Calgary Folk Music Festival

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The Acorn
Hailing from Ottawa, The Acorn began in 2003 when its songwriter Rolf Klausener emerged from his bedroom, a guitar in one paw, a computer in the other, and a song or two he was happy with. After a few months, with his interest in mopey electro-folk waning, Rolf decided to surround himself with other musicians.

Enter Jeffrey, Howie and Jeff, who Voltron-like turned the Acorn into a full band concern in 2004, Howie played his wistful guitar noodle-melodies and wiggled like an anxious Panda. Jeff made symphonies with his bass. Jeffrey broke songs down into algorithms, momentarily confusing the band, adding subtle and potent beats. Since then, they’ve released sweet, instrumental tributes to the idyllic Outaouais region and work that is part biographical narrative, part surreal fairy tale: a sonic retelling of the stories from Rolf’s mother’s early life in Honduras and immigration to Montreal.

Intricate acoustic arrangements and euphoric melodies make The Acorn’s dreamy, electro-acoustic music a post card for lost souls in lost cities.
www.theacorn.ca

Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara
Guitarist/producer Adams and griot master Camara create a rousing African-rock fusion with echoes of ancient blues. (UK/Gambia)
http://www.myspace.com/justinadamsproducer

Akron/Family
Akron/Family will be celebrating the release of their new album, Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free (out 5/5 on Dead Oceans), with a performance at the Calgary Folk Festival. Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free is their most psychedelic, compelling and focused work yet.

The trio of Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton and Dana Janssen are often joined by special guests throughout the night creating an undeniably remarkable experience for the audience.

Whether it’s the three members of Akron/Family – communicating, interacting and creating with one another onstage with something like the visceral language of the classic John Coltrane or Albert Ayler ensembles – or upwards of a dozen guest musicians joining them, their live shows are becoming a thing of legend.

They are a band boiling over with ideas and over the last year that has become especially apparent in a live setting -- the ever-evolving Akron/Family live ensemble has become bigger, wilder, more powerful and communal.
www.akronfamily.com

Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and Väsen
American virtuosos Darol and Mike of Psychograss team up with Swedish trio Väsen to push the boundaries of acoustic instrumental music. Väsen play transcendent, contemporary music based in the rural Swedish tradition, featuring the unique nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) along with 5-string viola and 12-string guitar.

Violinist, fiddler and composer Darol Anger is an genre-jumping innovator: from the jazz-oriented Turtle Island String Quartet to the chambergrass Republic Of Strings, and the Grammy-nominated folk-jazz group Montreux, jam band the String Cheese Incident, Cajun artist Michael Doucet and his ground-breaking work in the David Grisman Quintet.

Mike Marshall is an iconoclastic, versatile and adventurous acoustic musician who pushes the boundaries of acoustic instrumental music: a master of mandolin, guitar and violin. Able to swing gracefully from jazz to classical to bluegrass and Latin styles, he has worked with jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, fiddler Mark O'Connor and banjo phenom Bela Fleck.
www.vasen.se
www.darolanger.com
www.mikemarshall.net

Apostle of Hustle
Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman builds polyrhythmic collages from re-imagined Cuban music, mambo, Americana and pop. (ON)
http://www.arts-crafts.ca/apostleofhustle/index2.php

Arrested Development
For 15 years, these pioneers of conscious rap and hip-hop have shaken the booties, hearts and minds of listeners across the globe.
http://www.arresteddevelopmentmusic.com/

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Danny Barnes Acoustic Band
An imaginative banjo player and his hot trio create unplugged bluegrass alchemy with a deep respect for traditions. (USA)
http://www.dannybarnes.com/

Bell Orchestre
Bell Orchestre is a six-piece instrumental band that shares members with Arcade Fire and the Luyas and borrows freely from post-rock, jazz and classical to create textured chamber-pop orchestral music.

As Seen Through Windows, Bell Orchestre's second release, is a richly layered and sonically expansive recording; a recording that closely mirrors Bell Orchestre's process of making music. Opening with the distressed sound of muted and distorted horns, strings and drums, the album effortlessly shifts into an elaborate and soaring movement, sometimes edging close to fragility, sometimes on the verge of exploding. The result is a collage-like construction of evocative sound and cinematic visual elements, a sound that is uniquely their own.
www.bellorchestre.com

Bellowhead
The rousing, sharp-suited Bellowhead were formed in 2004 by award-winning duo Spiers and Boden. Tapping into their collective knowledge of medieval folk music, they unleashed squeezeboxes and fiddles on the 21st century, adding bells and whistles - well, flugelhorns, glockenspiels, bagpipes and mandolins - to create a folk sound of big band proportions. To do this, they brought together a collective of disparate musicians capable of playing many styles, idioms and textures from around the world - big band to soul; jazz-funk to classical strings - yet retaining, at its heart, an exquisite sensitivity to the essence of English traditional music.

They bring folkloric songs lost in the mists of time - sea shanties and broadside ballads -into unfamiliar modern places without resorting to cliché with music ranging from jazzy shanties of African-American origin to songs fashioned from Rudyard Kipling's barrack-room ballads, to invigorating and theatrical odes to Mexican conquistadors and touches of New Orleans marching band circus troupes. Jon Boden's eccentric vocals peerlessly swoop above it all, recounting colourful tales of cholera, curses, whiskey and nefarious deeds on the high sea for a glorious cultural mish-mash of humour, pathos, spirit, vitality, thrills, spills and huge choruses that reflect the rabble-rousing spirit of this 11-piece super group.
www.bellowhead.co.uk

Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few
Vancouverite and Fugitives member Berube’s solo work is replete with beautifully-rendered stories, soaring three-part harmonies, surprising twists in pace and style and pure musicianship. His multi-instrumental gifts, lyrical precision and luscious voice cut a memorable line through the fog of pop/folk predictability.

Berube casts his gaze into many corners of our shimmering world, from Bible-thumpers to Western greed, from homelessness and drugs to fun and reckless hedonism, from wars to the hopeful beauty of flowers. His stories are infused with new, hopeful and uplifting gems.
www.markberube.com

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Glen Campbell
This living legend has released more than 70 albums during a 45-year career that has attracted cross-generational and international fans. Glen Campbell's trademarks are his countrypolitan crooning, virtuosic guitar playing, witty, bantering stage style and recordings of songs that stand the test of time. Crossover hits "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Southern Nights", and classic country tunes "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston" highlight this masterful song stylist's unique take on American roots music.

By the time he gets to Calgary, most people will have heard his 2008 Meet Glen Campbell release, a covers album where he evokes the soft, warm haze of his classic '60s and '70s works, when he turned Jimmy Webb's eccentricities into pop standards. He aptly puts his own twist and identifiable style on tunes from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, U2, Green Day, Velvet Underground and John Lennon, among others. The arrangements are smartly constructed, Campbell's guitar is economical and crisp, and his interpretive skills and singing are as sharp as during his commercial peak.
www.glencampbellshow.com

Hayes Carll
Caustic and charming, irreverent and observant, this is Texas folk that will melt the hardest heart and heat up a roadhouse. (USA)
http://www.hayescarll.com/landing/

Jay Crocker
A deftly woven, experimental pop/jazz trip with strong melodies, surreal lyrics and inspired instrumentation. (AB)
http://www.jaycrocker.com/main.html

Amelia Curran
Unpretentious, crisp and melodic songs that echo in your head as the lyrics resonate in your conscience. (NFLD)
http://www.ameliacurran.com/

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Kat Danser
Throwing down laidback rhythms and thought-provoking lyrics, this is music steeped in early blues traditions, backed by soulful lap slide guitar picking. (AB)
http://www.katdanser.com/

Steve Dawson
Multi-instrumentalist, producer and musical chameleon brings his big ears, musical imagination and endless classy licks. (BC)
http://www.stevedawson.ca/

Decemberists
Creative independent pop music that often utilizes elaborate song forms rooted in ancient languages, myths and imagery. (USA)
http://www.decemberists.com/

Deep Dark Woods
Winter Hours, The Deep Dark Woods' Steve Dawson-produced sophomore release on Black Hen Music is an album full of raw emotion, sadness, beautiful vocals and harmonies, new sounds, and well thought out arrangements. The Saskatoon quartet's timeless sound belongs to the depressing winters of the north. Pulsing with human warmth, these original songs echo through the lonesome night. Ryan Boldt's plainspoken lyrics offer a strong but gentle tone that understates poetry, oftentimes as startling as hot blood in fresh snow. Despite the dark themes, the heaviness never overwhelms the music's playfulness. An utterly fun rhythm section, brilliant guitar work, and eerily rich harmonies drive the songs. One could easily be forgiven for mistaking their songs as treasures of decades past, as The Deep Dark Woods approach their instruments with studied respect for the honoured traditions of the shadowy side of roots music.
www.blackhenmusic.com/artist/deep-dark-woods

Dragon Fli Empire
Classic, unadulterated down-to-earth hip hop with insightful and comedic lyrics. (AB)
http://www.myspace.com/dragonfliempire

Dry Branch Fire Squad
For over 25 years, they’ve crafted ruggedly soulful bluegrass, fired up with biting satire and wry political commentary. (USA)
http://www.drybranchfiresquad.com

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The Ebony Hillbillies
Touted as "the last black string band in America” their 19th century string dance band sound is built on fiddles, banjo and washboard. (USA)
http://www.ebonyhillbillies.com/

Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo's 9th solo album Real Animal is a collective journey through this veteran storyteller's various musical incarnations, from punk rock to string quintets. The introspective release recalls the people, places and influences that helped shape his career: the instinct, urgency and survivor mentality that fuels his musical passion.

From his roots as a founding member of the pioneering San Francisco-based ‘70s punk band The Nuns to ‘80s New York group Rank & File and then the True Believers formed with his brother Javier, his music has been at the ground floor of the country-punk sound now dubbed alternative country.

Escovedo's solo career was launched in 1992 with the album Gravity, followed by the creation of the production, By the Hand of the Father. His 2006 album, Boxing Mirror, traces Escovedo's journey from the brink of death at the hands of Hepatitis C to renewed wellness and artistic creativity.
www.alejandroescovedo.com

Esthero
Her sound and captivating voice have been the thread that weaves jazz, funk and soul into an effortless ethereal melting pot since she emerged in the late ‘90s. (ON)
http://www.nearlycivilized.com/

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Ferron
For 30 years, this acclaimed singer/songwriter has moved audiences with her commanding alto voice and mesmerizing, experiential lyrics. (BC)
http://www.ferrononline.com/

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
An old soul who pens refreshing soul-infused pop songs. (AB)
http://www.mybestfriendmbf.com/

Michael Franti and Spearhead
His latest CD All Rebel Rockers further imbues Franti’s fiery protest music with seductive elements of dub and hook-infused soul. (USA)
http://www.spearheadvibrations.com/

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Dick Gaughan
This raconteur takes no prisoners with his vast repertoire, powerful voice and rapid-fire guitar-playing. (UK)
http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/index.html

Gomez
Mercury Prize winners create rootsy, quirky independent pop music that often incorporates psychedelic sounds, experimentation and loops. (UK)
http://www.gomeztheband.com/

Good Lovelies
Armed with an arsenal of instruments and a repertoire of sassy, fun and sophisticated songs that borrow from by-gone eras. (ON)
http://www.goodlovelies.com/home.html

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Sarah Harmer
Engaging, ageless urban folk and newgrass from an artist also known for her strong environmental convictions. (ON)
http://www.sarahharmer.com/

Jolie Holland
Haunting, timeless simplicity from a writer with a singular vision who has been dubbed the ‘queen of indie teardrop ballads.’
http://www.jolieholland.com/

Ray Wylie Hubbard
A willing conspirator in the late seventies Cosmic Cowboy revolt that ushered in the mythical Outlaw era, Hubbard was a catalyst in the cultural upheaval that led to the peaceful coexistence of divergent Lone Star music enthusiasts. Ray Wylie Hubbard is one of the architects of the musical legacy that continues to inspire subsequent generations of up-and-coming Texas talent.

Ironically, given that he’s now recognized for songs with rich literary references and compelling melodic tapestries, he came to acclaim with the tongue-in-cheek parody “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mothers.”

Ray Wylie Hubbard's latest offering is the Gurf Morlix-produced Snake Farm, a collection of commanding songs that juxtapose impeccable lyrics with dirty, primal funky grooves. Says Morlix “this CD is earthy and seminal. Any line from it could be a listener's favourite. Nobody else is writing songs like him---deep in the blues but with very spiritual lyrics.” The songs have a literary roadhouse aura with masterful takes on themes of redemption, salvation and existential angst in a dark, poetic rant.
www.raywylie.com

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Iron and Wine
Sam Beam, the sole proprietor and architect of recent music's most surprising and welcome musical success stories, began his artistic life in film as a cinematography teacher, after receiving a BFA and MFA. While many learned of Iron and Wine's music through Beam's spare rendering of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" on the Garden State soundtrack, those who dug deeper discovered a classic American tunesmith with a precocious musical signature. Songs like "Lion's Mane," "Jesus the Mexican Boy" and "Naked as We Came" are demonstrations of craft; musically memorable, lyrically evocative and casually atmospheric.

Loved for his melodicism and deft finger-style guitar work, his writing has heft and wisdom with songs that are declarative, featuring strong characters. From quiet and haunting to driven and hook-laden, his recent songs often contain an irreverent wit. All tolled, it's literate, eclectic, deeply affecting folk and roots music. His new album Around the Well, will be released on May 19.
www.ironandwine.com

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Kid Koala
Known for his deft ability to weave disparate samples together into magical multi-track stories, Kid Koala, a.k.a. Eric San, likens finding the right sample to a multitude of romantic descriptions; lost orphans float around in the ether of his studio, aimless until they find a home upon his turntables, survivors of a sinking ship adrift in the ocean trying to find the rest of their doomed shipmates clinging to an iceberg and, most eloquently, a speed-dating service.

Mixing samples of hip hop beats, silent movie soundtracks, spoken word and scratch-created melodies, San has developed quite a name for himself since signing to U.K. record label Ninja Tune more than a decade ago when, as the story goes, a bootleg cassette copy of San’s mix tape Scratchcratchratchatch found its way into the rental car stereo of Jon More – co-owner of Ninja Tune and half of Coldcut – during a visit to Montreal.
www.ninjatune.net/kidkoala

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Labess
Intriguing, festive songs that celebrate tolerance and freedom, drawing from flamenco, Cuban and North African music. (QC)
http://labess.com/labess/

LeE HARVey OsMOND
Last summer, a series of odd videos began circulating around the internet. They were shot against nondescript backgrounds around Hamilton, Ontario, and featured a hirsute guitarist in a lime green disco suit frozen in frame, with a hyperkinetic young man nearby dancing furiously to some soulful, groovy, dark music.

LeE HARVey OsMOND and ‘acid folk' was born in a garage off Clinton Ave in Toronto. Joining Tom Wilson on this new collaborative project are some of the Cowboy Junkies, a few Skydiggers, Ray Farrugia from Junkhouse and long-time folkie Brent Titcomb. It could be dubbed ‘Junkhouse meets the Junkies' or ‘folk music with a bottom end and a lot of groove'. It's a heady brew, quietly unsettling but also comforting in a 4 a.m., coffee-and-cigarettes kind of way. Amp buzz and off-mic studio chat and count-ins are as much a part of the vibe as any deliberate instrumental or vocalwork. Hypnotic rhythms rule their songwriting circle and create a sound that comes creeping out of the Northern woods and across the Great Lakes into the South right into our souls.

Look for LeE HARVey OsMOND's debut release, Quiet Evil, rumoured to hit the shelves in early 2009.
http://www.myspace.com/lhosmond

Luluc
The spare, austere beauty of this duo’s haunting, reflective music is based around un-amplified instruments and close harmonies. (Australia)
http://lulucmusic.com/

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Carolyn Mark
You'll laugh. You'll cry. And laugh some more, at the lovely and talented country songstress’s bang-on ditties about humanity. (BC)
http://www.carolynmark.com/

Loreena McKennitt
Canadian singer/composer, harpist and pianist known for her Celtic and Middle Eastern-tinged world music, Loreena McKennitt is self-managed, self-produced, and the head of her own international record label, Quinlan Road. In a recording career spanning nearly two decades, McKennitt's "eclectic Celtic" music has won critical acclaim worldwide and gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales awards in fifteen countries across four continents.

Her albums feature soothing, ultra-melodic arrangements with music grounded in traditional and classical invocations, using literary works which reflect her interests in the poetry of W.B. Yeats, William Blake, and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

McKennitt engages in considerable research to aid her musical compositions. Before creating Elemental and Parallel Dreams, she traveled to Ireland for inspiration from the country's history, folklore, geography and culture. The album The Mask and Mirror was preceded by research in Spain's Galicia to connect with its Celtic and Arabic roots. An Ancient Muse was inspired primarily by travels among the various cultures along the Silk Road.

McKennitt's music has been heard on the soundtracks of numerous plays and films; she has composed music for Stratford Festival of Canada productions, which she has also acted and sung in.
www.quinlanroad.com

Mekons
A 30-year tour de force with art school roots and multi-pronged connections to other bands; their sound blends a punk ethos with left wing politics, folk and minimalist country. (UK/USA)
http://www.mekons.de/

Mirah
The oh-so-charming Yom Tov Zeitlyn’s candid musings are enveloped in sparse, organic music with an edge, punctuated by horns and strings. (USA)
http://www.myspace.com/coldcoldwater

Los Misioneros del Norte
Contemporary accordion-centred Norteño dance music, influenced by syncopated Caribbean cumbias and salsa. (Mexico)

Mutabaruka
Heavy, deep words and beats from a world-renowned revolutionary dub and reggae poet. (Jamaica)
http://www.mutabaruka.com/

Myrol
Spine-tingling harmonies and down-home lyrics from this live-wire female roots/ country duo. (AB)
http://www.myrolmusic.com/

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Pacifika
Pacifika is the multi-talented Silvana Kane, a Peruvian-born singer and accomplished actress with a love of flamenco, electronica, and textured percussion; Adam Popowitz a Canadian-bred guitarist adept at new wave, classical, and pop; and Toby Peter, a dub wise bassist born in Canada and raised in Barbados, explorer of jazz, hip-hop, metal and Caribbean grooves. Together the Vancouver-based trio makes a new kind of global pop, music that nods to its diverse international influences while forging its own unique voice. As Pacifika's songs unfold, a seductive vocal settles above plucked chords of a nylon-string guitar, pulsing percussion and lush synthesized sounds to bridge the clear, unhurried form of Joao Gilberto-influenced pop and the mellow side of electronica. Jazz-infused and Latin-tinged, marked by gently flowing melodies, deep grooves, waves of cracking percussion and the occasional burst of exhilarating guitar noise, Pacifika's comfortable, complex sound defies categories, creating soothing soundscapes held together by Kane's smooth, intimate vocals.
www.pacifikaonline.com

Steven Page
Infamous Barenaked Ladies co-founder, guitarist and lead singer is loved for his dynamic performances, powerful tenor, quick wit and arsenal of clever songs. (ON)

PAPAGROOVE
This 13-piece collective blasts out horn-based funk, R&B and Afrobeat, for a full-on dance party with a solid political message. (BC)
http://www.papagroove.net/

The Persuasions
Five kids who sang in basements and street corners in the ‘60s are now the kings of a capella, infusing standards and covers with their harmonious soul, gospel and Motown sound in concert halls world-wide. (USA)
http://www.thepersuasions.net/

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Ramblin' Ambassadors
Surf, rockabilly and instrumental garage music with a twist: expect the occasional trumpet, sleigh bell percussion and loopy keyboard. (AB)
http://www.myspace.com/ramblinambassadors

Justin Rutledge
Justin Rutledge’s country-tinged music is infused with his love of the literary world on his third album, Man Descending; a collection of songs that focus on the quiet, dark spaces in between our everyday lives.

Inspired by Guy Vanderhaeghe’s 1982 novel, Man Descending follows ten characters down certain half-deserted avenues of their lives where they encounter alternate, unfamiliar sides of themselves. As each character reevaluates their lot in life, the songs function more as questions than answers.

Rutledge is a modern day troubadour whose beautiful, haunting stories infuse spine-tingling, emotionally sucker-punching moments that meticulously detail snapshots of ordinary people’s lives, delivered in his tearstained, emotional voice with subtle backing from his crack band.
www.justinrutledge.com

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The Sojourners
Spine-tingling, multi-textured vocals from a trio who capture the spirit of soulful “old school” 1930s and ‘40s gospel recordings. (BC)
http://www.thesojourners.ca/

Mavis Staples
For over fifty years, Mavis Staples has been an international treasure, working her vocal magic on the highways and byways of gospel, folk and soul music. With both her groundbreaking family group, the Staple Singers, and as a solo artist, she has helped to define much of what is righteous and soulful in American music.

Staples is an inspirational force. Her recent Ry Cooder-produced album We'll Never Turn Back combines raw, emotional, contemporary versions of freedom songs that provided the soundtrack to the civil rights movement, along with other traditional songs and new originals written by she and Cooder. www.mavisstaples.com

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Tarhana
The sounds of ancient cultures come to life: Sufi grooves, Gypsy melodies and North African rhythms. (Nederlands/Turkey)
http://www.tarhanamusic.com/

The Tom Fun Orchestra
Cape Breton’s idiosyncratic eight-piece ensemble creates frantic cross-genre barnburners featuring feverish horns and violins. (NS)
http://tomfun.ca/

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Umalali
Umalali: The Garifuna Women's Project resulted from years of song collection, the discovery of striking female voices, recording sessions in a seaside hut and exquisite, subtle production wizardry. Their songs tell of the struggles and triumphs of daily life: hurricanes, murdered sons, the pain of childbirth. Umalali are mothers and daughters who, while working to support their families, sing songs and pass on the traditions of their people to future generations.

Descendents of shipwrecked African slaves who intermarried with the Carib and Arawak Indians of the Caribbean, the Garifuna people live primarily in small towns and villages on the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Umalali expands on the story of this fascinating community, which is struggling to retain its unique language, music and traditions in the face ofglobalization.

Blending rich vocal textures with echoes of rock, blues, funk, African, Latin and Caribbean music, Umalali is an entrancing journey into the heart and soul of the Garifuna people.
www.cumbancha.com/albums/umalali

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Chad Van Gaalen
A visual artist and musician, he creates beautiful melodies with intellectually playful arrangements. (AB)
http://www.flemisheye.com/

Vishten
Embark on a centuries-long voyage with traditional music, fiery fiddling, step dancing and sweet vocals. (PEI)
http://www.vishten.net/

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Emily Wells
Her songs combine electronics, orchestral strings, jazz structures, pop sensibilities and vibrato-laden vocals into one eclectic package. (USA)
http://www.myspace.com/emilywells

Nancy White
Take a carnival ride through life’s little perversities with this topical, cheeky folk/cabaret singer, theatre writer and performer. (ON)
http://www.myspace.com/nancywhitemusic

Phil Wiggins & Corey Harris
Deep-rooted 21st century country blues with renowned harmonica wizard Wiggins and adventurous, eclectic guitarist Harris. (USA)
http://www.myspace.com/coreyharrismusic

Jason Wilson
Vintage and visionary jazz-infused reggae from a refreshingly inventive band whose lyrical tales are meditations on the human condition. (ON)
http://www.jasonwilsonmusic.com/

The Woodchoppers Association with Jah Youssouf
The electrifying kora of Youssouf collides with the trance-inducing grooves of Canada’s premier improviser’s orchestra. (ON/Mali)
http://www.woodchoppers.com/