The Edmonton Folk Festival has a celestial lineup that includes some of Canada’s most decorated – Feist, John Butler Trio, Bruce Cockburn and Loreena McKennit.
The sold-out festival running August 8 to 11 in Edmonton’s valley-shaped Gallagher Park also spotlights up and comers making solid headway in the industry.
Fort Saskatchewan raised Joe Nolan, 23, now living in Edmonton, makes a triumphant return after his 2012 breakthrough year and phenomenal success of his first full-length CD Goodbye Cinderella.
Recorded under the guiding hand of legendary music producer Colin Linden of Blackie & The Rodeo Kings fame, it garnered Nolan a Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination as Best New Emerging Artist.
Not bad for an artist who just four years ago was honing his chops at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market.
Nolan first played at the festival several years ago as part of U-22, a development program for young artists where he sang three songs. This time around he’ll be doing four workshop concerts on different stages.
“For me it’s always been my dream to play at the Edmonton Folk Festival. I played before with U-22, but this time I was booked under my own name. It feels so cool to be hired under your own name,” says Nolan with more than few notes of pride in his sensitive voice.
Back in February, Nolan flew to Nashville to record a second album with Linden titled Tornado. It is slated for a European release under the Rootsy label in late September. Once all the details are smoothed out, it will be released in Canada in either October 2013 or January 2014.
“It was two years from the first to the second album. The songs are better, more mature. We’ve made some cool choices,” says Nolan. He adds that although his music retains its original bluesy vibe, there’s also more of a rock feel to some songs.
“My melodies are key to the songs. I still play solo and I’m still a folk singer.”
Like his first album, Tornado was recorded at Nashville’s famed recording studio The Rendering Plant, a charming old residential house retrofitted as a music studio.
Linden opted to record on analog creating an “analog warmth” many musicians feel is superior to the compressed digital format.
“It was so cool. We would record to two-inch tapes for about 30 minutes and then dump it in Pro Tools. If we didn’t get it right away, we had to take it, rewind and try again.”
But the extra work paid off. Interest in Nolan’s music jumped to 170 shows in 2012 including a tour of Scandinavia.
“We did 24 shows in 26 days and it was interesting to see if I could make it through. Mostly you had to keep your health in check and not lose your voice. But I also learned to keep my passport in my pocket and my guitar on my back.”
The past two years has been a series of adventures, and the folk festival is without a doubt a special chapter in his life.
“It’s a dream. I’ve been going since I was a kid. It’s one of the most prestigious festivals in Canada, and for me to be included is amazing.”
Nolan performs Friday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. on Stage 7; Saturday, Aug. 10 at 12 p.m. on Stage 1 and 4:30 p.m. on Stage 6; and Sunday, Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. on Stage 6.
