As I have been mentioning for the last couple weeks, Folk on the Rocks has been in a race for #1. The competition is to become the #1 Music Festival in Canada. The festival that wins, will receive bragging rights and will have CBC Radio come to the festival and broadcast live. Our festival has come along way, making it through to the top 80, top 40, top 20, and then to the top 10.
Unfortunately Folk on the Rocks is not number one. We are very proud of the festival for making it that far. It is still amazing. No matter where the festival placed we hear in Yellowknife will still think it is #1. Even though it is not #1 in Canada it is still going to an amazing 2010 festival. The festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary and there is nothing that will detour us from celebrating the Musical Festivities.
Many of us have been campaigning for votes a lot and at times I felt as though I might have been pushing a little to hard. Then again passion for a community is a powerful thing. Did you vote for Folk on the Rocks? What do you think of the Folk on the Rocks festival? Although I am very positive, I’m sure not everyone is the same. Is there something you don’t like about the festival that you think can be improved?
Bring out your family to the Folk on the Rocks Family Fiddle Dance during Caribou Carnival Weekend!
Lee Mandeville will be fiddling for the enjoyment of the whole family March 20th 7pm – 9pm at the Somba Ke Family Park outside of City Hall!
Entrance is $10, or $8 with your Caribou Carnival button!
It came up on Twitter yesterday afternoon and I knew it would soon spread through Yellowknife’s local media. The cities beloved summertime music festival, Folk on the Rocks, has been nominated for the CBC Radio 3 Searchlight Best Music Festival in Canada.
Coincidentally Folk on the Rocks will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this summer and what a treat it would be for it also to be the greatest Music Fest in Canada. Folk on the Rocks has come a long way since Rod Russell and his band founded the festival on the shores of Frame Lake, and then transported it to Long Lake. Beginning in 1980 the festival was only a small, community-based gathering, but now it has grown into one of Canada’s favorite festival bring in not only great performers from the north but also from the south.
The top prize for the winning Festival, if they get though all four stages, will be international bragging rights and a live CBC Radio 3 broadcast at the festival.
If you want to see Yellowknife Music Fest, Folk on the Rocks, become better than it already is vote today. Here is how:
Leela Gilday will be returning to Yellowknife for the official launch of her new album “Calling All Warriors”. It wasn’t to long ago she was up for Babes for Breasts Concert and a performance of her own. She is from Yellowknife and is known for her original, Juno Award winning, music. Her powerful and passionate performances have made her one of the north’s most valuable artistes.
Like I have said before if you have never seen Leela live, you definitely should. She is a the definition is true northern talent.
Leela has been recognized at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards as Best Female Artist and Best Songwriter and her CD ‘Spirit World, Solid Wood’ was recognized as Best Folk Album. Up Here Magazine named Leela as Northerner of the Year in 2007.
Browsing through Youtube again, I came across this little gem of a video. It is a song about the men and women who work up at the diamond mines as well as the truck drive and road crews that operate up and down the Tibbit to Contwoyto Ice Road. The song, The Ice Road, was produced by David Sinclair and written and preformed by Kent Fiddy.
Kent Fiddy is, from what I found, a musician from British Colombia:
Kent Douglas Fiddy has worked as a songwriter and performer for many years. His material has been published by Irving/Almo Music(Canada/U.S.A), Chappel Music and Kenny Rogers’ Lionshare Music. His recordings have been released internationally. His songs are used in schools for both literacy and music education purposes. Kent has opened for diverse artists as blues legends Sonny Terry Brownie McGee and Valdy, Melanie Doane, Dave Mallett, Jonny Hardy(Old Blind Dogs) and Gavin Marwick(Iron Horse). He has performed at benefits with artists including k.d. lang, Shari Ulrich, Spirit of the West and Don Herron. Recent concert appearances include festivals in both Atlantic and Pacific Canada.
Anyways here is the Ice Road song, accompanied by some slides.
Just like the rest of the country, Yellowknife is doing its fair share when it comes to helping out in Haiti. Whether it is a local store or a high school we are trying to help out, that is why when I heard that many of our local musicians are throwing a Benefit Concert I had to make a post about it. These musicians are always willing to help those in need and in times of need like Haiti is now. If you did not hear, Haiti was hit with an aftershock yesterday which created more chaos throughout the country and has put its people in a state of fear.
The concert titled “Yellowknife’s Helping Hand for Haiti” is set for Saturday night (January 23, 2010) with doors opening at 8pm. The event will be held at the Top Knight just above the Black Knight Pub. Some of the musician who will be in attendance are Rick and the Relics, Big Ethyl, James Boraski and Connie Henderson, Steve Pretty and many more. Donations are being accepted at the door.
I urge everyone to try to make it out to the show and show your support the relief effort in Haiti. Even if you only give the price of a pint it is still better than nothing. Think of it this way, if all these talented musicians got together to play any other time, you’d probably have to buy a ticket to attend.
As I have been mentioning for the last couple weeks, Folk on the Rocks has been in a race for #1. The competition is to become the #1 Music Festival in Canada. The festival that wins, will receive bragging rights and will have CBC Radio come to the festival and broadcast live. Our festival has come along way, making it through to the top 80, top 40, top 20, and then to the top 10.
Leela Gilday will be returning to Yellowknife for the official launch of her new album “Calling All Warriors”. It wasn’t to long ago she was up for 
