Folk Music Fest’s lineup
It’s official. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is open for business. Tickets are now on sale.This past Wednesday, music producer Terry Wickham announced the 2018 lineup boasting 66 musical artists performing on a main stage and side stages.
The festival, which runs Aug. 9 to 12 at Gallagher Park, headlines several big international names: Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Decemberists, Neko Case, Regina Spektor and Lord Huron as well as Michael Franti & Spearhead.
“If I look at the lineup for the past three or four years, we’ve had consistently good headliners. This one is one of our best ever,” said festival producer Terry Wickham.
“There’s a lot of depth in the lineup. There’s gospel, blues, blue grass, country. There’s a band from Australia. One from the United Kingdom.”
Ry Cooder, a multi-instrumentalist known for his slide guitar prowess, has just released a new record and is back to entertain fans.
Direct from Los Angeles comes Los Cafeteros supplying Afro-Mexican beats while Alabama’s Anderson East introduces his growling R & B.
Melbourne’s Tash Sultana is part of the new generation of dynamic artists making homemade videos that garner tens of millions of views while Tinariwen are poet-guitarists and soul rebels expressing the aspirations of people from the Southern Sahara desert.
“Our reach is more global. We’re particularly strong in Africa and we’re strong in Celtic groups. It’s like a buffet,” Wickham said.
On a side note, The Celtic group StepCrew now performing at the International Festival of the Arts, is also slated to entertain at the music festival.
A four-day pass is $189. Children under 12 get in free. Single tickets for youth and seniors are $22. Single tickets for Thursday and Friday are $65 and Saturday is $75. Visit www.ticketmaster.ca.
Tickets can also be purchased directly at the festival office, 10115 – 97A Ave, with no service charge.
Axe Music Farewell Tour
After 38 years of support and teaching live music in Edmonton, Axe Music Edmonton is having a farewell tour fundraiser at St. Albert’s Bourbon Room on Sunday, June 3 at 3 p.m.“All ticket sales will go to the Rock ‘n Roll Society of Edmonton’s children’s foundation to support young kids that want to learn music,” said Bourbon Room owner Paul Ballach.
To book a seat visit www.bourbonroomstalbert.com.
