top5s online

When they announced this year's lineup, I was super disappointed. No big names. No Quebecois band. No one I loved. Heck, very few I even sort of liked! In fact, I almost didn't go. It's such hard work and quite stressful, but one of my music people really wanted us to be there for her, so go I did. And I don't regret it. Because while the music was meh, the people were awesome. I love my tarp family, and cherish the moments I get to spend with them. So much so, that despite the lineup, I'll be there for 2017 too. But here's a Top 3 nonetheless: 1. The Year of the African Bands I always try to see an African Band at the folk fest, but this year was their year and I had all the time for them. Friday's second session with Daby Toure, Black Umfolosi, Joel Fafard and Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar was probably the best jamming session I saw. Joel Fafard, Black Umfolosi, Daby Toure and Samantha Martin et al. I took in Black Umfolosi's concert and it was as jo...

Interstellar Rodeo handily won over the crown of my most favourite music festival. Civilized. Relaxed. It was a fantastic venue for spending time with my favourite music family. Here's my top 3 of 2016: 1. Marty Stuart I knew I'd enjoy him, because my dad used to play his 'Tempted' cassette tape all the time, but I was surprised he was the top highlight of the festival. The music. The showmanship. The voice. The outfits. And he capped it all off by shaking fans hands as he walked off the stage. A set can't get much better than that! 2. The Strumbellas You gotta love singing along, knowing all the words, dancing in your chair. They are a great live band. 3. Kathleen Edwards Since she's technically retired, it's always a privilege to see her in concert. She was high-larious, with her own brand of self deprecating humour, and the songs are as always fantastic. She brought out Luke Doucet to play a few songs with her too. Honourable Mention: Henry Wagons only di...

Oh Interstellar. What a pleasant venue. What a lovely festival. It was another great weekend of music at the year's Interstellar Rodeo ! It's so easy to attend this festival. The line up is low stress. There's chairs and shade/rain cover. The food is fantastic and the lines aren't very long. And even though the bathrooms could get messy at times, there were indoor bathrooms with plumbing! It's hard to not want to go to this festival, and that's not even considering the music! Of course the best part was hanging out with my music people. It really was a lovely 3 days of chatting in the line up, in the stands, over a meal, and on breaks as we walked around the lake at Hawrelak Park. My people are awesome - they shared their food, cleaned gum off my bum after I sat on some and didn't even laugh when I dropped my knitting and it rolled down the aisle! Spotted this little dude on a walk around the lake. Isn't he cute! But the music! The lineup was good this y...

Oh Edmonton Folk Music Festival . Where the side stage music is epic and the main stage is crap. But the view. Always love the view. Seriously. Apparently they're trying to appeal to "a younger demographic" and I noticed it more than ever this year. The main stage act were all women who sounded the same, and showy hipster bands. Where is the folk? Where were the men? Where were the actual generation transcending big names?And why do they bring fantastic world bands from half way across the world to throw them on a side stage or plug them in during lunch when no one is listening? I swear I'm losing patience with this festival. Yeah, I know they're not trying to appeal to me. And I know they don't care about my opinion/money because they'll sell out anyways. And yeah I know I'll keep going as long as I get tickets because there's those 3 bands out of 80 that I must see. Dammit. But the view... But it was worth it to see the few bands I love and to sp...

Delhi 2 Dublin . Never heard of them? Think Bhangra meets Celtic Techno Dance party. I love this band. I've seen them half a dozen times at least. They bring out my best dancing fool self. Their concerts make me happy. Listening to their music makes me happy. They rock. Take a listen . The first time I saw them was at Kaleido Festival in 2010 . It was an epic good time. Then, surprisingly, they came back to the Kaleido Festival just a year later in 2011 ! And imagine how happy I was to find out they were playing the Kaleido Festival in 2014! I've seen them a couple times at the Starlight Room here in Edmonton, and they were at Folk Fest in 2011 and 2013. Plus they're coming back to play The Arden next spring! I never ever use the video function on my iPhone. I never take concert video. Except I apparently started a tradition in 2010 and have since take 3 Delhi 2 Dublin concert videos of each time they've come to the Kaleido Festival. Did you miss their latest outing in ...

It's taken me a long time to write this post because mostly I couldn't think of how to fill out my top 5 for the Edmonton Folk Fest 2014 . This was not a stellar year on the hill for music for me. I've previously acknowledged that I've pigeon holed myself so much musically that I enjoy less and less these days. And this year, I'm a bit burnt out and didn't really want to deal with the early mornings and the lines. I was only going to go for one day to see Michael Franti, but ended up being talked into getting a weekend pass. And it was a good thing I went for the whole festival. View of the city is always stunning from the hill. Here's my Folk Fest 2014 top 5: 1. My Tarp Family - Even though the music was not awesome for me this year, my tarp family sure was. This is the second (or third, we can't remember) year I've hung out at the top of the hill with my (relatively new) usual music crew. And over the years I've really come to love spending tim...

Interstellar Rodeo is quickly becoming my favourite summer music festival! Proper chairs, shade, protection from rain, food trucks, short lineups, no early mornings or late nights and la creme de la creme: indoor bathrooms with proper plumbing! Oh yeah, and a pretty good line up of music as well! Here's my Top 3 from this year's festival: 1. The Strumbellas I thought I liked this band, but the remind me of Mumford & Sons and Mumford & Sons remind me of an ex, heartbreak, and sadness...so I avoided listening to The Strumbellas. But they were good live, very good, and I thoroughly enjoyed their set. One of my music crew bought me their new CD, saying that "We are making new memories this weekend. Now when you listen to them you'll remember us and the fun we had." Touche. Now Strumbellas CDs are on repeat in my car.  2. The Lone Bellow Never heard of this band, but they put on a high energy performance that we all got into. More memories made! 3. Wagons I rem...

I wasn't going to go to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival this year. It would've been the first time in 12 years I missed it. I was going to go on vacation with a boy, so I declined multiple offers to help me buy tickets (I was out of town at a library conference when they went on sale). I was ok with this decision as the line up, though bookended by awesomeness, wasn't persuading enough (what, no Quebecois band?!) and my usual tarp friends were only going for one night. As usual tickets sold out in record time and I didn't have one. And then the boy broke my heart. Besides the overwhelming sadness and loneliness that comes with that, I was filled with regret that I didn't get a Folk Fest ticket. I was annoyed I was going to break my streak! I planned on watching from outside the fence for the opening and closing main stage bands, but as the weeks passed that didn't seem like enough. So in typical Lisa fashion, I told everyone I knew about my situation and prett...

For their second year in a row, Six Shooter Records once again pulled off a fantastic Interstellar Rodeo ! It felt twice as crowded as it was last year, because it was. Last year was their first year and we loved how it was easy to get a seat and you never had to stand in line. This year it was sold out! But despite being more crowded, it still didn't feel overly busy: the lines weren't too bad and we needed all the people to keep everyone warm! The only downside of this year's festival was for sure the weather - it was cold and damp. Fortunately, that didn't take away from the wonderful music! Some highlights: Deep Dark Woods: Harmonious twang as usual. I'd love them more if the lead singer starting acting like he was having fun out there though. Mike Plume Band: I love his Fools for the Radio album and was so excited to see him live! Always good tunes. Danny Michel and The Garifuna Collective: The highlight of my festival! So happy! So uplifting! Danny Michel and...