For one weekend every July, the Terminus Festival and Calgary Folk Music Festival simultaneously light up the city.
At first glance, the festivals couldn’t be more different; one takes place on a sunny island, the other inside a dark basement club. One is attended by flannel-clad hipsters, while goths in bondage gear frequent the other (try and figure out which is which). But in many ways, they align and even complement each other.
Together, Terminus and Folk Fest are Calgary in a nutshell. And both are bringing some kick-ass music to town.
Prince’s Island Party
The Calgary Folk Fest is a multi-day outdoor event featuring a diverse range of musical acts performing across several stages. Taking over Prince’s Island Park, the festival pitches itself as an experience rather than simply a setlist. They fill the space between stages with food trucks, a market, and an expansive beer garden, all while leaving enough green to lean on.
“A lot of people come for the first time and say, ‘I had no idea, because you can go see music all day long,’” says the festival’s artistic director Kerry Clarke. “You can take a break and throw a Frisbee, read a book under a tree, hang out in the beer garden area … It’s open, it’s flexible. There aren’t a lot of rules.”
While “folk” summons a particular mental image, it’s surprisingly difficult to narrow it down to one definition. This works to the Folk Festival’s advantage, as they’re able to define it to suit all different kinds of acts. Clarke sees “folk” as an overarching theme embodied by storytelling and a connection to the craft of music.
“People telling stories is important to us, but those stories can be told in a hip-hop fashion or a more folk fashion. They can be told from whatever culture you’re from,” says Clarke. “You’re going to see someone who’s playing their own instruments, and playing instrumentally strong … Having people come play their instruments, live without backing tracks, is pretty key to who we are.”
For attendees, Folk Fest is very self-driven: you decide what kind of festival you want out of it. Pack it full of live performances, take it as a floaty discovery experience, or select your favourite acts to bookend a day at the park. The lineup is varied enough to appeal to a wide range of audiences rather than a narrow folk crowd.
“At our festival, you could see people wearing the stereotypical Birkenstocks and something chill, or you could see someone wearing platform shoes. It’s really diverse and open,” says Clarke. “It’s people who are open-minded and people [who] are open-eared, and like lots of different genres of music. It’s also people [who] are adventurers and are into discovering. There isn’t one kind of person for us.”
One of Folk Fest’s most distinctive characteristics is the collaborative environment it fosters for the musicians performing at the festival. It’s often referred to affectionately as a kind of summer camp for musicians, as they naturally spend time together on the festival grounds themselves. Beyond off-the-clock time, the festival also pairs and matches musicians to play joint showcase sessions, wherein they experiment with each other’s music.
“It’s those moments where an artist turns around and you see the look on their face, because they’ve just had somebody add something incredible to what they do,” says Clarke. “It’s those magical moments that really stand out for me and that are really special.”
Folk Fest takes over Prince’s Island Park from July 24 to 27. Passes available at calgaryfolkfest.com.
Clarke’s Picks at Folk Fest
Originating from the UK in the 1970s, Cymande is a band that fuses funk and groovy rock with a blend of African and Caribbean sounds. Often sampled or cited as a source of inspiration, they’re foundational to our current sound lexicon and have only recently reunited.
“They took a bit of a hiatus, and they’re back… I’m super excited about that,” says Clarke.
Those who don’t recognize the name will recognize the song “Cold Little Heart” from his 2016 album Love & Hate as the theme for HBO’s Big Little Lies. Michael Kiwanuka is a man with a strong message and even more powerful voice.
“Michael Kiwanuka is a beautiful songwriter and really wonderful, so I’m personally excited about him,” says Clarke.
Bria Salmena made her name as the lead of the Canadian band FRIGS, and has performed regularly as a supporting vocalist to Orville Peck. As a solo artist, her voice packs a powerful punch.
“I discovered Bria Selmana recently as a solo artist. I really liked the band that she was in.”
