2012 Canadian Folk Music Awards

The Eighth Annual Canadian Folk MusicAwards took place last night at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The awards went to:

TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Metis Fiddler Quartet - Northwest Voyage Nord Ouest

CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The Deep Dark Woods - The Place I Left Behind

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Henri Gordon - Chansons pour toutes sortes d’enfants

TRADITIONAL SINGER OF THE YEAR

Lenka Lichtenberg - Songs for the Breathing Walls

CONTEMPORARY SINGER OF THE YEAR

Rose Cousins - We Have Made a Spark

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Trent Freeman - Rock Paper Scissors

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

The Fretless - Waterbound

ENGLISH SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Catherine MacLellan - Silhouette

FRENCH SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Mes Aïeux - À l’aube du prinetemps

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

The Once – Row Upon Row of the People They Know

 

ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR

The Fretless - Waterbound

SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Michael Jerome Browne – The Road is Dark

WORLD GROUP OF THE YEAR

Sultans of String - MOVE

 

NEW/EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Pharis & Jason Romero - A Passing Glimpse

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Rob Szabo - A Natural Fact (Steve Strongman)

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES

Sagapool - Sagapool

YOUNG PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

Lucas Chiasson - Growing Pains

UNSUNG HERO

Gerry Taylor

Congratulations to all the nominees and recipients and to the Canadian Folk Music Awards organizers.

--Mike Regenstreif

Review: Festival Folk sur le canal

I spent much of last weekend having a fine old time at the fourth annual Festival Folk sur le canal at the Terrasse St-Ambroise on the grounds of the McAuslan Brewery on the Lachine Canal in Montreal. Congratulations to my friends Matt Large and Rebecca Anderson of Hello Darlin’Productions and Carl Comeau of Hyperbole Music for putting together another fine event.

For the first time this year, the festival added off-site Thursday and Friday events including a sold-out opening gala with the legendary John Sebastian on Thursday, June 16 at the Georges Vanier Cultural Centre. John’s been a favourite performer of mine since the 1960s, so I was disappointed that I was in Ottawa that night and couldn’t make it (the last time I saw John was in the late-1990s). I did hear from several people who were there that it was a great night.

On Friday afternoon and evening the festival moved onto the canal at Îlot Charlevoix for a free concert and folk jam. Again, I wasn’t there, but everything I heard about the event was very positive.

As noted, I was around for much of the Saturday and Sunday action at the Terrasse St-Ambroise – including a Sunday afternoon shift as the festival MC. Among my personal highlights were sets by several artists I’d never seen before including the Wildwood Flowers, an exciting, mostly-female, francophone band steeped in the traditional country music of the Carter Family; Emm Gryner, a piano-based singer-songwriter with strong original material but who slew me with a stunning version of “Tell My Sister,” a song written by my late friend Kate McGarrigle; Cécile Doo-Kingué, a singer-songwriter and excellent guitarist strongly influenced by African folk music; and Canailles, a wild, punky francophone band that drew on zydeco, bluegrass and blues influences.

Among the artists I’ve heard before that I also quite enjoyed were Rose Cousins, who is quickly becoming one of Canada’s most accomplished singer-songwriters, Cajun band Grouyan Gombo, and road warrior Fred Eaglesmith and his band.

I was sorry that I couldn’t stick around to hear the festival closing sets by the delightful old-time, neo-vaudeville duo Sheesham and Lotus and the great singer- songwriter David Francey.

The perfect weather on Saturday and Sunday helped make Festival Folk sur le canal a great kick-off to summer folk festival season.

--Mike Regenstreif

Festival Folk sur le canal June 16-19

Festival Folk sur le canal returns to the Lachine Canal in Montreal for a fourth year and a more ambitious undertaking. The festival was a one-day affair in 2008 and 2009 and expanded to two days last year. This year it expands to four days.

The festival will kick off on Thursday, June 16 with an opening indoor concert  at the Georges Vanier Cultural Centre (2450 Workman) featuring legendary folk, rock 'n' roll and jugband artist John Sebastian, founder of the Lovin' Spoonful.

On Friday, June 17 the action shifts a few blocks south for a free, outdoor concert presented in collaboration with Parks Canada at Ilot Charlevoix (corner of St. Patrick and Charlevoix) from 4:00-9:15 pm. Artists will include Osmosaic, Hellbound Hellcats, the Jimmyriggers, La chorale Edinburgh, and Belzébuth.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 18-19, the Festival Folk sur le canal returns to its familiar digs and format at the St. Ambroise Terrace, on the Lachine Canal, behind the McCauslin Brewery at 5080 St. Ambroise Street.

Once again the festival has an impressive line-up of established artists and interesting younger artists beginning to make their marks locally, nationally and internationally.

Among the artists I always look forward to hearing again are David Francey, Rose Cousins, Fred Eaglesmith, Sheesham & Lotus and Grouyan Gombo.

There are also a bunch of artists I’ve never had a chance to see before. Folk festivals are a great way to discover new artists, so I’m looking forward to hearing many of them too.

I’m also happy to see that the festival will include several afternoon workshop sessions. Having cut my folk festival teeth at Mariposa in the ‘70s, I’ve always felt that workshops are the heart and soul of folk festivals.

A family-friendly event, the festival will also have music and other activities for kids.

The Festival Folk sur le canal has developed nicely over the past four years. Congratulations to Matt Large and Rebecca Anderson of Hello Darlin’ Productions and Carl Comeau of Hyperbole Music for a doing great job of putting it together and making it happen.

Lots more information, the full schedule, and tickets are available at montrealfolkfest.com.

--Mike Regenstreif

James Keelaghan -- House of Cards

JAMES KEELAGHAN
House of Cards
Borealis
keelaghan.com

James Keelaghan, long one of Canada’s finest folksingers and one of Canada’s finest songwriters, is in excellent form on House of Cards, an album dominated by finely-crafted personal songs but which also includes several superb songs that look beyond his own – or his fictionalized own – perspective.

About a year ago, I was chatting with Keelo at the OCFF Conference in Ottawa and he was telling me that he’d just returned from the Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton where he’d been one of several songwriters who spent a week in a house together in an experiment in collaboration. Half of the songs on House of Cards came out of those collaborations, including the opening track, “Safe Home,” co-written with David Francey, a lovely song about being away from home, of missing home, but which recognizes that he’s part of a travelling fraternity which will often be away from home.

Other collaborations include “Next To You,” a pretty love song co-written with Rose Cousins, and “Medusa,” co-written with Karine Polwart, whose title, I assume, is a reference to the Canadian Armed Forces’ Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, but which could be about the uncertainty that accompanies any kind of military operation.

Of Keelo’s solo compositions, my favourite is “McConnville’s,” which he sings from the perspective of a barman in a pub in Northern Ireland telling the story of a tragedy that befell one of his regular patrons. It’s a modern composition with the authenticity of a traditional folksong.

Another highlight is the poignant “Circle of Stone,” about the parting of two people – the songs mentions they’re friends, but it also could also apply to siblings or lovers – as one leaves to follow a journey that the other cannot take.

There’s a mature, relaxed quality to Keelo’s singing throughout the album and his singing and guitar playing receive excellent accompaniment from bassist extraordinaire David Woodhead and mandolinist Hugh McMillan. Several songs have chamber-folk settings featuring lovely string and horn arrangements.

Note: James Keelaghan will be in concert on Thursday, October 15, 8:00 pm, at Club Lambi, 4465 St. Laurent in Montreal as part of the Wintergreen Concert Series. Call Hello Darlin’ Productions at 514-524-9225 for information or tickets.

A James Keelaghan concert always carries my recommendation as an event not to be missed.

--Mike Regenstreif