With the power out in my office downtown, there is little to do but pine for the glorious weekend ahead. Starting on Friday night, two equally exciting music festivals will kick off their festivities in the GVRD. The Fusion Festival, in Surrey, and the Vancouver Folk Music Festival will both run from July 18 until the 20th, with each showcasing an exceptional spread of local and international talent.
Vancouver’s veteran music festival is in its 31st year, and offers a solid line up that combines music legends like Madagascar Slim with bright new talent, including Halifax darling Jenn Grant. With so much talent to take in, and so many stages to visit, the festival experience can prove daunting. For this reason, I strongly recommend attending the workshop components of the festival. During these sessions, a handful of musicians collaborate on stage in a free jam. These musical forums allow participants to deviate from their usual set lists, and show their skills.
In addition to the full schedule of workshops on Saturday and Sunday, I’ve compiled my personal picks for this year’s Folk Music Festival below.
Friday:
Aimee Mann 8:00 pm
Saturday:
Eneida Marta 10:00 am
Jason Collett 12:30 pm
Pascale Picard Band 1:45 pm
Sunday:
Luther Wright 12:00 pm
Harry Manx and Kevin Breit 1:15 pm
Surrey’s Fusion Festival took me by surprise when it announced a solid lineup of multicultural music and performances. It seems that the city of Surrey has been crowned the Cultural Capital of Canada for 2008, and that this music festival is a part of the celebration inherent. While it saddens me that this is not a yearly event, I look forward to attending this year’s free festivities.
In embracing diversity, the festival includes many cooking demonstrations, and hosts an international pavilion for patrons to explore. While the global feel of this event excites me, I am even more impressed by the number of local artists that the festival has invited to participate. Fusion Festival will be a great place to make acquaintances with emergent Vancouver talent. I tried to balance local and international artists in my picks for this festival.
Friday:
Fresh Groove 6:30 pm
A-Slam 8:00 pm
Saturday:
Nathan 6:50 pm
The Chieftains 8:30 pm
Sunday:
Delhi2Dublin 4:30 pm
Jully Black 7:00 pm
For tickets, and more information on the artists, visit the festival websites.
And remember, festivals are more fun when you take public transit or bike (because no one wants to be in a traffic jam after a day of beautiful music).
SIMILAR POSTS:
PREVIOUS POSTS: « BRUKOUT! | MAIN PAGE | Aug 2nd - Phreshvibe presents: Sex Wax at Wild Coyote »
