Soul food: Winnipeg Folk Fest

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2009 (6404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers just can’t get enough of Xavier Rudd.

And they haven’t ever had enough of k.d. lang and Arlo Guthrie.

Yeah, time to get your tickets to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, which kicks off on July 9. Today, the swinging summer fest unveils the first 57 artists of its 2009 lineup, and the top of the ticket features both familiar faces and long-lost friends.

Aussie didgeridoo star Rudd (whose 2004 folk fest debut turned him into a Winnipeg fave) is on tap. So are alt-country diva Neko Case, relentlessly eccentric folkster Loudon Wainwright III, and Toronto chanteuse Serena Ryder, who is performing at the Garrick later this month.

Guthrie and lang will close the curtain on the 36th annual festival on Sunday, July 12. Lang, who played a sold-out Pantages show last year, hasn’t appeared at Birds Hill since 1985. Guthrie, the son of folk legend Woody and a seminal Americana artist in his own right, has never played at the festival.

But is there a theme? "The theme is good music," says festival artistic director Chris Frayer. In other words, don’t look for one. The 2009 slate is looking to be as eclectic as Frayer’s past festivals have been. There’s world beat (Nigerian legend King Sunny Ade and His African Beats), local vets (Alana Levandoski, Big Dave McLean), and alt-rock up ‘n’ comers (Great Lake Swimmers).

How’s this for a theme: artists that don’t pencil Winnipeg in to their usual touring rotation. Among the acts slated for the 2009 Folk Fest that usually skip our fair city are a pair of red-hot Texans (acclaimed indie rockers Okkervil River and ethereal songcrafter Iron & Wine), Montreal art-rock outfit Patrick Watson, and Arcade Fire side project Bell Orchestre.

So why do they come out for the festival? Apparently, the event’s reputation precedes it. "Whenever I go travelling, people in the industry are really well aware of it," Frayer says. "As we diversify our programming, it just brings that much more attention to the festival. I’m talking to agents these days that I never would have talked to five or 10 years ago. Now that they’re thinking their clients have an opportunity to play the Winnipeg Folk Fest, they’re excited."

Today’s release is the folk fest’s first big lineup announcement for 2009. It won’t be the last. No hints, but Frayer points out that there’s still a great big blank where a Saturday night headliner should be.

Curious? Watch this space: further announcements are expected soon.

The 36th annual Winnipeg Folk Festival runs July 9-12 at Birds Hill Park. Early-bird tickets are available until May 31. Weekend passes are $152, day passes $54; seniors, youth and children get a discount. Early-bird camping passes are $28. All passes available through Ticketmaster and the Winnipeg Folk Fest Music Store.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

 

Folks at the folk

No theme, just good music: a look at some of the highlights of the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s 2009 lineup:

k.d. lang

Arlo Guthrie

Neko Case

Loudon Wainwright III

Iron & Wine

King Sunny Ade and His Africana beats

Okkervil River

Xavier Rudd

Bell Orchestre

Hayes Carll

Great Lake Swimmers

Mark Berube & the Patriotic Few

Watermelon Slim

Pacifika

 

For more details, check out WinnipegFolkFestival.ca.

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