The host of Folk Routes on Alberta’s CKUA radio has been positively buzzing about this weekend’s Canadian Folk Music Awards events in Calgary.
The four-day event featured showcases by an array of big names in Canadian folk, roots and global music and the handing out of 22 awards in 21 categories.
We asked Tom to pick five highlights from the weekend’s activities. Here’s what he told us in his own words.
Terra Spencer and Stephen Fearing
Terra Spencer [shared] the stage with Stephen Fearing on her song “East to West,” which they wrote together. It’s the first time they were together on stage. It was wonderful and right after she won a Canadian Folk Music Award – I think English songwriter. You know, her performance and the performances of the whole evening [were] absolutely brilliant, but [she] just capped it off perfectly, her and Stephen on the stage.
John Wort Hannam and Forêt Marine cover Neil Young
John Wort Hannam [doing] “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young [with] Forêt Marine — she playing an auto harp and he playing on a guitar — [was] just, you know, another fabulous performance. The presence of Neil Young in the song and the presence of these two musicians that had only met a few hours before, she the Francophone voice of the evening and he the English voice of the evening and coming together in that one song — it was just the magic of the collective gathering that we had there, musicians meeting people for the first time and then to pull out a song that absolutely everybody knew made it quite exceptional.
The jam sessions
There was a pub called the … the Imperial Tap, which was less than a block away from the hotel. Those jam sessions had 40 and 50 musicians in them, piano, accordions, fiddles, guitars, bazookis, and artists from all over Canada just jamming away for hours and hours and hours … new friends and seasoned friends and friends we’ve never met before just joining together. Players from the various folk clubs were there like Bill Werthmann playing on bodhrán and guitar and singing Stan Rogers songs out loud, you know?
Cassie and Maggie
They invoked the Stan Rogers name [by] singing “Northwest Passage.” They also won for traditional Group of the Year. … And it was just fabulous to hear them bring out something like “Northwest Passage” and [be] very passionate about it. […] You know, there was a very nice balanced age range from the seniors of folk to the new people of folk there as well. You had Irish Millie and Jocelyn Pettit, plus other younger fiddle players and players that are joining in.
Aysanabee and Ahi
I have to say that they made new followers. They really really stood out as kind of the new wave of roots music … all sorts of people of all ages just really, really loved their performances and how connected they were and how much they had people singing along and loving their music. […] So real family, real community, and I think there’s been a bit of a leap forward when you have artists like Aysanabee and Ahi there as well, bringing a new vitality to folk and roots music.
