l l l
OCFF Summer Festivals Otherwise Famous Folkies State Of The Folk Nation Follow-up
Spring /Summer 2009
Table of Contents The President’s Voice . .............................................................................................................................. 4 Executive Director’s Message..............................................................................................................5 & 6 OCFF At Réseau Ontario’s 2009 Contact Ontarois Conference............................................................... 7 OCFF Board Nominations......................................................................................................................... 7 State Of The Folk Nation......................................................................................................................8 & 9 How Green is the OCFF?......................................................................................................................... 11 OCFF Summer Festivals..................................................................................................................12 & 13 Otherwise Famous Folkies...............................................................................................................14 & 15 Songs From The Heart 2008.................................................................................................................... 15 So You Got a Showcase?.................................................................................................................16 & 17 New Members.......................................................................................................................................... 17 Have Guitar, Will Travel............................................................................................................................. 19 2009 OCFF Youth Mentorship Program................................................................................................... 20 A New Feature.......................................................................................................................................... 20 Strategic Planning.................................................................................................................................... 21 An Agency Perspective On The OCFF Conference................................................................................. 22
o n t a r i o c o u n c i l o f f o l k f e s t i v a l s
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2008/09
STAFF
Executive Committee
Executive Director Peter MacDonald................pmacdonald@ocff.ca
President – Paul Mills..............paul@themillstream.com Vice President – Ellen Hamilton........ lfrog@kingston.net Treasurer – Dennis Landry..... landry.dennis@gmail.com Secretary................................................ position vacant Member at Large Tina DesRoches..................grassrootsontour@yahoo.ca Past President - Aengus Finnan............finnan@eagle.ca Directors Richard Flohil................................ rflohil@sympatico.ca Dan Greenwood.........................greenwoodd@socan.ca Tamara Kater...................tkater@winnipegfolkfestival.ca Dan Kershaw..................................kershawd@socan.ca Larry LeBlanc............................................ ljle@aol.com Paul Loewenberg......... paulfromsudbury@sympatico.ca Nicole Rochefort...............nicolerochefort@hotmail.com Candace Shaw.......................candaceshaw@gmail.com Jan Vanderhorst......................... justusfolk@rogers.com
General Manager Jennifer Fornelli......................... jfornelli@ocff.ca Youth and Community Outreach Manager Erin Barnhardt.......................ebarnhardt@ocff.ca Office Administrator Jennifer Ellis.................................. jellis@ocff.ca Administrative Coordinator Jennifer Nicholson.................jnicholson@ocff.ca Phone: 1-866-292-6233 or 613-560-5997 Fax: 613-560-2001 info@ocff.ca www.ocff.ca Mailing address: 508-B Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1R 5P1 Printing and layout by Orion Printing Cover photo by Norman Ayerst “Teaching The Dance” Sani-Abu Mohammed Allen teaching a traditional African dance to an enthusiastic group on a beautiful sunny afternoon at the Guelph Hillside Festival ‘08.
Deadline for Future Editions September 1 – Conference Program December 15 – Winter May 1 – Spring/Summer
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Business Card...................................... $95/$135 Quarter Page...................................... $145/$195 Third of a Page................................... $195/$245 Half Page........................................... $225/$300 Full Page............................................ $250/$325 Inside Cover....................................... $375/$450 Listed above: member/non-member rates; not applicable for Conference Program. Please visit our website for conference issue ad rates, as well as formats and sizes. Submissions (max 500 words) and pictures welcome! We cannot guarantee inclusion of your submission in Folk Prints (but we’ll try!). Please send submissions in text format only. If you have pictures, call us before you send them. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the OCFF. Questions or comments regarding Folk Prints should be brought to the attention of Jennifer Fornelli at jfornelli@ ocff.ca. Articles and photos may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the author and/or photographer.
The president’s voice
I n t h e l a s t i s s u e o f Fo l k Prints, I told you about some of the things I was seeing on the h o r i z o n fo r t h e O C F F. C h i e f among these was a thorough review of what our organization does and how it does it. Well, now we are in the thick of a fullon strategic planning project which is being shepherded by the Strategic Planning Committee - Dan Greenwood (chair), Dan Kershaw, Lar r y LeBlanc, Paul Loewenberg, Peter MacDonald and yours truly. We are asking you to get involved as well. Dan Greenwood’s article in this issue of Folk Prints will give you a detailed look at what a strategic pl a n i s a n d h ow i t will be put together; but first,
I would like to give you a bit of background on what has led us to this initiative. The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals was founded twentythree years ago by a small group o f s i x O n t a r i o fe s t i v a l s. I t s initial pur pose was to share ideas, resources and expertise in order to make the festivals better. In the ensuing years, the organization grew in both membership and purpose. More festivals joined the fold but also organizations such as agencies, management and record companies, publicists, etc., and lots and lots of individuals, chief among these being performers. This growth was fuelled in large measure by the OCFF’s annual conference, which morphed from a meeting of just festivals into a much larger gathering of the general folk music community. And the participants came from everywhere: not just Ontario but all parts of Canada, the USA and beyond. While the conference continued to offer festivals a place to meet and share their ideas and experience, it also began offering content for its other members: professional development, mentoring, showcasing oppor tunities, an exhibit hall, etc. So we find ourselves in a s i t u a t i o n w h e r e t h e O C F F ’s
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
by Paul Mills founding principles and its current ac tivities are a little out of whack . This needs to b e f i xe d. Th a t ’s w hy we a re embarking on the strategic planning process which Dan describes in his article. As he explains, the process begins with a lot of information gathering. We have already star ted this with our Festival members, by holding consultation meetings in London, Toronto and Kingston, and we will be following up with the whole membership through questionnaires and a number of one-on-one interviews. I would like to encourage all of you to take the time to provide your input to this impor tant work. The over-arching goal is to refocus our organization so that it is positioned to best serve its membership and the folk music community. Our aim is to present this new vision of the OCFF at our conference in Ottawa this coming October. This is an exciting time for the OCFF and I feel truly honoured to be able to serve as the Board President during this period of renewal. We have an organization that is poised to make a huge difference to the c u l t u re a n d co m m u n i t y t h at is folk music in Ontar io and beyond.
Executive director’s message - A DIPLOMATIC POSTING Eight months have passed since I assumed the role of Executive Director of the OCFF. What a ride it’s been! I tell people all the time how much I am enjoying the work and it’s true – our members, partners, sponsors and funders make it easy. I’m happy to say that there have been very few bad days – and those have usually been about funding, or sponsorship – things that are often out of our direct control, but which affect us all so much. I’m happy to report on a number of things that keep us excited around the office. Folk Prints This magazine is under review, for one thing. In addition to being the journal of our organization, we are contemplating it as an “ongoing conversation” of sorts, to continue presenting ideas that come up throughout the year, but especially at our annual conference. In this issue, we touch on the “State of the Folk Nation” by reaching back to the nascent days of the Ontario folk music scene, in an article penned by Gary Cristall. David Newland has a piece on people known to us, but not as folkies. Lynn Miles has her say on showcasing, and we also focus on the relationship being built with our Francophone colleagues at Réseau Ontario. Items from various Board committees continue to inform and invite input. Festival Consultations We h ave h e l d fo u r f a ce to-face sessions with Festival members since January. These have been great opportunities to meet OCFF members, and in many cases, to rekindle relationships. There have been excellent
by Peter MacDonald
suggestions, a few gripes, and many opportunities to explain how things happen as they do. It’s refreshing to see just how connected we all are, and how passionate festival organizers a re a b o u t t h e i r e ve nt s, a n d about the larger festival community. These discussions are already feeding into the strategic planning activities discussed elsewhere in this issue of Folk Prints. It’s Easy Being Green Due in large part to the incredible energy on the Board’s Green Committee (the Green Team) there has been significant effort put into making the OCFF into a much more environmentally-friendly organization. We should be leading and educating our members on ways to work and leave the least destructive impact on our planet. Instead, we are learning right along with you. Watch for some resources on the OCFF website that are proven winners at member festivals and events. Festival Visits Staff and Directors are hitting the road this year to visit as many member festivals as we can. That will give us a fabulous opportunity to see other members playing music and others in their roles suppor ting the work of festivals. Thanks go out to the festivals that have been very welcoming to us as we plan those visits. It’s been many years since we visited the communities we serve, and it feels right. Community Outreach E r i n B a r n h a rd t h a s d o n e such a fine job with the Community Outreach portfolio here
a t t h e O C F F. We h a v e s e e n increases in participation and commitment from many new constituencies and groups who might not have noticed us without having heard from Erin. As we launch the process to find her full-time replacement, we are excited at the prospect of finding someone who shares her passion, skill set and determination to help make the OCFF a welcoming, vibrant, diverse home for all the members of the folk and roots communities in Ontario. The Conference Our next issue of Folk Prints will be the Conference Program. It’s hard to believe that our largest communal gathering is a short five months away. Conference registration is open and the Early Bird rates are low! See the insert in this magazine or visit www.ocff.ca to take advantage of all the opportunities. Volunteers What would we do without you? Our festivals, concert series, conferences, meetings, community social events and
every single job that goes into promoting and supporting folk and roots activities would be mere shadows of themselves if it weren’t for volunteers. We can’t thank you nearly enough, but we can work harder to lead you well, give you safe and fun working experiences and find more and better ways to thank you! The Board of Directors Having been a Director of t h e O C F F d u r i n g i t s re c e n t period of renewal, I can speak first-hand about the importance of the Board. These folks are my direct supervisors. I answer to them and they provide me with the direction I need to move forward with our mission and mandate. I urge all members to become more involved in the nomination of candidates and
in the election of new Directors. This process is key to the vitality of the OCFF and is your single best opportunity to express your democratic intent. Learn about the candidates. Do they speak for you and the issues of concern to you? Once elected, they make decisions on your behalf, and help to set the direction of the OCFF for years to come. Won’t you please review the ad on page 7 and become involved? The OCFF Staff Someone said recently that most of what gets done here at HQ is done by magic. I don’t buy that. I know better, because I get to see the OCFF staff in action every day. Jennifer Fornelli, Jennifer Ellis, Jennifer Nicholson and Erin Barnhardt are dedicated to their tasks and keep our members, partners and
funders in mind at every turn. Every day, we learn how to work better together for the good of the OCFF. We also have a good deal of fun. We have much to do and while I could complain about a lack of resources, I won’t. We all share those concerns. Now if only we could decide on which albums to play in the office at any given time… Now get out and enjoy a festival. Write a song. Change your banjo strings. Bang a drum. Support live music. Most of all – show your excitement at being a member of the OCFF community and take your diplomatic posting seriously - you are the OCFF’s best ambassadors.
I n t h e s e co n d ye a r o f a partnership between the OCFF and Réseau Ontario, an Ottawabased network that services the Franco - Ontar ian per for ming arts sector, we have introduced a special award component. The first annual OCFF Award was presented to Louis-Philippe Robillard at the Contact ontarois conference in Mississauga, ON. As this relationship develops, we look forward to unfolding new and exciting connections between the OCFF and Réseau Ontario membership and communities. Appuyé par deux musiciens, Louis-Philippe Robillard a offert une performance remarquée lors de sa vitrine musicale à Contact ontarois 2009. Il a reçu pour cela le prix du Conseil des festivals folks de l’Ontario (CFFO), un
prix offert avec l’appui de Musicaction en partenariat avec le ministère du Patrimoine canadien par son programme de Vitrines musicales. Louis-Philippe R obillard, jeune artiste de la relève, offre un spec tacle acoustique invitant à l’écoute de textes qui jettent un regard lucide sur les enjeux et questionne ments actuels. Au fil des chansons qui traitent d’injustices et d’espoir, il développe avec l’auditoire une complicité qui suscite l’enthousiasme. Lo u i s - P h i l i p p e R o b i l l a rd a la profonde conviction d’être une pomme, avec son lot de couleurs, de cœur et de pépins… Une chose est certaine c’est un artiste à découvrir! For fur ther details about Réseau Ontario, please visit www.reseauontario.ca.
BOARD NOMINATIONS OCFF Members are electing four new Directors at the annual conference. Will YOU be one of them? Are you passionate about the folk music community? Do you have skills in the areas of fundraising, marketing or communications? Nominations close July 15, 2009 Forms are available on the OCFF website: www.ocff.ca/contact/board.html
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS WANTED The OCFF is now in the process of collecting donations of items such as original artwork, pottery, quilts, gift certificates, festival passes, musical instruments and CDs. Over $5,000 was raised last year, allowing the OCFF, a not-for-profit organization, to continue strengthening the Ontario folk community with a variety of programs. If you are interested in making a donation, please contact Nicole Rochefort, chair of the Fundraising Committee, at fundraising@ocff.ca.
Photo By: Réseau Ontario
OCFF AT RÉSEAU ONTARIO’S 2009 CONTACT ONTAROIS CONFERENCE par Frédéric Julien et Erin Barnhardt
STATE OF THE FOLK NATION: For almost a decade I’ve been trying to figure out how we got here, we being ‘folk music’. The goal is a book, the succinct subtitle of which is “the history of folk music in English Canada a s a p o p u l a r m u s i c g e n re”. When Peter MacDonald asked me to contribute a little something about my work, one of his suggestions was “something about your recent research into the history of folk, especially if there can be some emphasis on the Ontario scene.” As it happened, I just returned from a trip to Toronto and a fascinating conversation with an unsung heroine of Ontario folkdomDenyse Sterio- about La Coterie and Greg Curtis. Probably the most fun and useful aspect of my research has been unearthing the “prehistor y ” of folk music - what happened before it burst on the scene in the sixties - creating what Utah Phillips used to call “the great folk scare.” I keep finding out stuff that delights a n d a m a ze s m e. L a Co te r i e and Greg Cur tis are per fec t examples. Who knew? Folk Music as we know it a conglomeration of traditional songs found in Canada, songs from a variety of cultures and countries and contemporar y songs outside the commercial mainstream - was invented and promoted by two groups of folks, broadly speak ing. First were the Communists, mainly young, often Jewish. The second group was the eccentrics - proto-beatniks, art lovers and visionaries. You can find something I wrote about the former at www.vcn.
Photo By: Bob Sterio
GREG CURTIS AND LA COTERIETORONTO’S FIRST FOLK SINGER AND FOLK CLUB by Gary Cristall
bc.ca/outlook, in the November/ December issue. This is about the latter. A few years ago I was interviewing Klaas van Graft, an early Toronto folk singer who led The Moorings Trio and The Chanteclaires - both important Toronto folk groups in the early sixties - and who went on to have a very successful solo career. I asked Klaas about folk clubs in Toronto and casually stated, in all ignorance, that “of course” the first folk club in Toronto was The Village Corner Club. No, Klaas said, first there was La Coterie. Klaas then went
into the recesses of his house and came out with a clipping f r o m t h e To r o n t o Te l e g r a m from April 28, 1957, exac tly fifty-two years ago as I write. The headline is “Sing A Song Of Folk-Singing” and Barbara Whalen, the journalist, writes that “every Thursday evening, from ten until midnight groups of young people meet in the back room of La Coterie, a coffee shop on Avenue Road” to sing folk songs. The article states that unlike many “closed” folk song clubs, this one was the first open to the public. Above the text is a photo of “young people”, seated
and engaged in singing while a standing guitarist accompanies them. The guitar player, identified as the host of the club, was Greg Cur tis. I was stunned. Here was I, intrepid folk music historian, caught flat out ignorant of either La Coterie or Greg Curtis. I started looking for information on both. As near as I can tell, Greg Curtis was Toronto’s first professional folk singer. I don’t know where he came from - I’m told “out west” - or what happened to him. What I do know is that in 1954 he was performing “Canadian ballads” for the Women’s Press Club in Toronto, sharing the bill with a magician. He had a brief television show The Ballad Singer - and became the house enter tainer at La Coterie. As I stumbled through the CBC archives I found a precious snippet of tape with Greg Curtis singing “She’s Like the Swallow” accompanying dancers on a CBC TV show in 1955. In July of 1957 there is a notice in the Toronto Star of a fare well concert as Greg sets off to Europe, and in March of 1958 a notice that he has returned and is “Singing nightly at Concerto Café at 89 Bloor St.” That is the last reference until an ad for Greg sharing the bill with Bonnie Dobson, “Singing Sensation of the Mariposa Folk Festival” at the Fifth Peg in November of 1961. The next notice is that Greg is singing at The Village Corner Club with the tag “ To-
morrow the featured artist will be Greg Curtis, Toronto’s first full time folk singer.” The next, and last, mention of Greg Curtis has him per forming on June 14, 1963 at the Gate of Cleve. I know nothing more. Several people have told me that Greg went west; others have said they seem to remember an obituary. Who he was and what happened to him is something I would very much like to know. Denyse Sterio, cofounder of La Coterie at twenty-one, is very much alive and present. I visited her in a small town a few hours north of Toronto in her home filled with art. Born in Toronto, she met and married the son of a family of Macedonian restaurant owners. They met a gay couple - a brigadier-general Dewhurst and his companion, ‘M r. Bogar t ’, who wanted to open a club. They opened La Coterie in 1954 in a house at 32 Avenue Rd. just north of Prince Arthur. Her father-in-law was skeptical. “You can’t make any money selling coffee and pastry,” she remembers him saying. La Coterie was an early haven in straitlaced Toronto for the “others”. It featured jazz from late until later- four a.m. - and folk music - Greg Curtis - earlier on. They had a source in the Mexican consulate for real Mexican food and an ad announcing that “Anna will be reading from 2 -7 daily.” Tea leaves? Tarot? Most of the staff was gay and Denyse told me that much of the cli-
entele was too, including Greg Curtis. She gave me a picture of the front room. There is a jazz quartet of black musicians and two interracial couples in the audience. She also remembers a good deal of pot smoking. It must have been quite a scene in 1955 Toronto where you couldn’t go to a movie on Sundays! Of Greg she remembers little, except that he was very good-looking and women swooned over him. Shortly after the Telegram article revealed Toronto’s first public folk club, Denyse and her husband, Bob, sold it and used the profits to buy a house. They went on to run other restaurants but never featured folk music again. That, in brief, is the story of Greg Curtis and La Coterie. It’s a little bit of our past. It got Klaas van Graft his first solid gig and entry into the union - he took over when Greg left for Europe. Surely it helped create an audience for folk music in Toronto. A few years later there were a dozen clubs and hundreds of folk singers, but this was the first. If you know more, I’d love to hear about it. Drop a line to www.folkmusichistory.com. Gary Cristall is a Vancouver veteran labourer in the folk music mines and budding author of a book about same. www.folkmusichistor y.com is where his book outline lives.
Flash Your Folk Artists, Agents and Managers! Get your music and promo into the hands of the music industry: Artistic Directors, DJs, Agents, Concert Series Programmers, Managers, etc. This is an ideal opportunity to enhance your presence at the OCFF Conference this year. To have your submission included, visit www.ocff.ca and follow the link to the Conference page.
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HOW GREEN IS THE OCFF? One of the most energetic Board committees at the OCFF is the Green Committee, also k nown as “ The Green Team.” They are pushing this organization towards more environmentally-conscious policies and dayto-day practices. The excitement of these folks even enticed me to join the committee as the staff representative! What role can the OCFF play in helping our members become more focused on sustainable activities and the wise reduction and reuse of resources? Just how Green is the OCFF itself? What is the OCFF doing to help “reduce the footprint” at the annual conference? Clearly, the OCFF should play a lead role by providing its members with resources to assist in the preparation of Green plans for festivals, organizations and individuals to implement. To that end, we have been gathering information from our festivals who have already implemented plans of varying intensities. Some are just getting started – others go all-out and run all operational d e c i s i o n s t h ro u g h a “G re e n filter ” to see how they fulfill the standards they have set for themselves. We’ll post these resources to the OCFF website as they are discovered and developed. Here at OCFF headquarters, we have been reviewing all of our activities in an effort to become more responsible over time. Energy management (lights off when not in use, the furnace down a degree or two in winter) and extra efforts at rec ycling the items that are accepted by the City of Ottawa 11
by Peter MacDonald
have topped the list. More recently, we have been replacing various bits of technology and appliances with more efficient models, and “instant-on” items are turned off completely when not in use. We have been budgeting for the use of post-consumer products as we move forward, and we expect to move soon to more environmentallyfriendly methods of publishing Folk Prints. We can, and will, do more. The annual conference is the place where the OCFF has the biggest impact on the environment, and the place where we can take decisive action. This year, we have eliminated the delegate bags, and we are working with our sponsors and partners to find more efficient ways to deliver promotional materials to those who WANT them, rather than hear later that many people simply threw out the items. Postering has been eliminated at the conference, with the exception of designated areas (poster boards) and we will have a team of volunteers
The
helping to monitor for stray promo items that accidentally get left in unauthorized areas. The hotel is providing us with more recycling bins, and we’ll be putting them into high-use areas. The Flash Your Folk program is returning in a more robust way – with the opportunity to have music and promotional materials on a flash drive, distributed to industry professionals (festival A.D.s, concert series b o o k e r s, m a n a g e r s, a g e n t s, etc.). In addition, each paid delegate is helping to finance future OCFF Green activities by paying a $5.00 levy as part of the conference registration fees. We imagine using these funds to support tree-planting, the move to conference programs that are printed on post-consumer, recycled paper and other worthwhile activities. The folk communit y has always been at the vanguard of environmental activities. We are proud to continue that tradition. Our future truly depends on it.
Brights
Don Bray & Alyssa Wright Soulful roots music
tinged with blues, gospel and a touch of gypsy spirit
Live Love Dream available now at:
www.thebrights.ca
ies
: Ian Dav
Photo By
.
June/juin – september/septembre
HARBOURFRONT CENTRE SUMMER EVENTS – Toronto 416-973-4000 info@harbourfrontcentre.com www.harbourfrontcentre.com June 26 - 28 juin
TOTTENHAM BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL – Tottenham 888-BLUGRAS 888-258-4727 cofac@eol.ca www.tottenhambluegrass.ca June 26 – 28 juin
CITY ROOTS FESTIVAL – Toronto office@torontocityroots.com www.torontocityroots.com
July 9 - 12 juillet
CANTERBURY FOLK FESTIVAL – Ingersoll 519-485-6337
ejc@rogers.com www.canterburyfolkfestival.on.ca July 17 - 19 juillet
FESTIVAL DU LOUP Célébration culturelle francophone – Penetanguishene
705-533-3200 / 705-533-3361 mplalond@csolve.net www.festivalduloup.on.ca
July 17 – 19 juillet
HOME COUNTY FOLK FESTIVAL – London 519-432-4310 info@homecounty.ca www.homecounty.ca
July 17 - 19 juillet
STEWART PARK FESTIVAL – Perth 613-264-1190 July 3 - 5 juillet
MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL – Orillia 705-326-3655
info@mariposafolk.com www.mariposafolk.com July 3 - 5 juillet
NORTHERN LIGHTS FESTIVAL BORÉAL – Sudbury 705-674-5512 sandra.harris.nlfb@gmail.com www.nlfbsudbury.com July 9 - 12 juillet
TD CANADA TRUST SUNFEST – London
519-672-1522
info@sunfest.on.ca www.sunfest.on.ca
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dhpbia@superaje.com www.stewartparkfestival.ca July 24 - 25 juillet
INDIAFEST presented by Kala Manjari – London 519-200-3338 info@kalamanjari.org www.kalamanjari.org
July 24 - 26 juillet HILLSIDE FESTIVAL – Guelph
519-763-6396
info@hillsidefestival.ca www.hillsidefestival.ca July 31 JUILLET - AUGUST 2 août BLUE SKIES FESTIVAL – Clarendon
613-279-2610
P.O. Box 2502, Clarendon, ON K0H 1J0 CAMPING PASSES AVAILABLE BY MAIL-IN LOTTERY
10th Anniversary
welcomes you to
festivals
ouhaite la bienvenue aux festivals ses membres Photo By:
July 31 JUILLET - aUGUST 2 août
MILL RACE FESTIVAL OF TRADITIONAL FOLK MUSIC – Cambridge 519-621-7135
mill_race@yahoo.com www.millracefolksociety.com
August 14 - 16 août
SUMMERFOLK MUSIC AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL – Owen Sound 519-371-2995 gbfs@bmts.com www.summerfolk.org
August 21 - 23 août
OTTAWA FOLK FESTIVAL – Ottawa 613-230-8234 August 7 - 9 août
FERGUS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL AND HIGHLAND GAMES – Fergus 866-871-9442 info@fergusscottishfestival.com www.fergusscottishfestival.com August 7 - 9 août
GODERICH CELTIC ROOTS FESTIVAL – Goderich 519-524-8221 festival@celticfestival.ca www.celticfestival.ca
August 7 - 9 août
festival@ottawafolk.org www.ottawafolk.org
August 28 - 30 août
PETERBOROUGH FOLK FESTIVAL – Peterborough 705-874-6796 ptbofolkfest@gmail.com www.ptbofolkfest.ca
August 28 - 30 août
EAGLEWOOD FOLK FESTIVAL – Pefferlaw 800-437-1567
info@eaglewoodfolk.com www.eaglewoodfolk.com
LIVE FROM THE ROCK FOLK FESTIVAL – Red Rock 807-886-2741 livefromtherock@gmail.com www.livefromtherock.com August 7 – 9 août
TROUT FOREST MUSIC FESTIVAL – Ear Falls 807-222-2404 trout@troutfest.com www.troutfest.com
August 14 - 15 août
AMHERST ISLAND FOLK FESTIVAL – Stella 613-384-8282
info@amherstislandfolkfestival.ca www.amherstislandfolkfestival.ca
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September 4 - 6 septembre
SHELTER VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL – Grafton 905-355-1244 festival@sheltervalley.com www.sheltervalley.com
September 24 septembre - OCTOBER 4 OCTOBRE
SMALL WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL – Toronto 416-536-5439
info@smallworldmusic.com www.smallworldmusic.com
David Kaufm
an
OTHERWISE FAMOUS FOLKIES by David Newland Yawn… I t ’s a s u n ny We d n e s d a y mor ning in M ay, and I’m in the middle of the non-musical part of my work week. Another day, another few dollars, and another few hours I can’t spend noodling on a ukulele or honking on a harmonica. Another day when the energy I give to support music and community (including writing this article!) is stolen from my corporate day job. I’m here at the office, acting as though I’m not exhausted from the gig on Monday night, which kept me up until 3 am on a work-night, or anxious about the gig tonight, for which I’m underprepared and unfocussed. I grin and bear it: after all, it’s my choice to keep the music on a slow simmer as I pursue the difficult dream of a middleclass lifestyle for my spouse, my daughter and myself. The details may vary, but I bet this scenario is familiar to many of you. By day, I’m a web guy working for a big media company in downtown Toronto. By night, I’m a passionate maker and supporter of music on the Ontario folk and roots scene: a performing singer-songwriter, founder of the acoustic eighties band The McFlies, co-host of the weekly Corktown Ukulele Jam, MC for the annual Gordon Lightfoot tribute The Way We Feel, and member of the board of directors of the Shelter Valley Folk Festival. It’s all great stuff, and I’m grateful for my role in making it happen. Making music, and making music happen, makes me happy and helps me feel 14
fulfilled. It just doesn’t pay the bills. Being the Editor-in-Chief of Canoe.ca does. In fact, there are lots of good things about my job, not just the salary, or the two hyphens in the title. I write about issues of importance to me and hope they become important to others too. I have some influence on the stories we tell and how we tell them to Canadians. And sometimes – on Lightfoot’s 70th birthday, for example – I seize the occasion to remind people about the value of authentic, original Canadian music in their lives. Does this sound like ra tionalization? If so, I bet it’s a familiar feeling: I know I’m not the only one who has a litany of mantras to justify the work that pays the bills. Still, on days like this I sometimes need more than affirmations; only real-life inspiration gets me through. And who does a stealth folk-singer look to for inspiration but the experts? Charlie Angus is the expert who first leaps to mind. He was a full-time music maker with t h e G r i e vo u s An g e l s b e fo re he became the NDP MP for Timmins. He’s probably better known in that capacity now, but it’s cheering to know that he could, at any point, pick up the guitar again and croon. I can’t help wondering how much time he spends wishing he were doing exactly that. Another politician-musician is federal Liberal powerhouse, and for mer NDP premier of Ontario Bob Rae. Rae played a role in the genesis of Bob Bossin’s classic Dief Will Be the Chief Again, and although play-
ing jazz and classical tunes on a Steinway may have chipped away at his folk cred, he still comes out miles ahead of fellow pianist, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. T h e n t h e re’s Pa u l Q u a r rington, noted Canadian author and columnist, who takes to the stage with Porkbelly Futures as often as he can, sometimes joined by Juno-winning brother Tony. I sometimes think of my pal Jay Ingram, host of Discover y Channel’s “Daily Planet,” who plays mandolin, fiddle and guitar and has a penchant for Dylan. Or my colleague Tara Slone of Joydrop, more a rocker than a folkie, but a huge Lightfoot fan who pays her bills by hosting Inside Jam at SUN TV. These folks keep picking and grinning despite the many challenges of “real life.” For the ultimate inspiration, though, I look to the sky. That’s where Colonel Chris Hadfield’s best work is done. As Canada’s most storied astronaut, Hadfield has earned praise for his accomplishments on multiple trips into orbit, including the first space walk by a Canadian. What’s less well-known is that Hadfield is also Canada’s highest-flying folk singer! I t ’s t r u e : H a d f i e l d o n c e brought a folding guitar to the International Space Station as a gift for a German astronaut. Hadfield used the occasion to strum a few Canadian folk songs high above the surface of the Earth; Gordon Lightfoot, Stan Rogers, and even brother Dave Hadfield’s ode to Canadian Tire are all among the greatest hits of Chris Hadfield, folk-singer in space.
O f course, what goes up must come down. Even a high flyer like Colonel Hadfield has to come down to Earth. I wonder if he sometimes spends his days gazing out a window at The Johnson Space Center in H o u s to n , d re a m i n g m u s i c a l daydreams: “Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver wing on high…” I hope so. I find the idea rather cheering. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to work. Only four hours left to kill here in the real world, and then it’s on to my dream job, where I save the world with ukuleles. It’s tough to live a double life, of course, but as Alex Sinclair once told me, “real folk singers have day jobs.” And thank goodness we do. Just ask Andrew Sheridan. He’s a member of England’s 2007 World Cup of Rugby contender. By day, that is. By night, he’s a folk singer and ballad writer. He loves it, but he’s got his priorities straight. Who can make a living as a folk singer?
Songs From the Heart 2008… The OCFF’s Songs From the Heart Songwriter Awards highlight the talents of Ontario songwriters and provide an opportunity for the winners to showcase their work for festival presenters. Each year, one English and one French winner receive a Galaxie Rising Stars of the CBC Award. The English winner for 2008 was Michael Laderoute. A River I Know SOCAN 2006 All rights reserved CHORUS There’s a river I know, we got to all cross over A river I see – it runs mighty, rough and wild There’ll come a time, when the waves stop rolling And we’re all gonna meet that day on the other side VERSE - 1 Friends of mine, have crossed before me Sitting warm now, by the holy spirit’s fire Their troubles gone, and their souls unbounded Singing joyfully, in that heavenly choir CHORUS VERSE – 2 Sometimes this life, seems so unforgiving And troubled waters look deep and wide But our time here’s brief and hope’s eternal Love is just as strong on the other side CHORUS x 2
HAVE YOU MOVED..? …or has your contact information changed? Please take a moment to send us your new details, by e-mail (admin@ocff.ca) or by snail mail to:
OCFF 508-B Gladstone Avenue Ottawa, ON K1R 5P1 Be sure to include your name, postal address, phone number, e-mail address and website, as well as any business contact information. Thanks for helping us keep our records straight!
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SO YOU GOT A SHOWCASE?
by Lynn Miles
I’d rather have a root canal while being audited than play a showcase. That being said, I play them. It’s one of the best ways for ar tistic directors, promoters, agents, record companies, radio people and hard core fans to see you do your thing, and if you do your thing well, then huge piles of money will arrive at your door daily! Ok ay, maybe not, but it could open some wonderful doors, and if nothing else it’s an opportunity to learn something new about your craft. Let’s say you’ve spent your hard-earned money to fly to the “ World Conference of Nor th American Folk Music People” in Enumclaw, Washington. You’re sharing a hotel room with five other people, you haven’t slept in two days, it’s 1:30 am and it’s Showcase Time. 1. Make sure before you buy your plane ticket that you’ve got a list of people you want at your showcase, and then do everything in your power to get those people to attend, in a nice way. I have a friend who attended her first NAFA this year. Her goal was to play in Texas. Months before the conference, she contacted every artistic director at every venue she wanted to play. Through networking, she got an invite to attend a welcome party for the Texas people, where she talked to some of the people she had connected with on the Internet. Several of those people went to her showcases. She now has several bookings in Texas. Also, before you get on the plane, hook up with the folks 16
from your town attending the conference. There’s strength in numbers, you might gain some information or insight you didn’t have, and you might find someone to share a room with (or in some cases eight people to share a room with...). There isn’t much point in spending all the money required to go to a conference if you don’t have a game plan. If you’re just going to have fun, though, cheers! 2. Don’t whine. If you’ve done your homework and people don’t show up, don’t get mad at them and carry a secret vendetta for years. This will not help you get what you want. The only thing you can do in this situation is play the best show you’ve ever played, for the people who are in the room. There may be one person watching you, and that’s your audience, and you must love them and be grateful they showed up. Besides, that one person could be the head of FolkStar Records, and could change your whole career. Also, the vibe you give off from the stage goes out into the hallway and can lure people into the room or chase them screaming down the hall for more booze. If your intention is to play the best show you ever played in your whole life and your music is good, things will happen. 3. Don’t worry about who played before you. I once had to showcase r ight af ter Ani Difranco. While her adoring audience was leaving the room after the five minute standing ovation, I was stepping onto the stage. That was tough. Tom
Paxton told me that he had to go on after Black Sabbath. I think about that every time there’s a tough act to follow, and by tough act, I mean great musicians/singer/songwriters, etc. This year at NAFA, I had to go on after Steve Poltz. He’s the funniest person I’ve ever seen. He runs around the room, sits on people’s laps, etc. After he played it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. The great thing about showcases is that the audience usually changes completely. So I don’t know if the audience that came in to hear me do my thing realized that Steve Poltz had taken the air and most of my energy out of the room. I played my set the very best I could, and got a gig out of it. Again, it’s not about who just played, it’s about you playing the very best show you ever played. 4. Make sure your gear works. I’ve seen people (and have probably done it myself ) who get on stage with a guitar that can’t be tuned or a bad cable. M any times, the first couple of songs are what people come to hear, especially if there are lots of other showcases going on. If you have a half a hour to impress, you don’t want to spend the first 15 minutes trying to figure out where that buzz is coming from. If the sound is bad, you might have to suck it up. There are no sound checks, so you get what you get and you must make the best of it. If you spend too much time at the beginning of the set getting the monitors just right, you might lose some
of your audience. Sometimes it’s better just to turn the monitors off if you’re not getting what you want. 5. Play your hits. Play the songs you love to play, songs that people respond to. If you get the gig, then you can play the 20-minute, one -note improvisational jazz piece you’ve been working on for the last ten years. If you’re funny, be funny. People love funny. Make ‘em laugh. If you’re not so good with talking in between songs, figure
out what you’re going to say beforehand. Some people just get up there and play. If the music is great, that can be enough. 6. Make sure you follow up with people. If someone you invited attends your showcase, get a card, thank them for coming, and then send an e-mail after the conference is over. If you’re lucky enough to have friends in the audience, ask them to be scouts. If you see someone you didn’t think would show up, but did, make contact. Say thank
you, can I give you a copy of my CD? Be bold, in a nice way. Say hi to people. If there’s someone you admire, tell them - they might become a fan. 7. Go watch other performers do their thing. I learn a lesson every time I watch someone play, and it’s good for us to support each other. The most important thing is to be who you are and have fun. Enjoy your time on stage! It took so much work to get there.
NEW MEMBERS SPRING 2009 The OCFF welcomes the following new Members who joined us since the last issue of Folk Prints. New Individual Members ONTARIO Norman Ayerst, Dundas Jay Aymar, Toronto Richard Barry, Toronto David Baxter, Toronto Carolyn Bigley, Owen Sound Stephanie Braganza, Etobicoke Jeff Campbell, Orangeville Mike Celia, Mississauga Karl Comete, Ottawa Bonnie Couchie, Pic River Rory Cummings, Toronto Jerry Daminato, Guelph Adam Davidson-Harden, Kingston Russell deCarle, Janetville Shannon Eddy-Smith, Ottawa Kellylee Evans, Ashton William T. Findlay, Scarborough Andy Frank, Toronto Hertzel Gerstein, Hamilton Howard Gladstone, Toronto Jacob Hamayda, Baltimore Mark Hart, Toronto Eden Hertzog, Toronto Allie Hughes, Toronto Brent Jones, Dorchester Russell Kelley, Ottawa Enoch Kent, Toronto Brian Kobayakawa, Toronto Brea Lawrenson, Carleton Place Danielle Lennon, Kingston Kimberly Logue, Guelph Brenley MacEachern, Toronto Tara and Trevor MacKenzie, Owen Sound
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Jordan Mandel, Thornhill Dave McEathron, Toronto Andrew McPherson, Guelph Lynn Miles, Ottawa Maren Molthan and Scott Arena, Merrickville Shelley O’Brien, Toronto Andrew Queen, Marmora Andrea Ramolo, Toronto Maddy Rodriguez, Toronto Candace Shaw, Peterborough Joan Smith, Blackstock Matt Smith, Belleville Mikaila Straatsma, Oakville Ember Swift, Norland Sara Moody Veldhuis, Jarvis Myles Wagman, Thornhill Anne Walker, Toronto Ron Weiss, Ottawa Josh Zambrowsky, Ottawa New Organizational Members Beyond the Pale, Toronto Bluegrass Music Association of Central Canada, Burlington Busted Flat Records, Kitchener Flying Cloud Folk Club, Toronto SPEAK Music, Toronto Stellula Music in Schools, Orillia The Funky Mamas, Guelph New Out-of-Province Individual Members Gerry Barnum, Chemainus, BC Rik Barron, St. John’s, NL Yvan Bilodeau, Gatineau, QC Jacquie Boisvert, Edmonton, AB Carrie Catherine, Saskatoon, SK Scott Cook, Sherwood, AB Rose Cousins, Halifax, NS
Kat Danser, Edmonton, AB Jonathon Davis, Montreal, QC Jesse Dymianiw, Edmonton, AB Josée Fréchette, Montreal, QC Dave Gunning, Pictou, NS Erica Lane, Saint John, NB Matt Masters, Calgary, AB Carmel Mikol, Halifax, NS David Myles, Halifax, NS Karen Palmer, Grand Bay, NB Valérie Pichon, Gatineau, QC Stéphane Poirier, Montreal, QC Kate Reid, Vancouver, BC Chana Rothman, New York, NY Nick Strachan, Wakefield, QC André Varin, Gatineau, QC Kim Wempe, Halifax, NS New Out-of-Province Associate Organizational Members Alberta Music Industry Association, AB Music PEI, Charlottetown, PE The OCFF Board of Directors and Staff have been reviewing the requirements for membership in the OCFF. Effective at the beginning of 2009, all out-of-province Organizational Members are classified as “Associate Organizational Members” and are non-voting members. This will distinguish them from Ontario-based organizations until a complete review of the membership structure can be completed. This change will bring us in line with the current OCFF Bylaws (8.02.02), which states that organizations must be Ontariobased.
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HAVE GUITAR, WILL TRAVEL
Photos Courtesy of M. Weinstock
by Mark Weinstock
Don’t leave home without it. Travel with your instrument and your journey will be charmed. But how can you plan tour dates and promo spots with a one-way ticket and no itinerary? Easy…don’t! If you are making a career as a musician, it can be difficult or even feel wasteful to travel abroad without lining up work and promotional events along the way. However, if you let your music become a travel companion instead of your vocation, you will both be better for it. With a backpack, guitar and a one-way ticket to India, my partner and I embarked on what became a five-month Asia adventure. We had a simple policy of taking the guitar everywhere and playing for anyone who asks. As a result, twelve-hour train rides became extended jam sessions, we were invited to traditional weddings, and at one point, I was playing three shows a week simply because I had played a song for a friendly stranger at the right place and the right time. Wherever we went, we were able to form instant community
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with people who wanted to make and hear music, overcoming language and cultural barriers. No press releases, no networking and usually no rehearsals. With two days’ notice, we did a show for hundreds of listeners as the full moon rose above the Arabian Sea in Goa, with a seven-piece band representing seven different countries. It may not have been the tightest show, but it was one of the most memorable. In Cambodia, we wanted to volunteer to teach English with the Cambodia Orphan Fund, but when the Director saw the guitar, we were asked to share music with a community where musicians had been targeted and murdered decades earlier in the Khmer Rouge genocide. We sang and wrote songs with children at a local orphanage and created new memories for life. Ten years earlier in Australia, my guitar also led the way. I met so many people after a month of backpacking and singing, that
when I planned my first North American tour later that year, many of the performances were set up and hosted by people I had met along those travels. On that tour, a little kid saw my guitar on a bus and asked me to play a song. An impromptu song session and singa-long ensued, leading to two more gigs in Washington and Idaho. Now that I am back home, I feel refreshed, inspired and grateful. We had a wonderful trip and without intending to work at all, I am coming home having played over thirty shows in four countries, with new songs, an invigorated appreciation for the gift of music and a community of new friends around the world. Play an instrument? Don’t leave home without it.
2009 OCFF YOUTH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM by Erin Barnhardt We are now soliciting apand professionals to develop plications for our annual Youth skills, and also to integrate into Mentorship Program, which will the folk and roots music comtake place at the 2009 OCFF munity. Conference in Ottawa, ON. The The OCFF offers two OCFF Youth Advisory Commitstreams within the Youth Mentee has been working together torship Program, Performance to guide the programming of and Festival. The Performance the Youth Program, including Pro g r a m i s g e a re d t o w a rd s special workshops and collabyoung musicians, whereas the orative opportunities. Festival Program offers mentor The OCFF Youth Program ship for youth interested in the takes place during the OCFF various non-per formance asannual conference, and is a pects of festival production (i.e. way of incorporating young artistic direction, production, people into the delegation, as stage management, marketing, the future generation of music etc.). We will be accepting five makers, performers, presenters applicants for each stream. and festival personnel. This pro The OCFF Youth Program fessional development program has become a quintessential elcombines one-on-one interaction ement of the OCFF conference, with a professional musician, and we hope that you are able to dedicated youth wor kshops help to promote this important and a youth showcase at the initiative. Please spread the conference. It is an exceptional word to youth in your commuopportunity for emerging artists nity!
“My overall experience of the Youth Mentoring program was fantastic. I’m glad that my first time at the OCFF was as amazing as it was, and I would love to go back. Suzie Vinnick was a per fect match for the mentoring, and I’m glad that we were put together. The showcase itself was incredible. The vibe that was in that room was nothing but positive, and all of the youth were super talented!” - Samantha Schultz, 2008 Youth Program participant If you are interested in applying for the Youth Program or require any further information, please contact the OCFF office at 1-866-292-6233. Complete program details and application forms can be found on the Conference page of our website, www.ocff.ca.
A New Feature Over the years, the covers of Folk Prints have featured a lot of great photos. One of our members recently suggested that we should include some sort of explanation of the cover photo in each issue, as a lot of other publications do. She was inquiring specifically about the cover our Winter 2009 issue (pictured at left), so we thought we’d start with that explanation: Art Beat participants Sue and Dwight Peters performing at a local Ottawa school in October, 2008. In this issue, and all subsequent issues, the explanation of the cover photo can be found in the masthead, under the Table of Contents.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
by Dan Greenwood This spring the OCFF is embarking on an exciting initiative, the development of our first Strategic Plan. This project is vital to the OCFF’s future and we need your help. Everyone has their own interpretation of strategy. When we use strategy it means high-level guiding principles that will for the next 3 to 5 years help us get where we want to go as an organization. The essential elements of strategic planning include three elements: vision, mission and strategies. Vision defines where an organization wants to go, a destination. Mission is a statement about what an entity does. Strategies are high-level guiding principles that flow through to action. Linked to an organization’s strategies are the products and/or services it delivers, sometimes called operational activities. Let’s consider an example of a guitar manufacturer. This company’s mission could be to manufacture acoustic guitars, while its vision could be to be the preeminent mass market manufacturer of acoustic guitars worldwide by 2012. An independent luthier might have a similar mission, but have a very different
vision, for example to have the top finger-style guitarists in the world playing her/his instruments. Why does the OCFF need a strategic plan? An old adage provides the answer: If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you’ve arrived? A strategic plan makes it clear what you do (mission) and your destination (vision), while the guiding principles (strategies) translate into action. A strategic plan is a roadmap to get you to your destination and a mechanism to measure your progress. Once a strategic plan is developed the work isn’t over. Next you need to align the organization’s dayto-day activities to its strategies. This could mean changing what is offered, initiating new, or curtailing current products or services. Another important component of this post-development work is a periodic strategic plan review which asks if strategic plan change is required. Should the vision, mission or strategies be revised to reflect today’s reality? Finally, when a strategic planning process is mature, undertaking periodic measurements of progress against your strategic objectives is important.
We are starting the journey to create an OCFF Strategic Plan and this includes gathering input from OCFF members, employees and the Board. In a membership based service organization like the OCFF, it is critical to get member input. The OCFF membership input will be gathered primarily through a questionnaire that we are asking every OCFF member to complete. In addition to this, we will be interviewing a sample of the OCFF members to gain further insight into the future direction of the OCFF. Your input is absolutely critical to developing a complete and thorough OCFF Strategic Plan. Please take the time to complete this questionnaire and return it by the deadline. This is your organization and your chance to be heard.
Calling All Writers Do you have a story that you want to share with
our readers? Is there an issue that you feel needs addressing? We welcome submissions (500 words or fewer) and photos. While we cannot guarantee that all submissions will be published, we will read everything that is sent to us. Please send submissions in text format only, and send low-res versions of any photos that you think might be appropriate accompaniments to your piece. *If you have an idea for a longer piece, please contact the office and speak to the OCFF’s Executive Director, Peter MacDonald.
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AN AGENCY PERSPECTIVE ON THE OCFF CONFERENCE by Ted Crouch Standing outside a downtown Ottawa hotel on Sunday afternoon, we compared notes one more time and talked about the showcases that left an impression on us. We agreed this conference met all our expectations – great music, good people, lots of fun and many good reasons to return. Showcase after showcase, meeting after meeting, OCFF provides an important venue for ar tists, ar tistic directors, managers, agents and other industry professionals to gather and exchange ideas for future opportunities. From an agency perspective, attending the last three conferences has convinced me that this event offers great value and
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opportunity on both the national and international stage. There is much learning and relationship-building that takes place in addition to enjoying all the fine music that is everywhere during the weekend. It is an enriching experience from the opening night welcome and performances, morning and afternoon workshops and educational sessions, to the official and late night private showcases. With participation involving international representatives, ar tists have benefitted from their showcases, leading to interest and bookings beyond Canada. It is much about being a participant and learning about many other great services provided in support of the in-
dustry. I spent a precious few moments with many different people throughout the weekend, including those wanting to book an artist, an artist looking for representation and a publicist. At conference wrap up, I reviewed my notes and realized I would have lots of work to keep me busy once I returned home. The taxi came and my new friends from Germany and I bade each other farewell after attending another amazing weekend at OCFF. I joined my group from Montreal, Austin and British Columbia and we drove up to Wakefield to catch another evening of live music. And so it goes‌the journey continues.
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