Yellowknife Online

So there is this folk fest that happens in Yellowknife, every July, on the shore of a lake. Maybe you have heard of it? You know, it is nothing special just a bunch of crazy people hanging out and shooting the breeze, while listening to some music.

Are you kidding me! Of course you have heard of Folk on the Rocks. A matter of fact, you are probably sick of reading about me go on about it. Well I am sorry to disappoint you, because we have a lot of content on Folk on the Rocks 2010 to pump out over the next week. Photos, video and more. By more I mean me writing about the food, spirit and, well, the music too.

The weather was up in the air for the weekend and we were all anticipating the worst, but that never happened. It was cloudy for a good portion of the weekend, yes, but we only ended up with short spats of rain. I saw people huddling together in rain jackets under umbrellas as they sing along to acts like Buffy Saint-Marie and Leela Gilday. I did hear some complaints, but the number of people having a good time out weighed them.

This was my first year covering the whole event, last year I did a quick post, nothing near what I have this year. I thought about how I wanted to approach the festival this year and I always seemed to come back to how it makes me feel.

While watching a lot of the sets and crowd from the right of the stage, I feel free and energized. It is an odd feeling to explain, yes. So let me try and paint you a picture, figuratively. Several times throughout the weekend while watching a performance, the energy of the music would just climb, up, and up. It would be overwhelming and what would happen is I would end up with a huge smile on my face, unintentionally, as I tried and capture that moment.

Although there were many things to make this event worthwhile, there were two that I think really did it, the people and the musicians.

The musicians, obviously being who everyone is coming to see, always seem to have just as much fun or more than the crowd they are playing for. The one thing that makes a festival like Folk on the Rocks better than a CD or seeing the artist live, is the collaboration. When are you ever going to see our own Digawolf and Greg Keelor jamming together with Pat Braden and friends, where I ask. Or Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, a banjo playing room mate, and the drummer from BAM (Caleb Harrison) just all of a sudden halfway through a set get together and jam. No where, that’s where. This is where they shine as artists in my opinion, when without any practice or warning, they just breakout in song together and make amazing sounding music. One of the final day collaborations of the event, when The Dudes invited at least half the other performers up on stage during their set to show their appreciation for the weekend and each other, even had the crowd involved singing along. I am on the edge of saying that these collaborations make events like this priceless and memorable.

Although a music festival like this one is traditionally all about the music and it definitely sets the mood, I think it is only part of the experience. One of those other parts is the people. Hands down this is Yellowknife’s biggest party. Everyone I met or saw throughout the two long days out there, seemed relaxed and mellow. Not mellow like they are dragging their feet, but more like they have forgotten all about real life and just wanted to have fun. Isn’t that what it is suppose to be all about? People would gather with those they hadn’t seen in ages and rock like they’d never been apart. Personal space was no longer an option for many as they came to the stage area to jump up and down along with the bands. It’s the spirit of the event which makes even the grumpiest looking people, like myself, smile. Yellowknife has awesome people, you are truly amazing!

The days were long, musicians played hard and the crowd partied harder, actually I’m fairly certain the musicians also partied just as hard. So the the question is, how did you enjoy the 30th annual Folk on the Rocks? My time was amazing, and something I wanted to note was how few bugs I noticed. Am I just a seasoned northerner and didn’t notice them or were there really just that few? Have anything to add, by all means. Now lets relive it.

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Another Rock the Folks was a success or you could say they did Rock the Folks. I even have proof, see the picture of the guy reading his book, he put ear plugs in half way through.

As the crowd started to gather Hello Paisley took to the stage and did was they do best. You might remember them from Music in the Park 2009, they took first place. The night consisted of several great local acts, but there were two from out-of-town. Atisa and Scott Walker, who ironically both played solo with their acoustic guitars. Atisa, who is from Vancouver, shared a couple of original songs as well as a couple Tegan and Sara songs, stating that they are her influence. Scott, who is from Barrie, Ont, played a cover of a Jack Johnson song, and did well at it too.

It was then taken up a notch when the Beat Officers, Flaherty’s Wake and Whiskey Jack performed. Each with their own style. Beat officer very punk/rock/I’m not really sure. Flaherty’s Wake was very Celtic/ East Coast/Irish with they fiddling. Then Whiskey Jack with their cover of Rock Banks like ZZ Top.

Then there was Billy Bangarang, how do I write about them. They got skills, I’ll say that. Although rap at a Folk Fest, I’m not really sure about that one. Tina Roy was also there and did her thing, as per usual. She has a cool, jazzy style which makes it really easy to listen to her play.

To finish off the night was the quickly rising in popularity, David Strauss. The 3 member band still hadn’t gotten another keyboard, but I think I’m finally coming around to them and their cocky ways. I mean they have been together forever, for 8 months. The band also took home first place, but unfortunately won’t be performing on Saturday. The runners-up, The Beat Officers, will get the honor of performing in front of a crowd in the Beer Garden at 1pm.

I think everyone had a good evening, and the turn out seemed decent. Although I have to comment on the crowd. There was no dancing this year. Last year people were on table givin’r, this year nuttin’. What gives?

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Back in March, I first learned that a young artist by the name of Michael Bernard Fitzgerald would be coming to the 30th annual Folk on the Rocks festival in July. At the time I didn’t think much of it, I didn’t think much of him. I had never heard of him before, that was until I listen to some of his stuff on Youtube. Then on iTunes where I bought a couple songs, at which point I was pretty much hooked.

Originally I had planned to write about how I had heard rumors that people were disappointed about the line-up for this years festival and how I didn’t agree, considering I’ve heard Michael Bernard Fitzgerald music everywhere. I was going to write all that but as time grew near to Folk on the Rocks I kept putting it off. That was until I got the ambition to make the video below. The overall question I ask is, what is your feeling about the up coming festival?

If you are at work and can’t watch the video, email yourself the link. It is definitely worth watching me make a fool of myself. Also make sure you watch MBF’s music video to understand what the heck I’m doing on the grass. Once you watch it leave a comment about what you this this years Folk on the Rocks will be like!

Nine amazing bands are playing at this year’s Rock the Folks! Playing this year: Hello Paisley, David Strauss, Atisa, Billy Bangarang, Whiskey Jack, Tina Roy, The Beat Officers, Scott Walker, and Flaherty’s Wake.

Rock the Folks is all about the Local Talent showing off what they got. There will be a variety of musical stylings in this pre-festival show. It will be a fun, loving, mellow and relaxing time for everyone. This is a great opportunity to see some of the great talent Yellowknife produces. Want to know the details?

Show starts at 7 pm out at the Folk on the Rocks site (main entrance), and it’s only $5 to get in. Since this is an all ages show, no booze is allowed. All bags will be checked at the front gate, so leave your booze at home.

Edited by admin

Another Canada Day is now over, and a lot of fun it was. The day was made of tons of entertainment and activities for everyone. It seems as though everyone enjoyed themselves and didn’t let the scare of rain stop them from coming out and celebrating.

The parade started off the day. Before it started I set up at the corner of Franklin Ave and 53rd St while it was sunny and warm. Sure enough as soon as the parade approached my location the clouds moved in and the wind picked up. Did I mention that Franklin Ave makes a half decent wind tunnel. Anyways, the parade itself was awesome. I think it was the longest parade I have experienced in Yellowknife. It was full of many groups who wanted to come out and show their pride and what Canada means to them. Floats, costumes and demonstrations were all done very well. A big hat tip to the Yellowknife Rotary Club who once again did an excellent job rounding up people and putting together the parade.

As soon as the parade ended it was a massive wall of people walking towards the Somba K’e Civic Plaza for more Canada Day festivities. At one end you had the popular food vendors like The Fry Guy, Hot Dog stand and Ice Cream Truck. While at the other, in front of City Hall, non-profit groups like Mission Work for Belize, The Rock Skateboard Ministry and Nursing Group were selling bratwurst, donairs, baking, jam, and so much more good stuff. In the middle were some tables for people to eat at, as well as some kids activities to keep them busy.  The amphitheater was were all the real action was though.

Emcee Paul McMullen was on the horn making sure people were paying attention. Some of the performances that took the stage throughout the afternoon were the Dene Drummers, Priscilla’s Revenge, Godson and the Zomba Class, which included the worlds luckiest man. A little later on it was time for the finale of the Music in the Park 2010 competition. The final six performers, Ronna Kingsley, Jairyn Brake, Darin Woodbury, David Strouse, Climbing Giant and the Beat Officers, got to play two songs for the crowd and judges. The judges being Glen Abernathy and Shannah-Lee and Ashley Brown from CJCD. All the performers did a wonderful good at portraying themselves and their music. A crowd pleaser was definitely David Strouse, which is made up of Aaron, John and Caleb. They were able to keep it together as they rotated instruments and even shared them at the same time – see the photos below. At the end of the day it was Jairyn Brake who earned the Grand Prize. She came short last year, but came back this year with force. Make sure you keep an eye out for her album in the coming year.

Fortunately for everyone the weather held for the day. Clouds would come and go but the rain just stayed away and we are thankful for that. I had a lot of fun celebrating Canada Day with the rest of the community. Did you? What did you think of Canada Day this year?

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All WMPN.tv Podcasts via iTunes  

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Yk Quick Tips is your guide to Yellowknife, NT. Whether you are moving to the city,  just visiting or live here, we can offer information about all the best things. The show will contain info about what to do while visiting, things to know about moving to the City and everything else interesting about the Knife .

Raven Mad Daze is the topic of Episode 9 of Yk Quick Tips. I talk about some general info about this event.

Raven Mad Daze is an event that has been around for many years. It happens over the solstice weekend in celebration of the 20 hours of Sun Light Yellowknife gets.

Brief History

Raven Mad Daze use to take place on Franklin Ave, the main street would be blocked off from the Department of Transportation Building up to the NorthwesTel Building. The event would start a 6pm in the evening and run until 12 midnight. Throughout the street there would be games for kids of all ages, like a tunnel maze, and sumo wrestling. Food vendors would be scattered around the street offering traditional international cuisine as well as popular American food. One of my favourites was Elephant Ears (or beaver tails), it was dough, deep-fried in oil and then smothered in sugar and cinnamon. Local entertainment would be setup on trailers a couple blocks a part, while often there was a motorcycle and car show happening around Harley’s Hard Rock. Fundraisers like the head shave for cancer were also popular at the event. One of the more famous things about Raven Mad Daze, whether good or bad, was the shaving cream pit. A fire hydrant would be cracked opened and shaving cream would go everywhere, including on the majority of teenagers in attendance.

Today’s Daze

After dying off for a few years, Raven Mad Daze was resurrected in 2010, thanks to Rick Poltaruk, James Boraski and their crew. If you remember, they are also responsible for bring back Caribou Carnival. The event is now held in Civic Plaza in front of City Hall. The event featured live entertainment, games, food and more. To see everything that was at Raven Mad Dazes 2.0 check out our coverage post.

Learn more about Raven Mad Daze past and present in Episode 9. Make sure you subscribe via iTunes. If you have any question about Folk on the Rocks or anything, email YkOnline – info@ykonline.ca

What was once a tradition where Franklin Ave was closed off, has now changed to a festival in the park. The new Raven Mad Daze is now held at the Civic Plaza next to City Hall. This year being the first of the new style included many fun activities.

Some of the entertainment of the afternoon included Ryan Stock and AmberLynn Walker, who are human guinea pigs or dare devils. They have co-hosted a show on the Discovery Channel and been around North America with their skills. They definitely caught the attention of the audience here in Yellowknife. Oh, and Dads, don’t try holding the running chainsaw in your mouth, probably best left for the professionals.

When I first arrived, Shawn Farquhar was stabbing a little girl with knives. No, no, I’m kidding, he was only making it appear that he was. Shawn is a world renown magician and knows how to capture the crowd. He was making eggs appear and disappear and making people disappear as well. If you didn’t get to see him, it is worth check out his videos on his website to see what he can do.

To go along with those great acts, there were many other things going on. Malade Mantra, from Quebec, played a pre-show while many kids activities were going on. They brought in two big bouncy rooms, like at the community bbq and had face painting, balloon making and cartoon drawing.

I was skeptical, I have to admit. The old Raven Mad Dazes was one of my favourite events of the year and I was sad to see it die. There was just something about the old one that had a sense of community other events didn’t have; you saw people you had seen all year. I will give credit though to Rick Poltaruk, James Boraski and anyone else who helped put together this event.

All these photos and more can be viewed here on Flickr

Well I am shocked, I was really expecting a hot weekend after the day we had on Thursday. I guess we can’t get everything. I only hope it doesn’t put a damper on this weekends events.

I already have a number of events up on the Calendar like:

• Raven Mad Daze – NOW ON SATURDAY AT 11AM
• The Solstice Bash
• Beer Barge Arrival
• Reel Injun Film
• and all the Aboriginal Day Events

If that isn’t enough to keep you busy there are also lots that I didn’t get around to mentioning until now:

• Midnight Sun Golf Classic – June 18 11am – June 19 8pm – More here
• Carnival/Fair – All weekend – Bristal Monument parking lot – Rides, games, etc
• Ice Cream and a Bowl – Fireweed Studio (City Hall) – Fundraiser – June 19 11am – 4pm
• Take Your Dad Golf – Yk Mini Golf – Free BBQ – put on by Centre for Northern Families

If you have any questions or know of more events please post them in the comments below. Lets have a great Solstice/Father’s Day/Golf Playing/festival going weekend.

Coming up this Monday is Aboriginal Day and to celebrate there will be a bunch of different events happening around the City.

An Aboriginal Day parade will take place at 11:00am and start from the Yellowknife Community Arena, go down Franklin Ave to 47th St, and then onto 49th Ave.

The parade will end at the Somba K’e Park where you will find the Aboriginal Day Festivities and Fish Fry. Fun for the family from 12pm to 5pm. Thanks to the North Slave Metis Alliance.

At the same time the Yellowknives Dene First Nation will be putting on traditional displays, hand games and drum dances happening out at the Weledeh site (Yellowknife River) – first LEFT after the bridge. Hand games and drum dancing could go until 12am.

For more information about these events call Gail at 446-1060 or 873-5060. Also see all the other events happening over this weekend.

All WMPN.tv Podcasts via iTunes  

Right Click to Download

Yk Quick Tips is your guide to Yellowknife, NT. Whether you are moving to the city,  just visiting or live here, we can offer information about all the best things. The show will contain info about what to do while visiting, things to know about moving to the City and everything else interesting about Yellowknife.

Folk on the Rocks is the topic of episode 8 of Yk Quick Tips. I talk about some general info about this festival.

If you don’t know by now, Folk on the Rocks, is Yellowknife’s biggest Folk Festival. It was started 30 years ago on the shore of Frame Lake and then moved to the shore of Long Lake, where it remains today.

It now has its own properly, still on the shore of Long Lake, just off Highway 3, past the Airport. With in the festival grounds there are 6 stages in total. One main stage, a right and left stage, the beer garden stage, a culture and children’s stage. The Festival is normally over a weekend in July and features over 24 hours of music and entertainment.

When Folk on the Rocks is on, the town becomes alive. There is so much energy just bursting through the streets. Along with what happens at the main site, local bars have pre-shows. Musicians from all across Canada come to play at Folk on the Rocks. Past artist include Tegan & Sara, Sam Roberts and Leila Gilday.

Learn more about Folk on the Rocks in Ep. 8. If you have any question about Folk on the Rocks or anything, email YkOnline – info@ykonline.ca