Although the weather played a few tricks on the crowd for the final day of 2012’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep away thousands of musicians and music lovers from around the world.
My main focus on Sunday morning was the Stage 2 workshop, This is What Solidarity Sounds Like. Ani DiFranco, Holly Near, Atomic Duo, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Martyn Joseph were all on stage, taking turns entertaining the crowd with their delightful music.
[Jaron Freeman Fox and the Opposite of Everything]
I’d circled several other music workshops and concerts in my program guide, but as usual, wound up on a discovery path that led me to new music gems, such as Stage 5’s midday Jaron Freeman Fox and the Opposite of Everything concert. This Ontario based group of talented musicians features BC-born Jaron, who grew up raised by hippies in the woods, later studying jazz, composition and classical music in Vancouver, before moving to Toronto.
[Jaron Freeman Fox and the Opposite of Everything]
[Jaron Freeman Fox and the Opposite of Everything]
[Jaron Freeman Fox and the Opposite of Everything]
Jaron’s got mad skills on the violin, and his bandmates fed his fuel. From a The Doors cover to Indian/Eastern-influenced jams, this group was enjoyed by an intimate audience and I’m sure we won’t hear the last of these guys, this being their Canadian festival circuit debut.
On towards Stage 6, where the Culture Club workshop was in full swing. Pretty much all corners of the globe were on stage, and although I was off to the side capturing images of the crowd, I couldn’t help but listen in on some great world music pouring off the stage.
I caught the last couple of songs from Stage 3’s I-5 Meets the 99 session, with Dan Mangan, e.s.l., The Cave Singers and The Head and the Heart. The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” was being sung by Mangan as I stopped by for a listen.
Before heading to the main stage for the evening acts, I spent some time wandering amongst the community village tents, watching an impromptu tai-chi class break out, and chatted with a few organizations.
[Groovin’ at the Chunky fries tent]
[Lovin’ at the Chunky fries tent]
I caught Ani DiFranco doing a solo set, Newfoundland’s Hey Rosetta!, and South Africa’s The Johnny Clegg Band, whose live set had the crowd on their feet as day turned to dusk.
[Confetti fired off at end of Hey Rosetta!]
This was another fine festival with the support of the local community, and wouldn’t be possible without the help of over 1,500 volunteers – each and every one of them listed at the back of the program guide! It was also fun running into fellow photographers and friends such as Richard Wolak and Bev Davies.
[CBC’s Grant Lawrence with Richard Wolak, aka Vancouver Foodster]
If you missed this year’s Folk Festival, check out my Day 1 roundup here as well as additional photos of Day 1 and Day 3.