With only hours to go until the kickoff of the 28th annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, diehard folkies are practicing the 300-yard run from the gate to the big stage (cuz it’s important to get your blanket as close to the main stage as possible), while others are stuffing their backpacks with all of the required items for a comfortable Folk Festival — tarpaulin for the ground, large colourful blanket, change of clothes, lots of sunscreen, hat, water bottle, and fresh fruit, among myriad other necessary items.
Media coverage of the Folk Festival is also underway. Vancouver Courier Arts Editor Fiona Hughes suggests in her piece on the Folk Fest that “the programmers are determined to broaden their audience base,” while Courier staff writer Cheryl Rossi covers the volunteer perspective.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Straight’s eminence grise and longtime Folk Fest aficionado, Alexander Varty, chimes in with the Straight’s feature, front-cover article on the Fest, a 1500-word piece titled Spoken Folk, as well as a piece on Bill Bourne and Eivør Pálsdóttir. Kevin Howes writes about Buck 65, who will play on the main stage Friday night.
The Straight’s Tony Montague interviews Scottish singer Julie Fowlis (a member of Dòchas, five young women and one male percussionist who will perform music from the western isles of Scotland at this year’s folk fest, with a Stage 1 concert this Saturday, July 16), as well as politically-minded Texas troubadour Eliza Gilkyson and Karan Casey, one of the great Irish women singers of our time. And, what self-respecting Folk Festival can truly call itself a roots festival without the inclusion of a little Dobro music?

Of the many festivals that take place in Vancouver each year, there is no more salutary and restorative festival than the annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, this year celebrating its 28th anniversary.
The 2005 Folk Festival lineup not only includes evening concerts from the likes of Iris DeMent, Leslie Feist (here’s a recent concert review) and Sarah Harmer (in The Tyee), but daytime site stage collaborative concerts, with such intriguing appellations as Reely Good Tunes, Harmony is Bliss, Expectations and the Blues, Grrrls With Guitars, and On My Way Home.
Update: In an article published in The Tyee, Vancouver Folk Music Festival artistic director Dugg Simpson discusses “music, community and social change”, the theme of this year’s Fest. And, for those who just can’t wait for the festivities to commence, The Tyee also offers this fetching pictorial. There’s also this pic of the evening stage, from the audience perspective.
In this summer with no summer (although the temperature outside is not too bad, a hot, sunny summer has been all but absent this year on Canada’s west coast), click here for the Jericho Beach webcam (Jericho Beach being the place where the Folk Fest is being held later this week).
Adult advance tickets for the three day festival are $125, or $40 for Friday evening, and $60 for the full day for each of Saturday and Sunday. Weekend student tickets are $75, while those 13 – 18 pay $65; weekend tickets for children 3 – 12 years of age are $15. Seniors’ weekend tickets are $25. In Vancouver, tickets are available at Zulu Records on West 4th Avenue, Highlife Records on Commercial Drive, Boomtown Import Record and Discs on Burrard Street (one block south of Davie), or at the Festival office located at 1113 – 207 West Hastings (at Cambie), and at the gate.

Oliver Schroer, Kelly Joe Phelps and other on workshop Stage 2

Well, here it is the first full day of the 27th annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, following a fabulous first, Friday evening series of concerts (here and here), with Janis Ian and Mercan Dede as particular standouts.
Coming up on the main stage tonight, B.C.’s own The Bills (formerly The Bill Hilly Band) and Bruce Cockburn, while this afternoon, it’ll be one workshop after another, on any one of the seven stages.
Well, back I go to the Festival to catch Ellen McIlwaine, Po’Girl, Utah Phillips, Martyn Joseph, Odetta, and so many more fine artists.

VanRamblings will be taking a well-deserved break (at least, we think so) from posting regular features, news of the world, and such, to attend the glorious, magnificent, awe-inspiring, musically transcendent, and just generally joyful and peaceful 27th annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival.
Upon entering the grounds, adjacent to Jericho Beach (this is the view at sunset), we’ll locate a space in front of the main stage and await the arrival of the performers, including tonight: the Warsaw Village Band, Janis Ian, and renowned Québec cellist Jorane, among a host of others.
Posting will be sporadic on VanRamblings over the Folk Festival weekend, but will return with regular features on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!