Related show

• Artist: Winter Roots and Blues Round Up
• Date: Thursday, February 23rd 2012 - Sunday, February 26th 2012
• City: Winter Roots and Blues Round Up in Edmonton
• Venue: Around Town
• Country: CA
• Buy tickets
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John Prine: an intimate evening with one of America’s finest songwriters

For immediate release

Edmonton (February 9, 2012) – American legend John Prine returns to Edmonton for a special performance on the Winspear stage playing hits from his storied forty-year career.

This concert marks Prine’s third appearance in Edmonton in the last four years. This time he returns promoting his new release The Singing Mailman Delivers, a two-disc archival set featuring his earliest studio and live recordings dating back to 1970, one year before his debut album.

Prine’s roots began on the stage playing nights in Chicago bars, while delivering mail by day. After catching the eye of Kris Kristofferson he was offered a recording contract and his music career took off. His impeccable songwriting has earned him praise from such icons as Bob Dylan, Roger Waters and Johnny Cash.

His respected musicianship and songwriting ability translates to his live performances. Prine’s concerts are akin to seeing a great storyteller, he mesmerizes with his humble poetry, describing everyday life in ways that few can.

With 22 albums to his name Prine has received many accolades including two Grammys and the distinction of being one of the few songwriters honoured by the Library of Congress and the U.S. Poet Laureate.

Tickets for this intimate evening are available Friday, February 10, 2012 at 10:00 am and range from $51.50 – $61.50 plus applicable service charges. Additional information is available from the Winspear Centre Box Office at (780) 428-1414, toll free 1-800-563-5081 or online at WinspearCentre.com.

And don’t forget – also coming up at the Winspear:

2011-12 Winspear Presents

Hear dynamic artists from around the world in the incredible acoustics of the Winspear Centre!

Monday, April 9, 2012, 8:00 pm
Soweto Gospel Choir
Winspear Presents 2011-12
The acclaimed Soweto Gospel Choir returns to the Winspear Centre with a dazzling and energetic performance!

Thursday, April 19, 2012, 8:00 pm
Joel Plaskett Emergency with Special Guest Frank Turner
Winspear Presents 2011-12
The Scrappy Happiness Tour

Friday, April 20, 2012, 8:00 pm
Pavlo
Winspear Presents 2011-12
Pavlo brings his Mediterranean sound to the Winspear Centre for an exciting and inspiring evening of world music.
For more information and to buy tickets visit:  The Winspear Presents

Sunday February 19th – The Haven Social Club
Fundraising Event

The Haven has been not-for-profit venue hosting wonderful talent from Edmonton and across the country for almost three years and has established a name for itself as one of the best small venues to play in Canada.  We are having our Winter fundraiser and could use all the support of those who can make it to this event.  It falls on February 19th, the Sunday of the Family Day long weekend and there are two parts to the fundraiser.  First, in the afternoon, there will be a silent auction with musical performances by Joe Nolan, James Murdoch, Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire, and Jay Gilday as they share the stage, playing in-the-round.  This will be followed by a short break for final bids on the silent auction after which F&M will take the stage.   Doors are at 1:00pm, show starts at 2:00pm, and this event is free.

Later that day, the second half of our Winter Fundraiser is a booty-shaker featuring Juno-nominee Souljah Fyah, Boogie Patrol, The Canyon Rose Outfit, Scantily Clad & the Well Dressed Men, and Dead Cat Bounce.  This show is a celebration of dance and is a $10 minimum donation.

We will have the auction items on the website one week prior to the fundraiser so feel to check them out at www.thehavensocialclub.com.  Please share this information with anyone who cherishes the arts in our community.    This challenging year has left us in a position where we need to bring together those who are passionate about The Haven, understand what it means to this industry, and keep us in a position to be a place where musicians can be assured that music is first and foremost in our focus.

Stay Tuned for more festival announcements coming soon….

“Celebration of the Life of Colin Lay”

Tuesday January 31, 2:00 pm
Westlawn Funeral Home
10132 163 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5P 4X3
(780) 489-1602
http://www.westlawnmemorial.com
(an obituary for Colin will be posted at this website shortly)

2012 Message from the Producer
Festival bookings are coming along nicely, as you can see below. I was very pleased with the improvements to our festival in 2011, such as high def screens and the elimination of Stage 4, leading to a huge reduction in the amount of sound bleed between Stages 3-5.

Our staff and board are working through policies and procedures relating to June 1 ticket sales, ticket pricing and fine-tuning all our systems. Due to the problems with out phone system on June 1 last year we oversold by an average of 900 tickets per day, we will be decreasing attendance in 2012.

The other large part of the growth of numbers on site, is in the number of seniors attending. Over the past 10 years this number has grown by 400-500% and this is obviously not sustainable if the festival is to continue to thrive and remain comfortable for all. We have a working idea as to how to address this. There will be no change in our policy of free admission for seniors in 2012, but look for changes in this policy at the 2013 festival.

I am honoured to continue to work for our festival and I think the best is yet to come.
Terry Wickham [ Producer ]

Artists that are confirmed for the 2012 Edmonton Folk Music Festival include:

Dougie McLean is one of Scotland’s most successful, respected and popular musicians. From his home base in Scotland, MacLean tours the world with his unique blend of lyrical, ‘roots based’ songwriting and instrumental composition.

Arrested Development – Two-time Grammy award winning hip-hop group, true trailblazers in hip-hop. Since 1991 they’ve championed fresh sounds, spreading unique hip-hop around the world, including a successful stop at the 2009 Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Martyn Joseph – A festival favourite with shades of Springsteen, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews, he stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives.

Dry Bones – Leonard Podolak, Nathan Rogers and J.D. Edwards, all Winnipeg artists, and each a success in their own ensemble or career, have united to perform as DRy Bones. “One moment Dry Bones sounds like a traditional jug band and then shifts and becomes the arousing herald of today’s acoustic rock and roll.”

Geoff Berner – An evening spent with Geoff Berner’s music is, in the words of the good Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, “a wild combination of menace, madness, and genius… fragmented coherence that wreaks havoc on the mind of any listener.” – Vue Weekly, Edmonton

David Bromberg – Contstantly bending musical genres, he’s played with everyone, he’s toured everywhere, he can lead a raucous big band or hold an audience silent with a solo acoustic blues.

Andrea House – A singer with a penchant for melody whose writing floats beautifully between the hits of Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday, Willie Nelson and Irving Berlin, Allison Krauss and Norah Jones. Whether the influence is obvious or ambiguous, the focus is clear: this is a impassioned voice reminiscent of the great singers of the 1940’s and 1950’s telling stories of depth and meaning.

Wool on Wolves is a band; pure and simple. They’re musicians who hold a genuine belief that music has the ability to move beyond speakers and headphones to truly encapsulate the human experience. Each member of the group is a multi-instrumentalist, well-educated in classic and modern musical aesthetics and with tastes as diverse as their University degrees, the band aims to write and perform material that is fresh yet familiar at the same time.

Rory Block -  Heralded as “a living landmark” (Berkeley Express), “a national treasure” (Guitar Extra), and “one of the greatest living acoustic blues artists” (Blues Revue), Rory Block has committed her life and her career to preserving the Delta blues tradition and bringing it to life for 21st century audiences around the world. “Some of the most singular and affecting Country Blues anyone, man or woman, black or white, old or young, has cut in recent years.” Rolling Stone

Oscar Lopez - Never afraid to venture into different genres, Lopez easily incorporates jazz, blues, and even pop sensibilities into his music. But one thing remains constant: letting the passion and fire within his soul loose through his fingertips and onto the guitar strings. His deep commitment to his art has earned Lopez two Juno awards, critics praise, and thousands of devoted fans who have filled theaters across the continent to experience his amazing performances first hand.

…plus 50 more to be announced.

2012 Festival General Information

The 2012 Edmonton Folk Music Festival will take place on August 9 – 12.
Tickets will go on sale June 1st.

Stay tuned for further info and changes for the 2012 festival.

Craft and Concession vendor applications for 2012 will be available on the website as of January 12th. Deadlines for application are: Concessions – March 23rd; Crafts – April 12th (NOON).

Coming Events around Edmonton:

The Winspear Presents:

April 9th, 2012

The acclaimed Soweto Gospel Choir returns to the Winspear Centre with a dazzling and energetic performance!  “..songs calculated to go straight to the heart, sung with that joyous sense of celebration and exuberance that only black South African choirs seem capable of achieving.” West Australian, Perth

April 19th, 2012

Joel Plaskett Emergency – The Scrappy Happiness Tour.
It should come as no surprise that the multi-talented and always unpredictable Joel Plaskett is taking a unique approach to the launch of his next record.  Starting on January 10th, Plaskett and his band, The Emergency, will record and digitally release a song a week for 10 weeks. Plaskett is shaking up the standard process of recording and releasing, harkening back to the ’50′s and ’60′s when songs went from the studio to radio to the public very quickly. A physical version of the full record, Scrappy Happiness will be released to retail on March 27th and will be followed by a tour – this tour arrives in Edmonton on April 19th, with a show at the Winspear Centre.

April 20th, 2012

Pavlo brings his Mediterranean sound to the Winspear Centre for an exciting and inspiring evening of world music.

For tickets and info for the Winspear Presents shows follow the link: http://www.winspearcentre.com/winspear-presents-series/2011-12-winspear-presents/

November 14th
The Once at The Artery
7:30
A big hit at the 2011 festival, Newfoundland’s The Once will be crossing the country for a series of intimate POP UP shows. These surprise concerts are in celebration of the new release “Row Upon Row of the People They Know” – special shows indeed! Smaller, intimate settings will highlight these amazing voices.
Tickets still available at the Artery: http://theartery.ca/

November 18 and 19th
Chris Trapper charmed festival audiences in 2010 with his delightful songwriting and is travelling through to celebrate his new CD: The Few and the Far Between.
The Blue Chair
http://bluechair.ca/events/chris-trapper/

Jill Barber at the Myer Horowitz
November 22
Celebrating the release of her fourth album, Mischievous Moon. Jill Barber charms her audiences while weaving a romantic spell. Indeed, romance plays a huge role in both her life and her art. “Chances represented the courtship phase of my career”, she muses. “With Mischievous Moon, we’re getting intimate. The romance is alive and well, but there’s something deeper to be uncovered.”
http://primeboxoffice.com/concert/tickets.aspx/jill-barber/Edmonton/432

Popular Edmonton traditions….

The Carol Project

Featuring Bill Bourne, Maria Dunn, Dale Ladouceur, Terry Morrison and many more, this musical retelling of the Christmas Carol story has become an Alberta holiday tradition. Don’t miss it!

http://www.carolproject.com/

The McDades

Candlelight Christmas at the John Walter Museum.

This wonderful evening offers Christmas enchantment with Celtic music and live performances by the award-winning McDade Family in a historical setting. Experience 2 45 minute musical performances in a pioneer home. During intermission, enjoy hot apple cider or hot chocolate and try some fresh home baking.

A mug of apple cider, creaking boardwalks and lights reflecting off the snow create a magical atmosphere for the evening!

John Walter Museum is located at the bottom of Walterdale Hill and Queen Elizabeth Park Roads, on the north side of the Kinsmen Sports Centre parking lot.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call 311 (outside of Edmonton 780 442-5311)

http://yeglive.ca/events/the-mcdades/dec-10-2010/john-walter-museum

There have been many great festivals in our 32 year history, but I feel our 2011 festival has set a new standard for us to reach in future years.

Once again we dodged severe weather. Yes, enough rain on Saturday night to remind us of how fortunate we have been in recent memory, but we dodged 80 km an hour winds and hailstorms.

I was very pleased with the freshness and energy of Mainstage, while the sessions, on the whole, were very special. The site changes worked well and we will continue to fine tune and improve our systems.

We may move to larger tents on stages on Stages 1, 3 and 6 and feature an enhanced sound system on Stage 6, along with other minor tweaks.

We face some decisions. Tickets will go on sale on June 1st but it will not be business as usual. The Folk festival will no longer sell tickets on the phone, though Ticketmaster will. We will concentrate on in person sales at 8am and on line sales at 10 am. Ticketmaster will do on line, in person and phone sales starting at 10am, in sync with the festival’s on line sales.  In person limits have been reduced to 6 weekend passes of any kind. The online maximum is 4 weekend passes. Decisions on the # of weekend passes vs evening tickets have not been made.

The last time we counted the number of seniors it was just over 200. On Sunday, 1025 seniors attended. The demographic shift is evident and growing.

Once again there were no serious incidents to report, thank you.

Meanwhile, if you want to rekindle some folk festival spirit, check out the Jennifer Warnes/Eric Bibb concert at the Winspear on September 11th, or the Colin Hay/Iris DeMent concert, also at the Winspear on Sunday, October 23

It remains an honour  and my great fortune to work on behalf of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Terry Wickham [ Producer ]

Festival Office Hours

The Festival office is open 9:30 – 5:00 Monday through Friday.

We will be closed from August 29 to September 6th.

Lost and Found

There is still quite a large amount of stuff in our lost and found from the festival. The best bet – if you lost an item, and are able to drop by, please do so. Or give us a call (780-429-1899) and we’ll check for you. Lost and Found items will be kept until the end of September and will then be donated or disposed of.

Early Bird Prizes:
Outdoor Adventure Package #09940
Silver Tarp #07035

Main Draw Prizes:
4th Prize Home Audio System and iPod Touch #09881
3rd Prize Party Prize Package #11689
2nd Prize Sky Suite Package #03966
1st Prize Guild Guitar #10484
Special Draw Golden Tarp Prize Package #08962

*Note: All winners have been contacted.

If you lost an item, give us a call.

Keep in mind that lost and found collection continues over the course of the next week as the site gets cleaned up,  so just because it’s not here today, that doesn’t mean it won’t show up.

Check out our new Flickr site here:

EDMONTON FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011 PHOTO PAGE