Last weekend was very busy, hence the advance post last time, but as promised, here is the wrap-up of this year’s Winterfolk ex-vee-eye-eye-eye (that’s 18 for the non-classically schooled types).
I had three shifts: Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The job was to help the performers set up, make sure everything was plugged in right and then make it sound good for the audience and the people on stage. Things got off to a great start at the Southern Cross room in the Tranzac Club, particularly working with Lori Campbell on Sound Assist. Saturday and Sunday, I worked solo, but was fortunate to have both Kevin Gould and Aaron Fund Salem drop in at transition times to help with the set up, and make fun of me for my choice of mics. All kidding aside, these guys are consumate professionals and I can’t thank them enough for their patience, expertise and trust. I would be remiss in not also thanking Jen Arima who coordinated the volunteers and made the whole event run seamlessly.
Below are the artists I had the pleasure of hearing and mixing.
All the performers were great, as you’d expect from a well-curated festival like Winterfolk. One aspect stood out for me, and that was the new young talent that appeared for the first time. This is a great move by the organizers to attract new audiences and expose them to established performers too.
Three in particular were notable for me.
The first was an Australian duo named Saije, whose sound was considerably larger than you’d expect from only two people. Great harmonies, interesting tunings and a cool use of percussion (hand and foot) showed what could perhaps be the new direction of folk music. Follow the link: well worth checking out.
Another new artist to Winterfolk was Just Jillian. I have known of Jillian for a few years now, first way back when she played in Remote Wonder who were a regular at the Only Café Saturday open mic. She even guested once at my now defunct ABC Songwriters’ Circle. It was great to hear the songs from her album What Day Is It and see how she continues to grow confidently.
Perhaps Taylor Abrahamse was the most interesting discovery for me, although he’s been around for a while despite his young age (hey, he has his own Wikipedia entry). Rather than go on about him, I suggest following the link to his YouTube channel. He is about to drop and album produced by the legendary (and I don’t use that word lightly) Eddie Kramer, who also has a Wikipedia entry.
Out and About
If you’re looking for a fun and cheap event on Tuesday, come to the Linsmore for Indie Tuesdays from 8 to 11. I’ll be doing sound for the Trollblazers at 8, Gary Edward Allen at 9 and Krove at 10. Eclectic doesn’t begin to describe what this will be like!
Hope to see you there and be well!
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