Sunny skies and eclectic performances warm the crowds at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival

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      The grass in front of the main stage at Jericho Beach Park was packed Friday evening (July 19) when the first act began playing at 5 p.m.

      The 36th annual installment of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival kicked things off with some reggae-infused West African beats from Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. The band’s upbeat sound and energy on stage was infectious, as the two lead singers switched between the microphone and drums with constant smiles on their faces.

      The act seemed an appropriate way to start the evening, as audience members headed to the dancing areas on either side of the stage. It was also the start of a particularly eclectic evening lineup, that saw the music range from the Afro-beat influences of the Refugee All Stars, to the folk sounds of Kathleen Edwards, to the Irish and Bhangra influences of Delhi 2 Dublin.

      Next up was Hannah Georgas, the B.C.-based indie-pop musician, who drew a large contingent of fans toward the front. Georgas looked happy to be on stage as she brought out crowd favourites including the catchy “Shortie” and her 2010 track “Lovers Breakdown”. A rendition of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey” was also thrown into the mix.

      In a surprise guest appearance, Georgas even called her friend Kathleen Edwards to join her onstage for two songs.

      Also part of the lineup Friday evening was Ontario singer-songwriter Hayden. The musician proved to be another highlight of the night, with a set list featuring songs from throughout his prolific repertoire.

      The musician has come a long way since he first started his musical career recording in his basement, a fact he alluded to by asking audience members if any had been to his early shows at the Railway Club.

      The singer’s dry sense of humour also came across during between-song banter, including an admission that he was waiting alone in the CD tent earlier in the day to sign autographs for no one, and an intro to a song that he told the audience he's "pretty sure" he wrote at a diner in Golden. 

      “But it could’ve been Barrie, Ontario," he added.

      As Hayden wrapped up his set with “Dynamite Walls” from the album Skyscraper National Park, the setting sun began to cast a pink glow over the stage.

      This year festival-goers are being treated to some stunning weather, without any of the raindrops that have come and gone during the weekend over recent years. The spectacular ocean-side setting of Jericho Beach at its finest wasn’t lost on the main-stage performers.

      Hayden seemed suitably impressed with the location, remarking, “Wow, this is pretty beautiful.” And during her set, Edwards instructed the crowd to turn around and look at the sun in its last moments before it set.

      Just before Edwards took to the stage, B.C. musician Aidan Knight and two trumpet players gave a brief performance. Despite a tech loudly and repeatedly sound-checking into another mic during Knight’s quiet vocals, the crowd seemed suitably mesmerized by songs including “Margaret Downe”. 

      The talented singer-songwriter is undoubtedly destined for his own full main-stage set at the festival, or at least judging by the crowds that packed the sides of the stage for his performance, he should be.

      Edwards’ performance, a crowd favourite of the night, proved to be just the right soundtrack as the sun set on the first day of the festival. 

      Joined by fellow Ottawa musician Jim Bryson and guitarist Colin Cripps, memorable moments of the set included the gorgeous vocal harmonies, violin and piano sounds on the track “Soft Place to Land,” upbeat guitar on the single “Change The Sheets,” and a duet rendition of “Help Me Make It Through the Night” with Cripps.

      Edwards, who was introduced in part by The Peak host Laurie Logan as having “the mouth of a sailor,” lived up to the reputation with amusing and swear-ridden between-song banter. Edwards even abruptly interrupted her show at one point to single out a patron apparently comfortably set up in front of the main stage.

      “You’re really killin it down there” she exclaimed with admiration, to laughter from the crowd.

      Edwards wasn’t the only one to give the lawn-chair crowd a hard time. Georgas also questioned whether people were going to stay seated for the whole show, and gave a nod to fans packed into the standing areas, telling them “that’s what I want to see.”

      This year, organizers allotted larger dancing areas, leading to less feuding between the blanket and tarp crowd (many of whom line up to claim their spots hours before the music starts) and the fans eager to catch their favourite acts.

      But as is tradition with the final act of the night, Delhi 2 Dublin eventually had the majority of the crowd on their feet, with an enthusiastic dance section cheering on from the front.

      The group definitely wins points for the impressive variety of musical influences they bring onto the stage, from a fiddle to a massive drum to an electric sitar. The band also brings an infectious amount of energy to the stage, its members bouncing around and engaging with the arm-waving crowd.

      As the act wrapped up the evening, the lantern parade weaved its way through the audience, marking the end to a memorable first day of the festival.

      Performances are scheduled across multiple stages today (July 20), featuring acts including Whitehorse, Cold Specks, Steve Earle and The Dukes, and The Cat Empire.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Alan Layton

      Jul 20, 2013 at 11:15pm

      The Folk Fest is still one of the premier events of the summer in Vancouver IMO. Glad to hear that it started off with a bang.

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      Stephen Chessor

      Jul 22, 2013 at 11:59am

      Mo Kenny had a great in-between sets set, and MC Grant Lawrence was entertaining with his intros. I thought Kathleen had the mouth of a trucker, not a sailor.

      0 0Rating: 0