Folkfest 2: Hot

Mainstage started off with Cuban deities the Buena Vista Social Club featuring vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, followed by heavily Woody Guthrie-influenced activist Utah Phillips, doing more storytelling than singing, but very funny (Double communisty goodness, yum). Next Quebecois dancy people Les Batinses, then homegrown ex-celtic-now-more-roots-rockers The Duhks (featuring Karen Dana's daughter on vocals, if that means anything). Dutch folk-pop unit the Nits (orange jersey solidarity!) closed off the evening. Tweeners included local Joel Kroeker, similar in style to Martin Sexton, and Dene singer-songwriter Leela Gilday.

On Saturday morning I had a shower and noticed that between the rain and the sweat the purple in my hair was already starting to fade. Dad made an omelette for breakfast with onions, bacon and tomatoes. Got to Bird's Hill midway through the first workshop of the day ("Folkadelia") but didn't hear much. Songwriters workshop "The Dream Factory" was pretty cool: Greg Macpherson (local yet previously all but unknown to me), Andy Stochansky, Serena Ryder (stellar voice), Dan Frechette and Paul Thorn (fascinating character: charming Mississippi accent, minister's son, former professional boxer (went six rounds with Roberto Duran) and capable of successfully rhyming "failure" with "genitalia").

Busier in store today than previously, partner Heather also knows the woes of studentdom though she's a year or two older. Snuck out to see Sarah Harmer do one tune in workshop "Canadian Women Kick . . ." then got back to work. Bought a t-shirt before they could run out. Shift ran 1500 to 2100, so missed the first two mainstage acts (semi-traditional Polish music Warsaw Village Band and South African Vusi Mahlasela). Next were festival veterans Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. Tillery's an ethnomusicologist specialising in the African-American folk and gospel traditions and the group is known for tight and lively vocals. I found my mom's family's tarp, front and centre by the stage, in time to see the end of their set. Damhnait Doyle did a tweener- I used to like her for a while but got bored and sick of her voice.

I meant to leave then to wash up and use the computer, but someone produced a big fresh apple pie and David Lindley, the next mainstage act, was pretty captivating. A multi-instrumentalist, steady with diverse styles and impressions, not to mention damn funny. Then Paul Thorn did a short set, so I stayed for that. Didn't feel like hanging around for Earl Scruggs- he's a bluegrass legend but I'm not enthralled by bluegrass and I still wanted to get home earlyish. Slight dilemma: how to get home? Aunt and uncle who offered a ride weren't leaving until the end of the set, I'd missed all the regular city busses, Dad's security shift didn't end until the site was all clear. Ended up taking the backstage shuttle back to the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg and catching a city bus home from their (the driver kindly but crabbily took my very-expired transit tickets). Didn't actually get home until 0100 anyway, but whatever.