Remember last month when I introduced you to our team of writers who were covering the July folk festivals? Well guess what, folks. We’re doing it all again this month!
As I write this, Tom Coxworth is banging out a write-up on the Canmore Folk Fest for us, and there are two more weekends of festivals after that.
The moose can hardly believe how many cool people stepped forward to help us cover them for you.
Please give these folks a round of applause and watch for their dispatches in the coming weeks!
Alison Corbett – Summerfolk, Owen Sound, Ont.
Alison Corbett is a musician, songwriter, educator and freelance writer. Alison earned degrees in music, education, and ethnomusicology in her hometown of St. John’s, NL and has played fiddle with a number of Canadian singer-songwriters. Alison currently resides on the shores of the Arctic Ocean in Cambridge Bay, NU with her husband and son and their dog, Sadie.
Tom Coxworth – Canmore Folk Festival
Tom Coxworth needs no introduction. As the host of Folk Routes on Alberta’s CKUA Radio, he’s helped build the careers of virtually every notable roots musician in Canada for the past 25 years. And before that, he spent a decade hosting In the Tradition with Andy Donnelly on CJSR in Alberta. Tom is a past board member of CJSR, the Edmonton Folk Festival, the Calgary Folk Music Festival, and Folk Alliance Canada (now Folk Music Canada). He won the Spirit of Folk Award from Folk Alliance in 2015, and he is a lifetime member of the Edmonton Folk Festival. Tom hits about 10 festivals every summer, and we’re thrilled he agreed to cover one for us!
Annette Donaghy – The Edmonton Folk Festival
My name is Annette Donaghy, and I was born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, moving here when I was six years old. I was brought up the “Irish way,” as my dad calls it, listening to Irish music on the record player. Like many Irish families, our family gatherings almost always ended up including music at some point in the evening (even though none of us can hold a note or know all the words to every song). Some of those songs bring laughter and others tears thinking of those no longer with us and missing the family still in Ireland. I’m looking forward to heading out to listen to great music where ever that may be.
Heather Kitching and Veronica Kovacs – The Live from the Rock Folk Festival, Red Rock, Ont., and the Trout Forest Music Festival, Ear Falls, Ont.
Heather Kitching – Hey! That’s me! I’m the managing editor of Roots Music Canada, and after publishing everyone else’s dispatches from festivals, I can’t wait to get out there and see some music myself. I’ve been working with roots artists for more than 20 years in music industry sales, marketing and publicity. Most recently, I spent more than 10 years running an independent publicity company. These days, when I’m not posting about roots music, I’m usually making radio, mostly for the CBC.
As for Veronica, the moose was in rut, and she was what he brought home one day. We decided to keep her because she was freeloading anyhow, and it turns out, she’s a great photographer and has a knack for social media, and she really loves music. Veronica lives for the outdoors – fishing, berry picking, hiking, camping – so she’s perfect for covering festivals. She also makes a mean home-made jam, so she’s pretty popular around here.
Elizabeth Szekeres – The Sutton Fiddle Festival
Elizabeth has worn many hats over her career: urban planner, Montessori school administrator, mother of four amazing offspring, and writer. It seems to her that writing was really what she was put on this planet to do, and she was delighted when Heather put out her call for writers for Roots Music Canada. Elizabeth has been a huge fan of traditional music for many years and co-wrote several very successful songs about quirky bits of Canadian history with various members of the band Tanglefoot, who she met on an island in Georgian Bay 25 years ago. Today, she relishes being able to attend music camps and folk festivals, especially in Quebec, and can’t wait for the next new band to come to her attention
