Between Two Tarps: No Shortage of Opinions about Folk Festivals

Folk festivals. 

I am no expert.

My experiences include 35 successive visits to the North Country Fair in northern Alberta, two trips to the Edmonton Folk Fest, one Calgary Folk Fest, one Bear Creek Music Festival In Grande Prairie, Alberta, and one evening at the Moab Folk Fest in Utah, all coloured by my 11 years with Stage North Association, a little music presenting series in Slave Lake. Oh yeah, and one little trip to Abayance Bay Marina in Rexford Montana, not really a folk fest but it might as well be. 

Dancing

What is the deal with the "no dancing" at some festivals?  Edmonton, you hear me? Late night should be for fun, but each time I've been there, it's all mellow and everyone just sits there holding candles like they've taken some valium or stoned. I feel like I'm in a retirement home. It's not Victoria, people. It's EDMONTON. You people are not that old. Why the overly chill vibe?  It's LIVE MUSIC! Get up and dance! Oh, you didn't map out enough space for dancing because you needed to sell three zillion tickets? You know some places actually rope off a dancing area? Kudos to NCF. And Abayance Bay.

Liquor access

I like how festivals are figuring out that they can serve liquor without the old puritanical "liquor is evil-don't-let-people-see-you-drinking" attitude of prohibition times. I'm not a fan of the beer tent where people are there just to get drunk and yell at each other over the music. I'm also not a fan of the falling down drunk partiers yelling, "It's the FAIR, man!"  Ugh, try going there with your teacher-husband. "MR. RAMSEY! Come have a drink with me!" Just. NO. 

Vibes

Maybe it's just me, but I expect "chill with a touch of fun" at worst or "non-stop fun with moments of chill" (you know who you are, NCF!) at best, and generally festivals deliver.  Moab, though? Your smug cloud is a bit off-putting.

Volunteers

I know these festivals run on volunteer time and most volunteers are wonderful. But some of them act like this is their one chance in life to tell other people what to do.  Seriously, you're not an airport security guard. No need to treat people like they are grade eights in an out of control classroom.

Why are they called "folk" festivals?

Ok, let's be clear. These aren't folk festivals even when they're called folk festivals. They are music festivals. If they were folk festivals, they would be more political. Traditionally, folk music is the music of the common person, played on traditional acoustic instruments, revolving around themes of concern to the average person-injustice, oppression, war and so on. But at the average festival, you can hear anything from folk to blues to jazz to electronica to performance art with a good amount of world music thrown in.  I find it odd that at some festivals, the audience meets anything political with a sudden chill.  Moab was dreary enough to start with, then the headliner of the evening said something remotely un-republican and the temperature in the room dropped about 20 degrees. The audience shut down. Folk music has its roots in protest. Folk musicians tend to believe in freedom and justice and hate inequality and environmental degradation.  But some audiences are not there for it. Take Calgary for example. DO NOT MENTION THE ENVIRONMENT at Calgary Folk Fest. Like, not even in passing. That will harsh the vibe of the hardworking oil and gas people.

Over the years, I am sure these local, volunteer run, community based events have become money makers. And if your goal is to make money, you can't afford to "offend" anybody. And yeah, I find that offensive.

Rich Aucoin in Calgary. So fun. But not "folk".

What's with the tarps? SERIOUSLY.

I get it. People want to reserve a spot in front of the main stage for "later".  And I get that in most festivals there is limited space. So they get there early- sometimes with this supposedly "time- honoured-and-very-fun-and-cool tradition" of the tarp run-or a virtual tarp run or a lottery- nail down the biggest tarp they can find, and then wander off to see the other performers. Who knows, maybe they go home and have nap or go on a Costco run or do brunch. And then NEVER COME BACK? WTF. They plop down an 8 X 10 tarp, a cooler, sleeping bags, chairs, and more, preventing actual music lovers from getting close to the stage while they are off doing whatever? Like maybe boasting to their buds that their tarp is RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE STAGE, MAN!

I like how Canmore does it. After a certain time, the tarps closest to the stage have to be removed so people can DANCE.

The "I'm-not-here-for-the music" people

I'm "supposed to be at the front" the guy says. Then spends 10 minutes on his phone. Then leaves. 

Oy. We've all heard these super annoying people who think they're at a house party or a crappy bar and all they want to do is yammer. Loudly, of course, because guess what?  THERE IS MUSIC BEING PERFORMED. And then if you give them a "look" or worse, make a "comment", somehow YOU are the problem? "Like, dude, seriously, chill!  I am just to hear to impress this hot chick with my non-stop banter and you are cramping my style."  Or the White Claw chicks in Montana, yapping so loud my husband says, "Why are they even HERE?' Or "Man, CHILL, it's the FAIR!! That's not FAIR behaviour!"  Well honey, I've been going to the "FAIR" for 35 years. I think I know what "FAIR' behaviour looks like. LISTEN TO THE GODDAMN MUSIC OR GET OUT.

Workshop stages

Most of my experience is at the North Country Fair. Here, artists are given a theme and there is a wild mix of musicians of different genres all jamming together. One takes the lead but the rest join in. It's probably my favourite thing. You'll get some African drummers and a Latino band and a blues guitarist and they come up with some wild stuff. No egos on the line, no one trying to hog the limelight. Just great (sometimes not great) music.  But then at some festivals, a workshop stage is a bunch of performers sitting in a circle, taking turns doing their own songs that you already heard when they performed. Is that an American thing? SO BORING.  

At one notable performance in Calgary, a performer went off on a super self indulgent, self involved whine about his broken heart, next dude mocked the whole idea of having your heart broken with a funny song, and the first dude walked off and that was the end of that whole workshop. 

Pretty funny. 

The "I-don't-care-if-you-can't-see-the-stage" people

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

 

Conclusion

I love a good music fest. 

Sitting out in the open listening to music with your friends and family on a summer evening is magical. Folk festivals bring people together into a happy place. Music is good for the brain. Music has the power to unite people. 

I'll keep going to them as long as I can.  

Even if it means just sitting on a hill with a candle.