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Fresh air, antique
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Fans of roots music, rejoice! It’s the second annual Folk Festival on the Canal, a fete of country, bluegrass, straight-up folk and various pop mutations thereof, starring some of Montreal’s finest musical talent. And Joel Plaskett! Yes, Nova Scotia’s boy done good, the onetime indie rocker and present-day pop lobber, will play this year’s fest, alongside versatile bluesman Michael Jerome Browne, A/C singer-songwriter David Martel, folk songstress Anique Granger, pop-folk noir band the Darling DeMaes, your neighbourhood country singer Li’l Andy, female folk ensemble Ladies of the Canyon, bluegrass combo Yonder Hill, folk rocker Dany Placard, lord of the strings Guy Donis, eclectic folkie Matt Stern and, coming at the genre from another angle entirely, klezmer-hip hop-pop fusionist Socalled. The all-day, rain-or-shine event is a co-presentation of Hyperbole Music, the Centre St-Ambroise/McAuslan Brewing and Hello Darlin’ Productions, whose head honcho Matt Large explains this year’s special features. “Besides bringing in the best artists we can, we have concentrated on better food and more entertainment options for families and kids,” he says. “We are pleased to be offering substantially expanded food options. We have attempted to source all our food from local producers and businesses, and as such will present a rib and salmon hut featuring Quebec-produced pork, corn, coleslaw and grilled salmon. Food stands will also be operated by Burritoville, Ben and Jerry’s and Tim Horton’s, and we will feature fruit and vegetables from a local market.”
And there’s more good news for those hauling offspring: the expanded kids’ entertainment area promises a variety of games and activities, including two “bouncy castles,” plus two performers booked specifically for tykes, including Max Comeau. Such details are key to the festival’s organizers, who were emboldened by the unexpected success of last year’s inaugural edition and hope to grow the event at a conservative pace every year, for the sake of music and pleasant times. “The joy for us is to see musicians and audience co-mingle on our beautiful site, eating good food and enjoying good beer,” says Large. “The music business can be cynical, and we have managed to produce a really enjoyable and inclusive event. I am certain we will exceed our expectations again this year and we truly hope we have done everything possible to make it a no-brainer for the Montreal music fan. We want to see people out in droves.” AT TERRASSE ST-AMBROISE (5080 |
