Vancouver Folk Music Festival, 2008

July 18, 2008Folk Festival 2008, MusicRaymond Tomlin

Yes, twas the night before the 31st annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the creatures were (in fact) stirring and the volunteer staff of the Festival were hard at work putting the last-minute finishing touches on the 2008 edition of this most august and beautiful respite from the maddening world.
Over the course of the weekend, VanRamblings will post on the 31st annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival. In the interim, we’ll direct your attention to The Province’s Stuart Derdeyn’s introductory article on the Festival, the first ever directed by Linda Tanaka, the Festival‘s interim artistic director.
We’ll also point you toward this article in The Province about the “politically charged Michael Franti & Spearhead” and what he’ll bring to this year’s Fest. And, finally from The Province on the Thursday before the 2008 Festival commences, a reflection and an update on Spirit of the West, longtime folk favourites on the local scene in Vancouver and British Columbia.
The Georgia Straight’s Alex Varty finds his fine folk voice, once again, in a series of wonderfully written articles published in the July 17th edition of the Straight. In the Straight’s introductory article to the 2008 Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Varty interviews Kris Klaasen, a member of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival board that, earlier this year, dismissed longtime and much-missed Festival artistic director and Fest habitué, Dugg Simpson.

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Vancouver Radio Ratings, Spring 2008

July 16, 2008RadioRaymond Tomlin

In another ho-hum Bureau of Broadcast Measurement ratings book, radio in Vancouver continues in the listenership doldrums that has gripped the medium for the past decade and more. For all that, there is some provocative movement in this latest ratings book, ranging from a re-ascension of CKNW, to a new, august place for country music in the hearts, minds and ears of those resident in Metro Vancouver.
CKNW experienced its best ‘book’ in a couple of years, mostly due to the increased listenership brought in by mid-afternoon talk show host, Christy Clark. Even given the loss of the broadcast rights to the Vancouver Canucks and the BC Lions a couple of years back, CKNW continues to hold its own, even if it has the oldest (and continuing to age) audience among the fraternity of Vancouver over-the-air broadcast radio stations.
JRfm continues its ascendancy in the Vancouver radio listenership stakes, finding both a younger and more diverse audience, while 95 Crave — thanks to the appointment of programming genius, Brad Phillips, as General Manager / interim Program Director — incrementally increases its audience from book to book. The issue that Crave owner, Astral Media, has to address is what to do with perennial oldies loser, 650 CISL, which has languished near last place in the ratings for a number of years now.
Perhaps, when Jim Pattison shutters his oldies outlet, 600AM, later this year CISL will pick up some of its displaced, ever-aging audience.
In other news around the dial, Clear FM took a hit, dropping almost a full percentage point, probably due to the loss of Fred Latremouille in the morning and the failure of Charlee Morgan to find her own audience, while CBC 690 also took a somewhat unexplainable hit in the latter part of the spring. Otherwise, it’s pretty much same ‘ol, same ‘ol in Vancouver radio.

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Vancouver Municipal Election Candidates Coming Into Focus

July 12, 2008VancouverRaymond Tomlin

Catherine Evans David Eby Kerry Jang

Well, it looks as if the list of candidates for the fall municipal election is firming up somewhat. And, further, it looks as if any deal between COPE and Vision Vancouver may be out the window. What this would appear to mean for Vancouverites is that COPE and Vision will likely field full slates.
Of course, no deal between COPE and Vision means war between the two centre-left parties, and the likelihood of the NPA’s Peter Ladner running up the middle in his bid to gain the Mayor’s chair, as well as better prospects for incumbent NPA Councilors Suzanne Anton, Kim Capri and Elizabeth Ball.
In recent days, three, new high profile Vision Vancouver candidates — including Pivot Legal Society’s David Eby; president of the B.C. Society for Public Education, Catherine Evans; and UBC medical-school professor and eastside resident, Kerry Jang, have announced their bid for a Council seat.
Longtime politico Geoff Meggs announced for Vision some time ago.
The centrist Vision Vancouver civic party, then, would appear to be looking forward to running a full Council slate for the fall — made up of the four incumbents and, to date, four members who’ve announced (Andrea Reimer has yet to announce, and recently defeated Vision mayoral candidate, Allan De Genova, continues to be hotly pursued by Vision to run for Council, an entreaty to Mr. De Genova et famille destined for failure it would seem …).
A full Vision slate for Council leaves no room for any deal at all with COPE.
With significant contributions already in the kitty from some of the more progressive developers in our city, as well as monies from the gambling industry — with even more funds coming in from the better than 13,000 members of the nascent political party — Vision Vancouver will head into the fall municipal election with the most funding and the best chance to gain a majority on Vancouver City Council, come Saturday November 15th.
To date, in respect of COPE, former City Councilor Ellen Woodsworth has announced her intention to run for a COPE Council seat, this November. At the recent COPE AGM, former Board of Variance chair, Terry Martin, and former City Councilor, Tim Louis, announced intention to seek COPE Council nominations. COPE‘s 2008 Nominating Conference will be held at 2:30 p.m., on Sunday Sept 28, 2008, at the Ukrainian Auditorium, at 154 East 10 Ave, in Vancouver. Martin has not formally announced, thus there is no website available promoting his candidacy, while Tim Louis — who has announced — tells VanRamblings he will kick off his bid for Council in mid-to-late August
The big issue to be decided at COPE‘s nominating conference is whether the party runs a mayoral candidate against Vision’s Gregor Robertson. Should COPE decide to run a mayoral candidate — hardly a foregone conclusion — Vancouverites could very well see a majority Vision Council, and the slimy (yet photogenic) Peter Ladner in the Mayor’s chair. Not a happy prospect.

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Blazing The Trail For New, Young British Female Vocalists

July 8, 2008MusicRaymond Tomlin

Adele Kate Nash Duffy

In North America, the radio market is so balkanized that listeners are forced to listen — if they listen at all — to “narrow cast” radio stations, ranging from mainstream top 40 (Crave), rhythmic top 40 (The Beat) and classic rock (CFMI), to adult album alternative — generally referred to as Triple A — (the format of the three new Vancouver radio stations the CRTC recently awarded licenses to), modern rock (CFOX), country (JR FM), easy listening oldies and contemporary (QM and Clear FM), and mainstream rock (JACK FM), the latter a combination of ‘heritage’ and relatively modern ‘rock’.
Within these various strict radio formats, there’s not much room for eclecticism. Either a song fits the format or it doesn’t get played. Not so in England. Radio in Great Britain plays whatever is best, ranging from pop to blues, and jazz through hip-hop, from Busta Rhymes to Coldplay, from Ironik to Martha Wainwright, Goldfrapp, Elbow, Kid Rock and The Verve.
Ain’t no oversimplified compartmentalizing going on in British radio.
This summer young female British blues singer-songwriters are all the rage, including: Adele, Kate Nash, Duffy, Amy MacDonald, and Laura Marling. The relatively recent emergence, and popularity, of Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and KT Tunstall has created an opening for a new generation of British female vocalists, reflecting a new kind of “girl power” in Britain. The new young artists have gained recognition through their own MySpace sites, posting a whack of thrilling homemade music videos to YouTube, as well.

Of this new crop, Adele is VanRamblings’ favourite. Dubbed the “next Amy Winehouse” in late 2007, Adele has the most mature and expressive voice, and the greatest vocal range, of this new group of British female singers. Confessional, powerful, inspirational and just a bit melancholy, VanRamblings first caught Adele on late night David Letterman, and we were absolutely blown away.
Here’s Adele with Hometown Glory, a tribute to her home town, London, recorded months before she was signed to a label, and the début of 19. And here’s the official video of Chasing Pavements, the song she knocked out of the park on Letterman, gaining a whack of new fans in the process.
You may want to check out the remaining songs on 19: the exceedingly beautiful Daydreamer; the brutally honest, rocking Cold Shoulder; and, the lullaby-like First Love. We’ll leave you with Adele’s Make You Feel My Love.
After the jump, allow VanRamblings to introduce you to Kate Nash, and …

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