Vancouver Folk Fest shines through the rain

The times have a'changed. A generation ago (1965 to be precise) Bob Dylan himself was roundly booed for daring to play an electric guitar on stage at The Newport Folk Festival.

Safe to say, the crowd at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in 2011 have slightly more eclectic tastes. Folk music, if that's the best way to classify what was on display for three days in the sublime location of Jericho Beach, now incorporates African rhythms and guitar tones, salsa, rappers, indie rockers and beatboxers. Acoustic guitars are no longer compulsory.

"This one starts off slow," smiled David Rawlings, guitarist for Gillian Welch, "And fizzles out from there."

Rawlings and Welch appreciated that their deliciously dark take on country roots was one of the few acts on Friday's Main Stage that could legitimately wear the folk badge. Their impeccable harmonies and bluegrass picking could be described as old fashioned by casual observers. A closer listen revealed that their music is, in fact, timeless.

The same thing could be said about the country blues of Justin Townes Earle, but not two of Friday's surprise hits, CR Avery and headliner The Joel Plaskett Emergency. Avery's 15-minute slot of street poetry and beat-box harmonica was mesmerising, while Plaskett's bouncy indie pop and natural rock star personality got the Main Stage crowd on their feet, becoming the first act of the day to successful end the tyranny of the fiercely territorial and permanently-seated blanket brigade.

Saturday's downpour reduced the crowd numbers but not the eclecticism that defined the weekend. Movie star Tim Robbins brought Hollywood glamour to the Main Stage, although his tribute to Woody Guthrie earlier in the day proved more triumphant than the set of his own compositions. Robbins and Roseanne Cash delivered sets more pleasant than spectacular. The real excitement was going down on the second stage (called Stage 3, confusingly) where a soggy Buck 65 delivered a profanity-free performance of West Coast hip-pop, followed by a rousing hour of stomp-along party rock from Elliott BROOD. Perhaps it was the dampness and mud framing the main stage arena, but the fine headline show by The Jayhawks seemed to draw a smaller crowd than their Neil Young-style country rock deserved.

Sunday's line-up proved to be the most varied, and best, of the weekend. Kathryn Calder demonstrated that her solo jams are in the same melodic vein as her work with The New Pornographers, Josh Ritter cranked out an invigorating hour of sophisticated pop through the rain and CR Avery (performing with a full band this time) hit the Kerouac meets Springsteen heights he'd hinted at earlier.

However, the shining stars of Sunday were Ricardo Lemvo and Emmanuel Jal. Lemvo was filling in for Mali's Tinariwen (embarrassingly denied entry to Canada at the border, despite their international reputation) and achieved the virtually impossible – getting the soggy crowd off their butts and dancing in the drizzle with his Congo via Cuba beats. Jal, a former child soldier from Sudan, gave a dazzling high-energy headline performance of rock, rap and soul. A mix of tears, fans on stage, dance instructions and a field full of Vancouverites with their hands in the air provided a fitting, moving and uplifting climax to the Festival.

Of course, after three days it became clear that the star of the 34th Vancouver Folk Music Festival isn't the talent on stage. It's the event itself. And although the festival routinely confirms every Westside Vancouver stereotype (nice people sitting on tarpaulins listening to nice music in a polite and carbon-neutral environment), there is something sweetly delightful about the calmness of the entire occasion. The setting is spectacular. Security at the beer tent is gentle and friendly. Even the concessions seem reasonably priced.

Folk Festival isn't about folk music any more. It's about Vancouver, a city proud to be as eclectic as the music it welcomes onto its beaches. At 34 years and still going strong, it's the secret to the Festival's enduring success.

Source Robert Collins, ctvbc.ca

Posted in 2011Vancouver Folk Fest , Emmanuel Jal , icardo Lemvo , Vancouver Canada , Vancouver Folk Fest