Three online festivals this month that you don’t want to miss
The last couple of weeks have been a depressing time for fans and festival organizers alike as one summer folk festival after another has announced its cancellation due to COVID-19. Suddenly, those musical celebrations of togetherness that we look forward to every summer have become a health hazard here in the new normal. But, as expected, the arts community is starting to organize to bring us together online. Home Routes deserves credit for getting the ball rolling with the online folk festival it organized back in March. This month, there are at least three events for roots and world music fans to look forward to. So put a couple of deck chairs out on the patio, crack open a beverage, cook up your best food truck-style concoction, open up the laptop – with appropriate shading so you can see the screen in the sunlight, of course – and enjoy!
Small World at Home – May 7, starting at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT
Toronto’s esteemed promoter of world music is hosting a day-long showcase of global artists headlined by Juno nominee and Polaris Prize long-listee Kaia Kater. Other acts on the bill include Chilean-Canadian guitarist Karla Garcia, erhu (Chinese violin) player Amely Zhou, and table player Abbas Janmohamed, who combines tabla repertoire with elements of hip hip, jazz, electronica and soul. Especially for those outside of Toronto, who usually lack access to Small World’s wonderful array of shows, this is going to be a real treat.
Visit Small World Music on Facebook for more information.
The Social Distancing Festival – May 8, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT
Presented by URGNT and Music Together, the Social Distancing Festival features big names from a variety of genres, including world music Juno nominees Kobo Town and OKAN and veteran singer-songwriter Scott Merritt.
Find out more on the URGNT Facebook page.
Tkaronto Music Festival – May 15-17
Originally planned as an outdoor Indigenous music festival, the organizers have moved this event online for the May long weekend and will feature streams on Facebook and YouTube and the festival’s web site. Performers include A Tribe Called Red alumnus DJ NDN (Ian Campeau), Juno Award winning Anishinaabe blues rock duo Digging Roots, folk and country singer-songwriter William Prince, The Launch winner Logan Staats, Northwest Territories based Juno winner Leela Gilday, and the “Godfather of PowWowStep” DJ Shub. That’s quite a line-up!
Check out Tkaronto’s Facebook page or website for more information.
