “patchwork quilt” of planters. Rebecca Cragg will create a Zen Garden to provide a tranquil place for Festival attendees to take a break.
City Repair Ottawa will host a workshop teaching attendees about building with cob, a traditional building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water and earth. Participants can learn the basics and then get their hands (and feet!) dirty by helping to create a doll-sized house. Cob can be used for buildings, outdoor installations such as benches and bake-ovens, and art objects like sculptures and murals. Cob is fireproof, inexpensive, bio-degradable, and resistant to seismic activity.
The Ottawa Folk Festival would like to thank all the community partners that made the Gardening Village possible. A special thanks goes out to Ed Lawrence, Arbour Environmental Shoppe, USC Canada, Master Gardeners of Ottawa Carleton, The Worm Factory, City Repair Ottawa, Ottawa Japanese Cultural Centre, Just Food, Ottawa Green Roofs, Canadian Organic Growers and Camellia Teas of Ottawa.
