Folk Prints Winter 2009 by Folk Music Ontario

fOLK mUSIC MEETS THE SUPER 8 l

COLLEEN PETERSON SONGWRITING AWARD

YOUTH MENtorship: WHO'S TEACHING WHO?

Winter 2009

We support Folk Festivals because we have great taste. We're proud sponsors of: Calgary Folk Festival Canmore Folk Music Festival Dawson City Folk Music Festival Edmonton Folk Festival Folk on the Rocks, Yellowknife, NWT Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Ottawa Folk Music Festival Peterborough Folk Festival Regina Folk Festival Stewart Park Festival Sunfest in London Winnipeg Folk Festival

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Table of Contents President’s Voice . ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Director’s Message.................................................................................................................... 5 OCFF Board Nominations......................................................................................................................... 6 The OCFF In Memphis............................................................................................................................... 6 History of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award.................................................................................. 7 New Members............................................................................................................................................ 8 Making Films with Grade Sixes at Holy Cross Catholic School................................................................ 9 Canadian Music Week Discounted Registration Rates........................................................................... 11 Youth Mentorship: Who’s Teaching Who?................................................................................................ 12 Chansons du Fond du Coeur 2008......................................................................................................... 13 Some Changes at the Heart of Things.................................................................................................... 13 Conference Steering Committee Plans.................................................................................................... 16 Greening of the OCFF.............................................................................................................................. 17

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 Phone: 1-866-292-6233 or 613-560-5997 Fax: 613-560-2001 info@ocff.ca www.ocff.ca **NEW** Mailing address: 508-B Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1R 5P1 Printing and layout by Orion Printing Cover photo by David Wiewel Deadline for Future Editions May 1 – Spring/Summer September 1 – Fall (conference program) December 15 – Winter

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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 Fall/Conference issue. 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

Little did I know when I joined the OCFF over a dozen years ago that I would one day be its President! I feel truly honoured to have been elected to this position and look forward to its challenges. My first two years on the Board have been enormously rewarding. This is one of the strongest Boards in the history of the OCFF, populated with a bunch of really smart and dedicated people with an enormous range of experience and wisdom. I would like to particularly welcome the three new Directors who were elected at this year’s conference: Dan Greenwood, Tamara Kater and Larry LeBlanc.

They are already demonstrating why they deserved your support at the polls as they join a team of individuals that truly cares about the organization and is fully engaged in its future. I would also like to acknowledge the enormous contributions of those Directors who left our ranks in the past year. Heartfelt thanks to Aengus Finnan, Peter MacDonald and Karen Flanagan McCarthy, the former President, Treasurer and Secretary. I will be forever grateful to these three for helping to lay the firm foundation upon which the OCFF can move forward to become even better. Thanks also to Suba Sankaran, who gave us two years on the Board, but had to leave to attend to an exploding career. Our best wishes for continued success go out to her. Tina DesRoches was appointed by the Board to complete Suba’s term as the Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee. Thanks, Tina and welcome! Speaking of Peter MacDonald, after resigning from the Board last October, he successfully pursued the position of Executive Director. As the head of the E. D. Search Committee, I can only say that I’m delighted he did! As our new Executive

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

by Paul Mills Director, Peter is already making an enormous impact. I know that he and the Board will make a great team. So now what? As the New Year unfolds, you will be hearing more from me and others about the future of the OCFF. The time has come for us to take a close look at what we do and how we do it, with a view to making some significant changes. In the coming year, your Board and staff will be conducting a fundamental strategic review to determine how we can better serve you, the membership, and we’ll be seeking your input in various ways: surveys, Maplepost discussions, and face-to-face meetings. Our annual conference is still the single biggest thing we do and we want to ensure that it continues to grow and improve, but we also need to look at improving and increasing the services we provide throughout the year. I would ask each of you to think about what you would like the OCFF to do for you as a festival, organization or individual member. Along with Dan Greenwood, the Chair of our newly-formed Strategic Planning Committee, I look forward to the challenge of pulling all of this input together and helping to make the OCFF everything you want it to be.

Executive director’s message - First, we listen by Peter MacDonald Swirling around us are harbingers of doom and gloom, ready to pounce and steal our sense of hope and vitality: a financial crisis, war, climate change and political instability. We see arts funding cuts, transit strikes (this is written in Ottawa on day 45 with no end in sight...), and Canada’s winter weather – all trying to beat us down and keep us caged. As individuals, it seems as though we can’t do much to effect change, though we do try, don’t we? Yet we persevere and find methods to cope, modify, conquer and succeed. What is it about us, the members of the OCFF, which makes us more resilient than the average person? We listen. We act. We never stop trying to make things better. Others share those traits but I propose that because we do so in the crucible of our festival-related activities we are able to see a brighter, more hopeful future on every horizon. What could be more of a litmus test of character, talent and personal energy than working, nearly always as a volunteer, to improve the lot of our communities by spreading music, dance, crafts, visual arts, hospitality and creativity to those who need hope or at least diversion, for a day, a weekend or a week or more? For those of us lucky enough to make a living in the Arts, as performers, administrators, suppliers or service organization staff, the rewards go far beyond a somewhat dependable pay cheque. Since starting in this position in November, I have come to work each day fully aware that my place in this world exists as a “luxury” – I work so that others can play. If I do my job well,

then OCFF members will feel better-supported and they will put smiles on faces and increase the cultural richness of our communities. How can we, together, make the OCFF better able to meet these challenges? We must ask hard questions about what we do and how we do it. We must engage one another in substantive, genuine and empathetic dialogue. We must be eager to hear constructive criticism. Then, we can deliberate about our present and our future without fear of recrimination and we’ll once again realize that our challenges are similar, often only changed in relative terms by the size of our events. Isn’t that how this organization began in 1986? In recent meetings with OCFF funders, we were praised for the breadth of our offerings as an Arts Services Organization, and in the same breath encouraged to do more for our members. The OCFF staff held a two-day retreat during which we did no retreating! We held a magnifying glass to our activities and came away convinced that we can do more. The OCFF Board has embarked on a Strategic Planning process that will involve mem-

bers at every step. We have begun face-to-face consultations with members, and they are already yielding significant results, with more meetings being planned. The coming year will be one of challenge, dialogue and exciting renewal. There are festival-goers whose lives will be forever altered by the amazing experiences they have at festivals in 2009. Volunteers will be exhausted, then rejuvenated. Organizers will be reminded of the reasons they do what they do. The folk and roots community will be enriched in more ways than we can possibly imagine. But first, we listen.

HAVE YOU MOVED..? …or has your contact information changed? Please take a moment to send us your new details, either 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!

Ocff board nominations by Jan Vanderhorst The Board of Directors of the OCFF is looking to fill 4 Director positions for the 2009-2010 year. Directors are elected by the membership via advanced balloting during the summer and live balloting at the annual conference. The Board is responsible for creating the OCFF’s policies, for fundraising, and for strategic planning. The Executive Director reports to the Board; the Board is in turn responsible to the membership. To this end, we are seeking nominees to the Board possessing skills in some or all of the following areas: Fundraising, Communications, Marketing/Public Relations, Finances and Policy, Procedure and Governance. Directors of the OCFF commit to a 3-year term with the Board. During that time each Board member is expected to chair a committee of the Board, sit on an additional committee and may also be considered for a position on the Executive Committee.

L-R: Paul Mills, Candace Shaw, Larry LeBlanc, Richard Flohil, Tamara Kater, Dan Greenwood, Jan Vanderhorst, Dan Kershaw, Paul Loewenberg, Tina DesRoches, Nicole Rochefort, Dennis Landry, Aengus Finnan, Peter MacDonald. Missing: Ellen Hamilton

If you know someone who would be a candidate for a position on the OCFF Board of Directors please encourage them to stand for election to the Board. You may nominate yourself if you feel you are a qualified candidate. A primer entitled “What to Expect If You’re Elected” can be sent to anyone thinking about serving the membership in this important capacity. Nominations can be received in one of three ways: 1. From individual members 2. From the Nominating Committee

The ocff in memphis The OCFF is pleased to be presenting our annual Ontario artist showcase at the 21st annual Folk Alliance conference in Memphis, TN. The OCFF showcase will take place on Friday, February 20th from 6:00pm – 10:30pm in the Natchez Room at the Memphis Marriott, and will feature: • Carlos del Junco & The Blues Mongrels • Madison Violet • The Creaking Tree String Quartet • Lynn Miles • DALA

3. Expressions of interest from individual members In all cases, the nominating form on the OCFF website must be completed and submitted on or before July 15, 2009. All nominees will be reviewed by the Board and a final slate of candidates will be proposed to the membership for election. Please consider this matter carefully. This is your chance to help shape the country’s foremost advocate for the folk, roots and traditional community.

by Erin Barnhardt

• Treasa Levasseur We would also like to congratulate The Funky Mamas, Enoch Kent, Ken Whiteley and Lee Harvey Osmond for securing Performance Alley showcases at this year’s Folk Alliance conference. The OCFF will once again be partnering with other Canadian music industry associations to deliver the Pan-Canadian Initiative (PCI) at the Folk Alliance conference. The OCFF, Folquébec, ECMA, Manitoba Music, MusicYukon and Folk Alliance Canada will be hosting

a networking reception, creating cohesive promotional materials and supporting the Canadian folk and roots music industry in Memphis. The PCI will also be working closely with the Sweet Beaver Suite, which will be back at the Folk Alliance conference this year. We are pleased to be able to support Ontario artists while in Memphis as we will be representing them in the Canadian Corridor of the Exhibit Hall, so if you are in Memphis, please stop by!

History of the colleen peterson songwriting award by Chris MacLean I was out stacking wood on a somewhat grey drizzly day this past September when my portable phone rang. I reluctantly answered (breaking the nice rhythm I had going). It was Myles Warren from the Ontario Arts Council calling to tell me that I was this year’s recipient of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award. The news just about took my breath away. In the next hours my thoughts raced. Wow! What a fantastic honour! What an amazing irony! Hey, we’re both Peterborough girls! It was seven years ago at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec that my friend and fellow songwriter Laura Bird and I were sharing the stage. I backed Laura on Colleen’s song ‘Delaney’; she’d introduced the song with a little info about Colleen and what a great songwriter she was. Coincidentally, Richard Patterson, Colleen’s old friend and former drummer, was in the audience. After the show, Richard and Laura chatted about their mutual admiration for Colleen, and Richard had lots of anecdotes about playing and touring with her. On the way back to my place, Laura commented that she wished someone would do something to recognize Colleen’s contribution to Canadian music and keep her memory alive. She tossed about the idea – the dream – that perhaps there should be a songwriting award in Colleen’s name. We talked about it some more at my kitchen table, but little did I know Laura would devote almost the whole next year to establishing the award, working in tandem with Col-

leen’s sister, Shirley Richardson. Together they raised $20,000, afterward negotiating with the Ontario Arts Council to take over management of the award. In October 2002, they organized a fundraiser concert at Hugh’s Room in Toronto as a tribute to Colleen. I was honoured to participate in the show that also featured Quartette’s Sylvia Tyson, Caitlin Hanford, Cindy Church and Gwen Swick, Colleen’s songwriting partner Nancy Simmonds, Georgette Fry, Katherine Wheatley, Suzie Vinnick, Laura Bird, Rebecca Campbell and Tannis Slimmon. The all-star backup band consisted of Anne Lindsay, Wendell Ferguson and David Woodhead. A day or so before the gig, many of us gathered at Shirley’s house for a practice. Shirley said it was great to have musicians in the house again - that the event

was healing for her. Colleen’s Mom and several other members of her family attended the concert and enjoyed the tribute. The first Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award was given out in 2003, to Evalyn Parry. Subsequent years’ winners include David Gillis, Lori Cullen & Brian MacMillan, Andy Sheppard and Brooke Miller. My award-winning song, ‘Feet Be Still’, was inspired by the emails I received from Oliver Schroer last winter: those heartfelt missives he sent many friends, students and fans about his journey to the end of his life. In June, about a week before he died, I visited Oliver at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and played ‘Feet Be Still’ for him. He approved. Thank you Colleen, thank you Oliver, thank you Laura and Shirley! Thank you judges, Ontario Arts Council and OCFF!

2008 ART BEAT PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS The OCFF would like to thank the following artists for devoting their time and energy during the 2008 OCFF Conference to the Art Beat Program: Laura Bird Pixie Cram Lindsay Ferguson Drew Gonsalves Melissa Greener Linda Grenier Jason Laprade Jay Linden Chris MacLean Rozalind MacPhail Dan McKinnon Tiiu Millistver

Derek Olive Rosemary Phelan Brian Sanderson Sheesham and Lotus Tannis Slimmon Kuljit Sodhi Charlie Sohmer Sue and Dwight David Tilston Ed Winacott The Choirgirlz The Undesirables

NEW MEMBERS WINTER 2009 The OCFF welcomes the following new Members who joined us since the last issue of Folk Prints. New Individual Members ONTARIO Coco Love Alcorn, Toronto Katherine Babiuk, Brampton Alex Bordokas, Toronto Martin Cooper, Owen Sound Grier Coppins, Highland Grove Ken Dow, Owen Sound Christophe Elie, Ottawa Robert Fenton, Toronto Terry Gillespie, Vankleek Hill Shamus Hannah, Cobourg Peter Howlett, Guelph Peter Katz, Toronto Grit Laskin, Toronto Ellen Long, Toronto Jack Marks, Claremont Marvin Miller, Ottawa Stacy Ricker, Toronto

Christina Rieder, Toronto Donné Roberts, Toronto Daniel Sky, Toronto Diane Vezina, Toronto Jake Willis, Guelph New Organizational Members Amnesty International, Ottawa Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Association, Ottawa Click Track Audio Inc., Ottawa Poor Angus, Hamilton New Out-of-Province Individual Members Norma MacDonald, Halifax, NS Tatiana Nemchin, Gatineau, QC Mickey Quase, Halifax, NS Andrew Smith, Kelowna, BC

New Out-of-Province Associate Organizational Members Indica Records/Iguana Management, Montréal, QC The OCFF Board of Directors and Staff have been reviewing the requirements for membership in the OCFF. Effective immediately, all out-of-province Organizational Members will be classified as “Associate Organizational Members” and will become 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 state that organizations must be Ontario-based.

MAKING FILMS WITH GRADE SIXES AT HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC SCHOOL by Pixie Cram It was an overcast week in early October when I went to Holy Cross School, near Mooney’s Bay, to teach several grade six students how to make films using super-8. I was greeted by Mr. Dundin, the grade 5/6 teacher, and Brian Sanderson, who had spent the morning teaching folk songs that the students would later be singing along to, while their films were projected at the OCFF conference. I taught in the afternoons that week, while Brian did music in the mornings. Brian stayed with me throughout the first afternoon, assisting with discipline. The somewhat unruly group certainly didn’t lack enthusiasm about the project. By mid-week, I had separated the 12 students into two groups, and they were focusing on their storyboards. I had managed to teach them some new concepts: film gauge, persistence of vision, high angle, medium-shot, terms which they were beginning to use. Shooting day was Thursday of that week, and we worked from mid-morning until 3 pm, when the bell rang. The location for our outdoor shoot was the yard behind the school. We had every kind of weather that day - rain, snow, sun, clear and cloudy skies. The light kept changing. And it was very, very cold. I had brought a bag of extra mitts, hats and scarves because production days can be long. The groups had organized themselves for the shoot, bringing with them cardboard boxes and other small props to use in the films. One boy, Connor,

brought a bag of rocks from his yard specially chosen to use as props in some of the shots. In the afternoon, in my haste to get ready between groups, I realized I had forgotten to load the camera, and when I revealed this to the group, who were already four shots into their production, the reaction was utter relief. “Hooray!” they exclaimed. “We get to do it again and not look like such goofs!” Not what I had expected. The students had a peace about the process, a confidence in playing at this new experience, as they stepped into the roles of camera person, director, and actor. They were experienced at playing, after all, a fine quality for filmmakers. Where they did show vulnerability was over the outcome of the films. “What if I screw up?” a few of them asked me over the course of the day. “You

can’t screw up,” I kept repeating, “We’re just experimenting here.” Their delight in being on a film crew was clear. The young camera operators showed a maturity that belied their age. It was fun to watch them transform and grow serious about their task. The ones that enjoyed being in front of the camera shone. The natural directors came forward and demonstrated leadership. And they all worked hard. Arguing eventually gave way to cooperation, and then joy in what they had created. These moments were captured in the two black and white films that the grade six students made - all in-camera edited. A film was made for each of the songs that they performed at the OCFF conference - Bob Snyder’s Parkette and Hawksley Workman’s A Moth is Not a Butterfly.

CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK DISCOUNTED REGISTRATION RATES Canadian Music Week (CMW) is coming up on March 11-14, 2009 in Toronto, ON. CMW is Canada’s largest and most influential media and music conference. As a result of our partnership with CMW, OCFF members have been offered a special discounted rate of 30% off advance registrations. There are two different badges available to delegates: • The DIGITAL MUSIC & MEDIA (DMS) Badge (Limited Capacity) includes access to all DMS seminars, 3 days of CMW Executive Music, Radio Active & TuneUp seminars, exhibits, festival showcases and Delegate Bag PLUS DMS Keynote Lunch, Global Forum Breakfast, Canadian Radio Music Awards Luncheon. The discounted rate for this badge is $626.50 (full value of $995.00, for a savings of $368.50). • The EXECUTIVE MUSIC BADGE includes access to 3 days of CMW Executive Music, Radio Active and TuneUp seminars, exhibits, festival

showcases and Delegate Bag. The discounted rate for this badge is $486.50 (full value of $795.00, for a savings of $308.50). To take advantage of these reduced rates, please contact the OCFF to receive your discounted registration form or online discount code. For more information, including confirmed speakers, performers and scheduled events, please visit www. cmw.net for up-to-the-minute announcements and details.

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Youth mentorship: who’s teaching who? Being asked to be a mentor to Kaia Kater Hurst for the OCFF weekend was a surprise. I was shocked and honoured to be asked. Suddenly i felt like a grownup…and then like a little kid. Kaia, Lotus Wight and I spent a great weekend making music, talking music and performance and thinking quietly together about life as musicians. We walked, ate food, listened to other folks talk about their experiences, looked for some light at the end of tunnels, made music, listened to other musos making music, ate more food, played more tunes. We all had a lot to learn from each other, some directly through music, and much to do with just being. We attended workshops which dealt with “the industry”, which all three of us found helpful but also quite daunting. Kaia is a fantastic young musician, but was about to sell her banjo on the spot. It is good to hear about how to promote yourself, how to behave on stage and what a person’s career has been like, but maybe not to the point where the young musicians feel like they ought give it up and do something else.

by Teilhard Frost

Or maybe that is what we need, a shocking look at the huge world of the “music INDUSTRY”, testing you, tempting you to run but then forcing you to discover that you want to stay and face it. I reckon the truth is that it is a difficult road, no matter who or what you are. It is also a road with high points of ecstasy and bliss. Through the process of these mentorships you go through all the emotional ups and downs and come out with a little more clarity in the end. Tempered. Kaia arrived the morning of the showcase looking calm and beautiful, casual and refined. She expressed her concern with not being very funny and wondered what she would talk about with the people. As we watched the other performers, we elbowed each other and rolled our eyes in amazement. Were we crazy to get up there and play our old fiddles and banjos? Well, we performed our pieces and shared a bit about what our weekend had been like and we had a lot of fun doing it. And the people let us know they enjoyed it too. Kaia already has a few festivals lined up for next summer, with only more to come.

WE’RE MOVING… …but not too far. After five years at the Florence and Bank location, the OCFF is making a move to Gladstone and Lyon, a few blocks away. Our new office space is a storefront location, which will make visits from you, our members, more convenient. Please feel free to stop by and say hello any time after March 1, when we will officially take up residence in our new home. Our new address is: 508-B Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1R 5P1 Our phone numbers will remain the same 613-560-5997 and 1-866-292-6233 (toll free) Fax: 613-560-2001

CHANSONS DU FOND DU COEUR 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 French winner for 2008 was Amélie Lefebvre. The lyrics of her award-winning song are presented below. Le concours Chansons du fond du coeur du CFFO met en valeur le talent des auteurs-compositeurs de l’Ontario et permet à ses gagnants de présenter leurs créations aux présentateurs de festivals. Annuellement, un gagnant en anglais et un en français reçoivent le prix Étoiles Galaxie de Radio-Canada. La gagnante francophone en 2008 fut Amélie Lefebvre. Les paroles de

by Amélie Lefebvre

sa chanson primée vous sont présentés ici:

Je t’attends (A. Lefebvre)

Je compte les heures les minutes les millièmes de secondes quand je t’attends Et comme un cerf-volant qui se fait emporter Je virevolte de bas en haut Quand Je t’attends Et toutes les secondes de temps s’entendent pour s’arrêter, - elles figent Je fonds dans mes pensées jusqu’au moment où je te reverrai Quand Je t’attends Je t’attends, je t’attends, je t’attends, je t’attends… Comme tant de gens aux portes du port de l’aéro avec leurs chariots Ils recoivent sacs et valises sont prêts à vous couvrir de bises

Ils ouvrent grand les bras pour accueillir leurs amours, amis et familles Je t’attends, je t’attends, je t’attends, je t’attends… Mon cœur débat à l’idée de te revoir Après tant de temps de temps de temps de temps de tendresse Tu seras là, près de moi C’est enivrant, c’est boulversant C’est ce qu’il y a de plus affolant Et au fond de moi J’aimerais bien mieux si c’était toi qui m’attendais Mon souffle est coupé court J’ai cru t’apercevoir Mon cœur me joue des tours Tic tac tic tac tic tac tic tac Je t’attends, je t’attends je t’attends, je t’attends

SOME CHANGES AT THE HEART OF THINGS The OCFF is pleased to welcome Galaxie – The Continuous Music Network of the CBC – back as the major sponsor of the 2009 Songs From the Heart Competition. Due to budget cuts, Galaxie’s sponsorship is lower than in previous years, but we’re just glad that they see the OCFF’s songwriting competition as an important investment in the creators of music in Ontario. Two awards will be given, one each to the best French and English songwriters, from the submissions received. The “sub-categories” are taking a hiatus this year, and will be considered again for future editions of the competition. Go to the OCFF website to download the application or go “green” and submit an application online via Sonicbids (www.sonicbids.com).

Start thinking about who you would like to nominate for this year’s Estelle Klein Award! Nominations will open in the Spring. 13

CONFERENCE STEERING COMMITTEE PLANS by Dan Kershaw the other side of our gathering, it’s time to build on the foundation of stuff that really worked, tweak the things that need tweaking, and set aside the things that didn’t work or were unnecessary. To that end, a newly constituted CSC is already at work on reviewing this year’s survey results and consulting festival members and others regarding next October. Joining Paul Mills, Jennifer Fornelli and Erin Barnhardt on the committee this year are incoming ED Peter MacDonald and Richard Flohil. Also aboard is Carolyn Bigley from the Georgian Bay Folk Music Society (a.k.a. Summerfolk), whose experience as a festival administrator and past president of both the OCFF and Folk Alliance will no doubt be invaluable. Looking ahead, I see the CSC becoming more active in planning and organizing the sprawl of private late night showcasing for the benefit of all involved, perhaps through ‘ownership’

of the inventory of music floor rooms. And now that the festival stream is established, I see us developing more structured and info-laden offerings in those sessions. We’re also going to be able to deliver session topics and content to you much earlier than in past years (our target is mid-May). Perhaps most importantly, we’ll be programming that content in the context of a 3-year conference plan, and eventually an overall strategic plan for the organization. Here’s where you guys come in. Talk to us. Fire off an email to info@ocff.ca, or to any of us personally. Or kick it around on Maplepost. Even if you ultimately think your idea is a nonstarter, express it, because aside from the fact that it opens lines of communication, you have no idea how valuable these thoughts are in getting the synapses firing among us committee members about, say, a similar but more doable idea that we’ve come across. And in the context of a three year plan, these seeds planted now may well bear fruit.

Photo by David Wiewel

In midwinter a not-so-young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of OCFF conferences past and future. Although my tenth conference overall, the 2008 edition was my first as a member of the newly-minted Conference Steering Committee (CSC). The CSC was formed last year to engage members of the OCFF board in long-range planning for the event, and to make them more directly responsible for what goes down at what is, by a long mile, the single biggest “deliverable” that our organization is tasked with. In last summer’s edition of Folk Prints, I outlined the changes that were born of the ’07 conference survey and “Future of the OCFF” session: increasing profile and programming for festivals, organizing panels into 3 streams, providing fewer but more in-depth sessions, not programming against the exhibit hall, making better use of the Sunday, and helping to “green” the conference via the “Flash Your Folk” initiative and other measures. Now that we’re on

GREENING OF THE OCFF

I believe it was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “We must be the change we wish to see.” Small positive changes can lead to great impacts. It is with this in mind that the OCFF Board formed its first Green Committee in 2008. These dedicated and environmentally conscious individuals worked together to make recommendations on reducing the organization’s environmental footprint, particularly at the OCFF conference. Waste reduction is a key component to reducing your environmental impact and the Green committee focused on this as a starting point. The replacement of plastic water bottles with the OCFF stainless steel

by Tina DesRoches

bottles played an integral role in the conference waste reduction plan. The committee also attempted to set some guidelines for the number of promotional posters for the private showcases. The Green Committee will continue to work on waste reduction and new ideas to implement in 2009. One example is a Carbon Tree Planting program that would offset the carbon footprint resulting from delegate travel to the OCFF Conference, along with the potential for a “Green” incentive program for festivals. The committee would like to start compiling information to compose a Green Festival Guide. This guide would start by offering listings of socially respon-

sible suppliers that can provide festivals and venues with locally produced, and/or fair-trade, environmentally friendly products. As you can see, the Green Committee is committed to making a difference, but we can’t do this alone! We need the help of volunteers and sponsors to put our plans into action. If you are interested in sitting on the committee or volunteering on one of the initiatives mentioned above, please contact us; we’d love to hear from you. Please contact grassrootsontour@yahoo.ca if you are interested in volunteering or have an idea for a Green initiative. Together we can be the change that we want to see in the world.

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Booking Roots Music Engrained in our DNA

LTA Showcases at Folk Alliance 2009 Lynn Miles • Steve Poltz • Alana Levandoski • Lindsay Jane • Carlos del Junco Visit us at Folk Alliance in Memphis, February 18 - 22 LiveTourArtists.com 24