The 45th annual folk festival has an incredible lineup of performers.
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Vancouver Folk Music Festival
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When: July 15 – 17, various times
Where: Jericho Beach Park
Tickets/Information: elfestivalbc.ca
The first Vancouver Folk Music Festival took place in 1978 in Stanley Park. In 1979, it moved to its current location on Jericho Beach. This year, the beloved event celebrates its 45th year.
Something doesn’t quite add up.
“Yes, math is confusing, sometimes even to me,” says VFMF Artistic and Executive Director Debbi Salmonsen. “But the event was established in 1977, so this year marks 45 years. The fact that it moved locations and also came under the newly established non-profit Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society at the time further complicates matters.”
The pandemic has sped up so many people’s calendars that the details of the date feel far less important than the fact that one of the most beloved summer music festivals is back in person.
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Better yet, not only does the VFMF return when the weather could improve, but the 2022 lineup ranks among some of the festival’s best. From western swing legends Asleep at the Wheel to indie rock supergroup the New Pornographers, blues legend Taj Mahal and much more, it will be hard to decide who to see over the weekend.
“I’m so glad we’re going ahead with a live event this year and nearly all of our previous experienced contractors are coming back to help with everything from ordering the right amount of portable potties to having quality sound, food, etc. she said. “The lineup is due to the fact that I was lucky enough to be able to retain as many of the artists as possible who were booked for 2020, as well as getting on the phone really early and often to secure the acts I wanted. Obviously There were concerns about international artists coming, but we were able to collaborate with other festivals to make it possible for people like Indian slide guitar master Debashish Bhattacharya to come here.”
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Indian slide guitar pioneer Debashish Bhattacharya.
Somehow COVID played a role in why there are more featured artists at this festival.
Last year, Salmonsen digitally attended events like the annual Folk Alliance, showcasing global talent for potential promoters, and the East Coast Music Awards. While there’s no comparison to experiencing an artist live, she says being free from travel time and on-site lineups meant she got to see more acts.
“I think you’ll see it reflected in artists like Toronto’s Witch Prophet, Portland rising star Haley Heynderickx and Quebec soul singer Clerel,” he said. “Then there’s Molly Tuttle, who might be one of the best guitarists in the American/bluegrass tradition right now, but less well known here. And I’m so pleased to see Bella White, who I remember as a teenager popping up in song circles back in my days as executive director at the Calgary Folk Festival, now based in Nashville with William Morris as manager and receiving accolades in Rolling Stone. ”
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Vancouver fans will be particularly pleased to see former Po’girl member Allison Russell return to the main stage. The Grammy-nominated vocalist will premiere material from her excellent album Outside Child.
“You might have seen her at something like Jimmy Kimmel or the Grammys with her new all-girl band,” Salmonsen said. “She is on the main stage on Saturday night and she will also appear with Clerel and Frazey Ford at the soul relaxation workshop on Sunday. These collaborative sessions are where some of the magic really happens at the festival.”
Another exciting workshop is the reunion of newly formed country duo Fortune Block with Texas roots punk Alejandro Escovedo and Vancouver art rocker Ford Pier. Fortune Block is a collaboration between Indigenous singer-songwriter Richard Inman and Sweet Alibi singer Amber Nelson, two artists known for their deep, vibrant tones. Inman’s most recent album, Come Back Through, is easily one of the best traditional Canadian country records of the year.
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“I think Richard Inman is one of the most underrated songwriters in Canada,” he said. “His lyrics of his are so poetic and honest. Getting together with Amber, who is known for making such beautiful music, with Sweet Alibi will be great. The four of them together will be a joy as they are all so much fun.”
Over the years the VFMF has always been a place to hear something completely new and different. From the complex percussion woodwind txalaparta music of the Basque group Ugarte Anaiak to the indigenous Sámi style of throat singing known as yoiking, the weekend always brings surprises. This year, the independent island nation of Taiwan and South Korea will offer unique music.
“On Friday night, we have a concert by a Taiwanese indigenous group called Kanatal, which is also being followed by a documentary crew, which should be interesting,” Salmonsen said. “Sinnoi is a group that combines vintage vocal styles with electronica and jazz that are part of the explosion of the contemporary South Korean folk scene that is raving. Also, we have Taj Mahal presenting a slightly longer closing set that night as well. Not only is he a legend who hasn’t returned to the festival in several years, but he’s always evolving and exploring new things.”
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The same can be said for VFMF.
At the time they began, folk festivals tended to harbor a rigid orthodoxy when it came to what was or was not folk music. The Vancouver event never followed that dictum and was showcasing “world music” before the marketing term existed. Local audiences enjoyed their first exposure to everything from Celtic ravers Shooglenifty to the late Malian guitar hero Ali Farka Toure in one of the most beautiful event settings in the world.
A year or so later in 45 years, the event hasn’t lost that quest for discovery.
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