9 ACTS TO CATCH AT THE VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL

9 ACTS TO CATCH AT THE FOLK FESTIVAL

The 46th edition casts a wide net mixing global artists, locals, fresh acts and award-winning pros

Surprises and magical moments are pretty much guaranteed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. You hear music and players who offer common and new perspectives; the once-in-a-lifetime on stage collaborations; serendipitous encounters with old friends or new. And more.

Despite a repeat of last year’s scaled down artist roster and fewer stages made necessary by post-pandemic jitters, the 46th edition promises heft and sparkle.

Here are nine acts I’m curious about (or know) that I’ll be keeping an ear open for on the weekend of July 14 to 16. Various of them are headlining evening Mainstage concerts. Two are collaborating on Saturday night’s American Beauties: Songs of the Grateful Dead Re-imagined. The presentation will feature various artists interpreting songs from the Dead’s revered American Beauty album and others in their extensive catalogue.

From here and there, some new, some old and in between

1) Tiny Habits – Vancouver’s Maya Rae played local stages before decamping to Boston’s prestigous Berklee School of Music where she met fellow students Cinya Khan and Judah Mayowa. The trio are in their early 20s, write their own music and share soaring golden harmonies wrapped in innocence and insight

2) Susan O’Neill – also known as SON, the Irish singer won the 2022 RTE Radio 1 award for Best Original Folk Song of the Year, Now You See It. (RTE is Ireland’s public broadcaster). An experienced player now exploring solo work, her soulful and husky-voiced intonations are moving and accompanied by superb guitar play, loop pedals and trumpet

3) Blick Bassy – a relaxed and soulful voice belies the political potency of his work, some of which addresses the colonialized history of his native Cameroon. Based in France since 2005 he cites Mississippi blues guitarist Skip James as an inspiration though his current sound features subtle electronic sounds. Bassy sings in Bassa, the language of his homeland.

4) Aoife O’Donovan – Grammy Award-winning folk roots supergroup I’m With Her debuted in 2015 featuring O’Donovan, Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz deftly covering John Hiatt’s 2000 hit Crossing Muddy Waters. The trio continues and each of them maintain solo careers. A strong and sensitive singer-songwriter, O’Donovan’s 2022 album, The Age of Apathy (produced by Joe Henry, also playing the Festival this year) won a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. Catch her on the Friday night Mainstage just ahead of the next artist….

5) Amythyst Kiah – her best known song – 2020’s hollering Black Myself (with Our Native Daughters including Rhiannon Giddens and Allison Russell) – got a Grammy nomination but shows only one side of the multidimensional musician. She’s at home with acoustic folk blues, raucous bangers and, recently, pop. A tough and tender artist – brashly electric and sensitively acoustic – Kiah’s Friday night Mainstage performance should be one to remember

6) Ruth Moody – a graduate from Manitoba band Scruj Macduhk, Moody was a founder in 2002 of one of Canada’s most revered folk trios, the talented and harmonious Wailin’ Jennys. The group will tour later this summer and fall. Moody has an acclaimed and award-winning solo career. It includes gigs with Toronto-based string quartet Fretless as well as Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler with whom she recorded the duet Wherever I Go included on the playlist in today’s post.

7) William Prince – sink into the warmth, ease and authenticity of this gentle being who grew up on Manitoba’s Peguis First Nation. His unhurried sound and presence are as embracing as a heartfelt hug. His moving duet with Serena Ryder – Sing Me a Song – won Best Single of the Year at 2022’s Canadian Folk Music Awards. Prince plays on Saturday night’s Mainstage

8) Steve Dawson – around the turn of the century guitarist Dawson and co-conspirator violinist Jesse Zubot dubbed their unique acoustic blend as ‘Strang’ – a sub-genre unto itself and the name of their debut 1998 album. Dawson decided it required its own record label – Black Hen – which has issued around 80 albums out of his Nashville studio. He has an active solo and collaborative career and has produced, engineered and mixed more than a hundred collections. Dawson is musical director for Saturday night’s Mainstage event American Beauties: Songs of the Grateful Dead Re-Imagined.

9) True Love – what started as a three-piece Seattle band in 2014 has turned into a 9-piece powerhouse soul and funk band. They’ve recorded two albums and their live shows are in high demand. You’ll see and hear why when they close the night on the Festival Mainstage for an hour-long set on Saturday, July 15.

Kurated is a music sharing project.

24 June 2023

Track List