Different strokes for different folks
Ottawa Folk Festival celebrates its 16th year
BLUESFEST MIGHT BE over, but that doesn’t mean that festival season is finished in Ottawa. August will give way to the Ottawa Folk Festival, a weekend of international bands coming together to expose Ottawa to the world of folk music.
“It’s a really unique experience,” said festival director Dylan Griffith. “It’s [a] chance to see some stellar artists in a really intimate environment.”
Although this will be his first year directing the Ottawa Folk Festival, Griffith isn’t new to the scene by any means; he directed the Dawson City Music Festival in the Yukon for five years.
“They’re very different events,” described Griffith, who cited the festival’s size as the major difference. “[But] at the same time, at their root, they’re both community festivals. It’s about reaching out to the community, engaging them, and creating a dialogue.”
Folk is Griffith’s favourite music genre, as he says he gets the most authentic experience from it.
“Folk music [is the opposite of] music made for monetary gain and for commercial purposes. [That music is] a very manufactured product, as opposed to expression of feeling, thought, and ideas,” he explained.
These expressions will be seen over the course of three days, as bands from Russia, Wales, England, and all over Canada come to perform. One of these is Ottawa-based band The Musettes. Although the band’s singer and guitarist, Rachel Harrison, attended the festival last year, this will be The Musettes’ first time playing .
“The festival itself is a really great atmosphere to be in,” said Harrison, who met her band mates, Laura Inostroza and Meaghen LaGrandeur while studying vocal music at Canterbury High School’s arts program in Ottawa.
“I love folk and I think it’s [a] kind of universal music.”
“Folk music is the oldest type of music,” she continued. “Bob Dylan actually made it [popular]. The whole 60s era was the one that put folk in the spotlight. Instead of fizzling out, I think it kind of infiltrated other genres.”
Folk might not be as mainstream as rap or rock, but there’s no denying that Ottawa has a large folk following.
“We’re looking at about 10,000 [people] over the course of the weekend,” stated Griffith. “There’s a really strong community. We’ve [also] got great partners, like the Ottawa Folklore Centre.”
Harrison has also noticed the numbers of folk supporters in Ottawa have increased since last year, and thinks that the festival is growing with its supporters.
“I think it has the potential to grow into a larger festival.” said Harrison.
Although the festival has seen its numbers rise, something that might keep concert-goers at home could be people’s distaste for the word “folk.” Harrison expressed that because of the stigma often associated with the word—that it’s an outdated form of music—many people are missing out on a dynamic musical style.
“Because folk has had such an influence on mainstream music, I think [that there’s something for everyone],” said Harrison. “If you like indie [music], you will like folk. People would be surprised at how much they’d like folk if they gave it a chance.”
Whether you want to enjoy music or learn it, the festival will keep you entertained: sessions to play music with the festival musicians, as well as learning how to play instruments, are both a part of this weekend.
“The Ottawa Folklore Centre is running a great series of educational music workshops, so we’re encouraging people who play music to bring their instruments and play,” said Griffith. “Even if you don’t [own an instrument], [at] a lot of these workshops there will be instruments available, so you can just join in and learn how to play the ukelele, noseflute, etc.”
“There’s something for everyone,” said Griffith. “Obviously, the main focus is on the music, but there are all kinds of activities going on in the park. There’s storytelling, there [are] artisans, there’s the food fair, [and] there’s a whole range of children’s programming and activities. It’s the overall experience that is incredibly rich.” f
The Ottawa Folk Festival will take place Aug. 13–15 at Britannia Park. Weekend tickets for youth aged 16–25 are $49. For more information, visit ottawafolk.org
