Thousands come out for Folk
Organizers laud performers, volunteers and attendees who helped make festival happen
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Michelle Thomson says her love of music and dance made attending Folk on the Rocks this past weekend come close to a spiritual experience.
Brad Barrr of the Barr Brothers performs in the Beer Gardens. - Robin Grant/NNSL photo
Yellowknife throat singers Kayley Inukshuk Mackay, left, and Hovak Johnston, left, perform Sunday evening in the Beer Gardens. - RobinGrant/NNSL photo |
"It's nice to have a safe outlet to just lose yourself in music," she said. "I think it is an amazing experience. It's not a spiritual experience, but it's up there."
Her positive feelings about the festival which just celebrated its 36th year reflect how many people attending the event felt.
Harrison Roberts praised the unique line up of bands and artists.
"I think it was great. I really liked The Barr Brothers. I thought they were really interesting," he said. "Really interesting bands up this year."
On the other side of things, organizers said the music festival ran smoothly.
"It went really well. It was a really successful year," said Ashley Makohoniuk, vice-president of the Folk on the Rocks board of directors.
"We had a lot of really great compliments from people, including the artists themselves, while they were on stage and while we were speaking with them before they left."
This year, Folk on the Rocks featured A Tribe Called Red, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Slowcoaster, The Barr Brothers, Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Young Mic, a hip-hop artist born and raised in Yellowknife and Lauren Mann.
The artists themselves also had high praise for how Folk on the Rocks was run.
Tim "2oolman" Hill of A Tribe Called Red described the experience positively.
"This is my first time in Yellowknife. And everybody is just beautiful. The hospitality has been amazing. Everyone's been looking after us. You can't even lift a finger without someone wanting to help us out in any way," he said.
Festival volunteer Danielle Wendehorst worked during the day and attended the performances with her friends at night.
"It's my first year in the beer garden too so I am able to listen to really good music," she said. "There's a lot of variety. A lot of folk. And then we also have some techno. So it's good."
Her favourite bands were A Tribe Called Red and Lemon Bucket Orkestra.
"(Lemon Bucket Orkestra) was really interactive with the audience. Like they jumped on the picnic tables. It was great."
Although the weather was mostly beautiful, smoky skies did put a crimp on things for at least one performer. Michael Lewis Johnson, one of the trumpet players for Toronto-based Lemon Bucket Orkestra, said backstage Sunday night that the band's brass section had trouble in the smoky air.
"There are six horn players in our band and on Friday night we were trying to play and we were short of breath. We were having a hard time because the smoke in the air was so thick," Lewis Johnson said.
"You come up here and this is a reality. There's a beautiful fire pit but we can't sit around singing songs around the campfire because there are no fires allowed."
Final ticket sales for Folk on the Rocks had not been tabulated before press time but Makohoniuk said the board anticipated approximately 2,500 visitors to the festival per day.
- with files from John McFadden
