Serving up solid series of performances

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This article was published 07/07/2017 (3299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Of all the things I thought I would take away from the Winnipeg Folk Festival this year, a borscht recipe was not one of them.

But, the Folk School hosted a workshop Friday afternoon all about the beet-based soup, led by DakhaBrakha, a folk-punk quartet known for their energetic amalgamation of Ukrainian folk and world music.

This was not a stereotypical DakhaBrakha performance.

First of all, the three women in the group were set up on stage as a vocal trio, while the lone male, Marko Halanevych, was off to the side explaining all things borscht — from the ingredients to the order in which one should prepare them. A translator was on hand to help out, though by the amount of Ukrainian shoutouts from the crowd at Birds Hill Provincial Park, it seemed the majority of people in attendance were well-versed in the language.

The women performed traditional Ukrainian songs, the first few having to do with a summer solstice holiday that happens to land on July 7, the same day as the workshop. The volume and power of their voices, both individually and combined, was almost startling (they did not need the microphones set up for them); it’s aggressive and in your face, but also beautiful and full of meaning and history.

So it went on, flip-flopping between a cooking show and a concert until it was time to do a taste test of the borscht sitting in a literal bucket on a table. Yes, it was delicious.

(DakhaBrakha was scheduled to close out Friday’s main stage lineup, but their performance started well after the Free Press’s print deadline.)

Earlier in the afternoon, Green Ash stage was pretty much at max capacity for the Colours, Color & Couleur workshop featuring Friday headliner City and Colour (Dallas Green) as host, as well as John K. Samson, Damien Jurado and Charlotte Cardin.

Out of all the artists on stage, Cardin was probably the least well-known, generally speaking, but after only one song, her jazzy, smoky vocals made her a crowd favourite, with even the other musicians on stage giving her props.

“Anybody else just want to sit here and listen to Charlotte?” joked Green. “I guess the sad guys with acoustic guitars will have to do until it’s her turn again… Here’s a song about dying.”

The bulk of attendees were trickling to their tarps when “soulful dream-rock” songstress Esmé Patterson started the evening’s music with a snappy, high-energy set on the main stage.

There are hints of blues, Americana, classic rock and pop in Patterson’s songs, but it’s her raspy, emotive vocals that are the shining star of her live performance.

The Denver native was one of just two non-Canadians in a headlining slot Friday night; following her performance was a CanCon trio of epic proportions, starting with iconic folk-rocker Bruce Cockburn.

Cockburn took the stage solo, rocking a kind of adorable-grandpa-singing-around-the-campfire vibe with his acoustic guitar, bright orange shirt and sensible khakis.

And that’s not meant to be a slight in any way, because at 72, Cockburn still knows how to throw it down on stage. His voice, despite having hosted a workshop a couple hours earlier, was in fine form while crooning through classics such as Lovers in a Dangerous Time and If I Had a Rocket Launcher, the latter featuring an absolute ripper of a guitar solo.

All of the songs in Cockburn’s set showcased his superior guitar skills — he’s precise and delicate, but also has a very specific bounce in his pluck that makes the acoustic versions more affecting than the full-band, album versions.

Cockburn is a legend for a reason; his music has stood the test of time, and, as evidenced by the enthusiastic sing-along to Wondering Where the Lions Are and the standing ovation that followed, his fans are always happy to have him back.

Up next on the dudes-with-guitars roster was Samson and his band, the Winter Wheat. Samson, previously part of the Weakerthans, has long been a local favourite, and was ushered on stage with a rowdy welcome.

“We’re a leftist soft-rock band from right here in Winnipeg and thank you for having us over,” chuckled Samson after set-opener Select All Delete.

A good chunk of the set was material off Samson’s newest record, Winter Wheat, including the boppy Fellow Traveller, title track Winter Wheat and 17th Street Treatment Centre, but he couldn’t leave out his most famous tune, Winnipeg’s unofficial anthem, One Great City!, from his former band’s back catalogue.

A brief, but wonderful, tweener set by Old Man Luedecke led into City and Colour, the music project of Dallas Green, former guitarist for screamo band Alexisonfire.

As City and Colour, Green has surpassed his success in Alexisonfire — he has five albums and three Juno Awards to his name, and has quickly become one of the most popular performers in the country.

Taking a cue from Cockburn, Green, too, took the acoustic route, his rolled-up sleeves showing off his tattoo-covered arms as he earnestly strummed through the first few songs, which included the beautiful ballad Friends and Like Knives.

At press time, Green was about 20 minutes into his hour-long set; his vocals sounded strong, full and completely on-point, but his music, while touching, felt a little too low-key for a later main stage performance after a long day in the sun.

It’s the kind of music you fall asleep to, not the kind that gets you amped-up for the next act.

Today’s headlining acts include Cécile Doo-Kingué, Jonah Blacksmith, Daniel Lanois, Feist and Mbongwana Star, in order of appearance.

Daytime performances start at 11 a.m., and main stage music begins at 6 p.m.

Visit winnipegfolkfestival.ca for the full schedule.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel