I recently attended the OCFF Conference (Ontario Council of Folk Festivals) as a delegate from Folquebec. Here are a few Top 5 lists from my experience:
Top 5 Favorite things about OCFF:
- The MUSIC: 3 days/nights of great music
- The PEOPLE: Seeing old friends and meeting new ones
- The OCFF STAFF: Always friendly and helpful
- The PANEL DISCUSSIONS: Some great ones this year, special mention to David Newland's panel on Social Media (check out his amazing site www.rootsmusic.ca )
- The RECEPTIONS: Free food and booze :)
Top 5 Least Favorite things about OCFF:
- Paying $10/day for wireless (not cool)
- Paying $13.50 for a glass of wine at the lobby bar (ouch!)
- Seeing artists play their heart out at a showcase with nobody in the room (breaks my heart)
- Last-minute schedule changes (there was an absolute must-see artist for me that changed their private showcase time from Midnight to 2:30AM, I didn't make it in the end, really disappointed)
- Waking up Sunday morning (it wasn't pretty)
Top 5 Showcases I saw at OCFF:
OK, I wasn't going to make this list, but many people have asked me, so here it is. It is incredibly hard to pick out 5 performances out of so many, and there were a lot of really good showcases, not the least of which all of the artists who performed for Folquebec. But if I were to pick 5 showcases that stood out for me, these would be it:
- Dan Mangan: Blew. Me. Away. Since getting back I haven't stopped listening to his album. I wake up early to play it, and stay up late to keep listening to it. Reminds me why I love music :)
- Cécile Doo-Kingué: Montreal-based blues artist, her guitar playing will make your face melt.
- Ian Kelly: Francophone artist from Montreal who sings in English. He's sold 32,000+ albums in Quebec, and there's a good reason why.
- Galant, tu perds ton temps: 5-female francophone a cappella group from Quebec. Enough said.
- Tie: Craig Cardiff & Peter Katz: OK, this is a cop-out of my top 5, but I saw them together in a private showcase room. They both played the Montreal Folk Festival this past year, brilliant songwriters, and they didn't disappoint.
All in all, I had an absolute blast. A big thanks to all of the staff at OCFF and most importantly, the musicians who really make it all happen. Keep doing what you do :)
Cheers,
Dave