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2015 Regina Folk Festival Press Kit
The 2015 Regina Folk Festival
From August 7 to 9, Victoria Park will come alive with the magic of the 46th Regina Folk
Festival. As always, there will be amazing music on the Mainstage and the free daytime Sunlit
Stages. The 2015 artistic lineup features an incredible blend of musical styles, cultural
influences and, above all, some of the world’s best talent, including:
Sinead O’Connor // Vance Joy // Blue Rodeo // Sheepdogs
Jenny Lewis // Bahamas // Basia Bulat
Vox Sambou // Geomungo Factory // Lisa Leblanc // Cécile Doo Kingué
Andy Shauf // Malika Tirolien // Jeffrey Straker // Vaero // Mike Edel
George Leach // Kim Harris // Karpinka Brothers // Charly Hustle
Little Criminals // Steph Cameron // FadaDance
+ MORE TO COME!
The 2015 RFF will also offer free daytime concerts and workshops on 4 stages, a CHILDREN’S
AREA with music, dance & crafts, an ARTS’ MARKET with all sorts of one-of-a-kind stuff, a
DAYTIME BEER GARDEN, the festival ROCK GARDEN, a FESTIVAL RECORD STORE, and an
INTERNATIONAL FOOD COURT.
Info: 757-0308 or www.reginafolkfestival.com
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Early Bird weekend passes are available until sellout!
Tickets can be purchased online at REGINAFOLKFESTIVAL.COM
or by phone at 1-866-943-8849
After August 7th, the Regina Folk Festival Box Office will take over ticket sales on the festival
site. The RFF Box Office will be located just south of the cenotaph in Victoria Park.
2015 Regina Folk Festival Artist Bios
Sinead O’Connor
sineadoconnor.com
The truly great songwriters realize that what has
already been said is not enough. They create
unique emotional snapshots -- musical testaments
to the indomitability of the human spirit -- and
challenge the status quo. Most importantly,
through their work they give the rest of us heart
to go on.
It seemed so unlikely that the stultifying
atmosphere of 1970's Ireland -- dominated by
church, patriarchy and tribute bands - would bring forth such an artist, but sometimes the most
arid soil produces the most spectacular blooms. When Sinead O'Connor first appeared on the
scene thirty years ago nobody could quite believe what he or she were seeing and hearing.
Still a teenage waif, nurturing herself on Dylan and Bowie, she nevertheless seemed to have
arrived fully formed -- possessed of prodigious song writing skills, a soaring, spectral voice and
a tragic back-story to draw upon. She was both a connection to her country's dusty, mystical
past -- she referenced WB Yeats on her first album and was named after the wife of Ireland's
first president (and delivered at birth by his son) -- and a punk iconoclast who seemed like a
violent break from that same past. It was her heart stopping voice that really set her apart
however. Whether on the crunching new wave rocker "Mandinka" or her tearstained,
multiplatinum-selling version of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" -- it rang out like a clarion call
and won her millions of fans. Throughout the 1990's and 2000's she would fearlessly cross
musical genres, reimagining standards in classic jazz, Irish folk and Jamaican roots. Her
visceral live performances set new standards of feminine intensity in rock music. She spoke truth
to power and paid the price but time brought vindication and as the years passed her lore has
only grown. She remains the most iconic Irish artist in history.
Fitting then, that in this her thirtieth anniversary in the music business, Sinead would return with
an album that is both one of the artistic high points of her storied career and a worthy
successor to 2012's rapturously received "How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?" Infusing the
spirit of funky blues with a fresh exploration the age-old theme of romantic love "I'm Not Bossy,
I'm The Boss" is a tour de force and signals a new confidence in song writing for an artist who
was until recently perhaps more renowned as a vocalist.
This album represents Sinead O'Connor at the peak of her powers; a soft girl instead of a
warrior queen, an authentic voice cutting through the manufactured dross, a songwriter first
and foremost. And still, as she begins her fourth decade in the business, one of the most
original, emotional and spirited voices in all of music.
Vance Joy
vancejoy.com
Vance Joy has an original voice which at first he
kept to himself. Feeding on a diet of The
Pogues, Paul Kelly, and whatever else was
playing, he cut his teeth performing at open
mike nights in Melbourne.Vance Joy proved
himself a breakout artist of 2014 with the song
“Riptide” from his debut full-length album Dream
Your Life Away. A 5x-platinum certified, top 10
smash in his native Australia, the track is certified
2x platinum in Sweden and Canada 1x Platinum in the USA, Ireland & Norway; gold in
Austria, Germany, New Zealand and in the United Kingdom. In September 2014 his debut
album ‘dream your life away’ debuted at #2 locally, #1 in Australia, #20 in the UK #17 in the
USA. The second single from the album, “Mess Is Mine,” is already gold in Australia and
currently ascending the Alternative radio charts in the USA & Canada.
Blue Rodeo
bluerodeo.com
The definition of a rebel is someone who goes
against the grain. For close to thirty years now,
Blue Rodeo has taken the road less travelled and succeeded far beyond anyone’s
expectations. The band emerged in the early
80’s as a countrified rock band in the era of hair
metal and glossy pop. Despite sticking out like a
sore thumb (or maybe because of it), their single
“Try” became omni-present on radio across
Canada and set in motion a three decade long career of headlining every club, theatre and
arena in Canada. In 1993, when grunge rock was squeezing commercial rock off the radio,
they recorded their most acoustic album, Five Days In July, and scored their biggest hit selling
over a half million copies of that one record alone. And now, the Canadian Music Hall of
Fame band has relased their 13th studio album In Our Nature, being hailed by critics as
among the best of their career.
In the beginning critics scrambled to describe Blue Rodeo’s sound, comparing them to
everyone from The Flying Burrito Brothers to the Eagles and The Beatles. Today, Blue Rodeo is
compared to no one. Ever-evolving, it is a testament to Blue Rodeo’s creativity that the band
can endure a lifetime of challenges and continue to make music that all Canadians can call
their own.
The Sheepdogs
thesheepdogs.com
Hailing from Saskatoon, three-time JUNO
awarding winning artists THE SHEEPDOGS’ burst
onto the international scene after beating out
thousands of artists in 2011 to appear on the
cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Since then, The
Sheepdogs have amassed six JUNO
nominations, toured worldwide and earned
Platinum certification for their 2010 LP Learn and
Burn. The Sheepdogs’ latest self-titled LP
produced by Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) debuted at #1 on the Top 200 SoundScan Chart,
garnering another GOLD record for the band.
Jenny Lewis
jennylewis.com
Jenny Lewis returns with her new album, The
Voyager, on July 29th. The Los Angeles artist’s
first solo LP since 2008’s Acid Tongue, The
Voyager is Lewis’s most deeply personal, and
her most musically robust. Featuring production
work from Ryan Adams, Beck, as well as Lewis
and her longtime collaborator Johnathan Rice,
The Voyager finds Lewis at her sharp-witted best,
singing about her recent life with honesty and
incisiveness. And then there’s her voice, which was already a force to be reckoned with, but
sounds even richer, more nuanced, more powerful. Lewis says The Voyager was the hardest
album she has ever made, documenting her struggle to cope following the death of her
estranged father in 2010 and the subsequent break-up of her band, Rilo Kiley.
Bahamas
bahamasmusic.net
Afie Jurvanen isn’t from the Bahamas. He’s a
Finnish-Canadian from Barrie–a working class
town in rural Ontario. But his chosen epithet is
fitting. Since 2009 he’s been making music under
the name Bahamas–writing songs about sunsets,
love affairs, and making out with crooked smiles.
Through simple arrangements, he charts an
escape route from the snow belt to the coral
reefs. His new album, Bahamas Is Afie, will be
released August 19, 2014 on Brushfire Records/Universal. Bahamas is Afie is a coming of age
record. Self-titled and self-produced - It is the next step in the evolution of Jurvanen's songcraft,
guitar mastery, and melodic pop hooks - following his previous full-lengths Pink Strat (2009)
and Barchords (2011). Bahamas is Afie remains a sparse, moving, headphone album,
complemented by a more developed arrangement of strings, brass, winds, orchestral
percussion, and chamber choruses that transport the listener from moving seas to a search for
strength, to a place of resolve and comfort. "This feels like a self-titled record to me. The songs
seem to have a definitive quality to them, and they ended up going to all kinds of unexpected
musical places. I really thought I was going to make a traditional folk record but as the
recording evolved I started having some pretty different ideas. I started playing this game like,
'what would 80s Van Morrison do if he were producing this?’ or ‘what about John Williams?' It
all came together in a simple, naive and direct way and I was really energized by the process.
And I got to play a lot of guitar...I feel like I'll get another chance to make a folkie record
somewhere down the road. For now, this is me."
Basia Bulat
basiabulat.com
Basia Bulat is a singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist from Toronto who has found
acclaim for her exuberant live show, soulful voice
and well-crafted songs. Of her 2013 album, Tall
Tall Shadow New Yorker magazine said, "Bulat
has a singular voice, with a confident yet
vulnerable tone, and she sings with an
impassioned yearning that suggests the vast
wilderness of her homeland." New York Times
said, "… a sound that nods to Fleetwood Mac and the early Joni Mitchell." Having been twice
nominated for a Juno award and short-listed as many times for the prestigious Polaris Prize,
Bulat has shared the stage with such notable bands as Nick Cave, The Head and the Heart,
The National, St Vincent, Beirut, Tuneyards, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Daniel Lanois and
Emmy Lou Harris. She is hard at work on her 4th album with Jim James (My Morning Jacket) in
the producer's chair.
Vox Sambou
voxsambou.bandcamp.com
Vox Sambou comes from Limbé, Haiti. He is a
founding member of Montreal-based hip-hop
collective, Nomadic Massive, with whom he has
performed across Canada as well as in the USA
at the Kennedy Center in Washington; Grand
Performances in Los Angeles ; Les Printemps de
Bourges, France, and across the Caribbean and
South America. In 2008, Vox Sambou authored
Lakay, and has released his latest,
Dyasporafriken, in April 2013. His 5-piece
band is comprised of musicians diverse in background and training. His music focuses on the
traditional rhythms of Haiti mixed with elements of afrobeat, jazz, reggae, and hip-hop.
Geomungo Factory
facebook.com/geomungofactory
Ready for some Seoul music? Korean tradition
defines Geomungo Factory’s music – but their
sonic adventures create bridges between the
4th and 21st centuries.
The geomungo zither (geomungo is
pronounced Ko-mungo) is over a thousand
years old, and unlike any other instrument in
the world. It has 16 frets, three moveable
bridges and six silk strings, and to play it you
use a bow, hit them with a short bamboo stick or pluck them. This instrument is rarely seen or
heard, even in the country where it originates. The sound it makes has been described as both
“deep, muscular, rhythmic and melodic”, as well as “something from another world, like
plucking a big elastic band”. Its sound never quite resolves into a single note.
Geomungo Factory’s musicians have also created some modern versions of their ancient
instrument: the xylophone geomungo, cello geomungo and electric geomungo, which features
a wah-wah pedal. On stage, the group’s four members sit on the floor with their instruments
across their laps. Three, Yoo Mi-young, Jung Ein-ryoung and Lee Jung-seok play geomungos –
and one, Kim Sun-a, plays the more common gayageum, a plucked zither with 18 or more
strings.
The music and the sounds they evoke are as unique as they are mesmerizing – a meld of
ancient and contemporary, a coming together of the structured traditional and the near
futuristic and experimental. You can hear, sometimes simultaneously, an other-worldy and
ethereal sound, melody, and a deep percussive drone. The group plays everything from
traditional music to western classical to flamenco and pop on their instruments – making each
genre a Korean tune.
Lisa Leblanc
lisaleblanc.ca
Lisa LeBlanc (born August 13, 1990 in
Rosaireville, New Brunswick), is an AcadianCanadian singer-songwriter, known for her
enthusiastic "Trash rock" performances. In March
2012, she released her eponymous first album.
The majority of Lisa LeBlanc's first album was
written from the heart of Rosaireville, in Granby
during her studies at l'École nationale de la
chanson as well as in Montreal, where she has been living for a year. Available in March on
Bonsound Records, the album was recorded by Louis-Jean Cormier (Karkwa) at Studio
Piccolo.
The Acadian, who composed her first pieces around the age of fourteen, comes from a family
of music lovers. LeBlanc was recognized as an outstanding guitarist and a promising singersongwriter when she won the Festival international de la chanson de Granby in September
2010. This juried award gave her high visibility within the country's francophone media. She
has also played at the 2011 Coup de cœur francophone, at the FrancoFolies of Montreal and
at the Festival d'Été de Québec. Lisa's self-titled album Lisa LeBlanc has been certified platinum
by Music Canada for shipping 80,000 copies.
In 2014, she released "Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted", an English EP, which
debuted at number seven on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 3,400 copies.
Cécile Doo Kingué
cdkmusik.com
An exceptional stage presence, guitarist / singersongwriter, Cécile Doo-Kingué blends blues, afroroots and soul to create a unique sound. Born
and raised in New York City, first generation
from Cameroon, she has lived in the USA,
France, and is now an adopted Montrealer.
Considered one of Canada’s most electrifying
and versatile guitarists, she has shared a stage
and/or recorded with Montreal Jubilation Choir, Bernard Purdie, Michael Jerome Brown,
Tricia Foster, Scarlett Jane, United Steel Workers of Montreal, amongst many, and has opened
for many icons including Manu Dibango, Youssou N’Dour, Angélique Kidjo and Eric Andersen.
In 2008, Cecile and Gern f. of USWM started Chick Pickin’ Mondays, a night promoting
women singer-songwriters. Powerful, sexy and raw, Cécile Doo-Kingué’s lyrics and sound, live
or recorded, make for an enthralling and intimate communion.
Andy Shauf
andyshauf.com
Known for honest, self-reflective songs as well as
captivating lyrical works of fiction and an
intimate live show, Andy Shauf is quickly
becoming one of the most intriguing emerging
songwriters.
The Bearer of Bad News explores themes of
uncertainty, curiosity and spirituality. The
unsettling stories told on The Bearer of Bad News
came as Shauf wrote both at home and on the road. Musically, the record took shape in his
modest home studio in Regina, where Shauf spent 4 years recording each song himself. Bearer
is 11 songs built from the sounds of a weathered piano, the warm tone of his guitar’s aged
strings, and a clarinet. At the heart is Andy’s one-of-a-kind voice and dark, literate storytelling.
Malika Tirolien
malikatirolien.com
The talented singer from Guadeloupe, writes,
composes and performs her urban music infused
in afro-Caribbean jazz since 2007. This member
of Montreal’s own Kalmunity Vibe Collective, has
been shinning bright since her explosive
collaboration with Grammy winning band Snarky
Puppy on the album/DVD Family Dinner Vol. 1 in
2013. But she is far from new on the musical
scene. She was the lead singer of Cirque du
soleil LA NOUBA and also collaborated with international artists such as Lara Fabian or Alain
Jean-Marie. Her voice, described as a “real revelation” by Montreal’s journal Le Devoir. But
what’s really impressive is the experience you get when you see her live because everywhere
she goes, everyone agrees on one thing: Malika tirolien is indeed walking on a really sunny
road!
Jeffrey Straker
jeffreystraker.com
Singer-songwriter-pianist Jeffery Straker performs
over 100 shows per year across Canada. He has
recorded for CBC radio’s ‘Canada Live’, had a
music video chart in the top 10 on Much More
Music TV and has toured internationally as far as
Ghana and Peru. His tour stops range from
intimate house concerts to club & theatre shows
and include recent sold-out concerts (capacity
2000) with the Regina Symphony and Saskatoon
Symphony Orchestras. Canadian Musician Magazine has said, “Very much an artist to watch”
while the Chicago Free Press has written, “Rufus Wainwright, as well as k.d. lang are among
the Canadians making essential and beautiful music. Add the name Jeffery Straker to that list”.
His latest career boost came from winning the prestigious Vina del Mar (Chile) song
competition in 2014 representing Canada. Performing live to a festival crowd of 20,000
people and to a TV audience of 100,000,000 viewers across the Spanish speaking world he
gained a fan following putting him in demand for performances in Latin America. He’s already
toured Peru and Mexico.
Following his critically acclaimed 2012 release “Vagabond” (produced by Danny Michael)
and his 2014 “Live with CBC Radio” release, he’s now set to launch a new collection of songs
in March 2015. The 12-song album “North Star Falling” was produced by Dean Drouillard
(Royal Wood, Justin Rutledge) and weaves a new sound around Straker’s songwriter-pianopop. Electric guitars, horns, & strings as well as acoustic guitar and banjo help set the stage.
The launch of the album (Acronym/Universal Canada) includes a national tour with 50+
performances from coast to coast.
Vaero
vaero.ca
Fransaskois artist, Veronique Poulin also known
as Vaero, knows of few things she has not played
on stage. The classically trained violinist/fiddler is
accompanied by her various instruments where
she blends the sounds of atmospheric alt-pop
along with downtempo roots and folk. Having
been pinned as a younger, folkier and frenchier
Portishead, she has shared the stage with the
likes of Royal Canoe, Rah Rah, Ariane Moffat, and The Deep Dark Woods. This singer,
songwriter and looper is also member of the indie rock group, Young Benjamins.
Mike Edel
mikeedel.com
Even the title, India, Seattle feels like a story on
its own. Victoria’s Mike Edel couldn’t have
named his sophomore release more
poetically. Part of growing a little bit older, a
little bit wiser is the awareness that comes inside
growing spaces. Nearing thirty, on the exhaust of
a brutal four year touring schedule, Edel settled
within these spaces to create his finest work yet.
There’s a quiet here, even in the literal spaces in
the record that speak loudly.
There’s something about the way Edel presents personal experiences in a way that projects
universal understandings. Love and beauty, pain and confusion, the knowledge that all
precious things are only precious because they can be lost. It feels a little bit like growing up like the moment when everything that felt so close as a young person is all of a sudden so far
away. It’s the comfort in finding that you aren’t alone. There’s a humanity in these discoveries,
and listening to India, Seattle feels like watching Edel discover it for himself, and the product is
a little bit of each of us.
George Leach
georgeleach.com
George Leach is an artist in relentless pursuit of
truth. His dedication to songcraft is evident
throughout his career, nowhere more so than on
his latest album, the JUNO award winning
Surrender, out now.
Surrender is the follow up to George’s debut
from 2000, Just Where I’m At. The album’s 11
tracks offer ample proof that the time was well
spent winning 3 Aboriginal People’s Choice
Music awards for best rock album of the year, best single of the year and best songwriter of
the year. From the funky groove of opening track You Got It, to the confident modern rock
groove and keening vocal hooks of the first single, Carry Me, to the vulnerability and intimacy
in songs like the title track, Surrender takes you on an adventure. The album covers a vast
terrain - touches of classic rock, balladry, and R&B, all in the service of a restless musical
explorer coming into his own. It ranks among the finest you will encounter, this year or any
other.
Now it’s time to hit the road again. The energy level of a George Leach show can be
described as ‘high’, to put it mildly. In concert George disappears into the moment, chasing the
promise of fleeting transcendence that music offers and taking us all with him. Don’t miss it.
Kim Harris
kimharrismusic.com
Kim Harris’ oceanic voice is vast, and ever
changing. She emits rich colours and textures
with her debut full-length album, Only The
Mighty, released February 2014. Originally from
Newfoundland, this Halifax-based songstress
takes listeners on a symphonic journey inspired
by love, darkness, and particles of light, that
soars through constellations, tumbles through
storm clouds, and plunges into the underbelly of
the sea.
Karpinka Brothers
k-bros.ca
The Karpinka Brothers played their hero Gordon
Lightfoot's Saskatoon show, where Gord asked
their parents, "Are these guys any good at all?"
His fans' hearts were won by their songs that
Exclaim once said "hearken back to the roots of
rocknroll," along with harmonies and charming
banter that only comes from brothers who are
obviously the best of friends. Often called the KBros, they're known as much for their warm
personalities as they are their music, for playing care home shows as much as rocking bars.
Charly Hustle
soundcloud.com/charly-hustle
Charly Hustle is an award-winning DJ from
Saskatoon, SK. His style consists of using
dexterous skill and creativity to make a dance
party in ANY situation. He's got a penchant for
taking taking left turns and any genre is fair
game so long as it makes people smile and
dance. That's the essence of experiencing a
Charly Hustle set...smiling while you're dancing.
Little Criminals
clintonstjohn.com
A classically-trained violinist and self-taught guitar
player fell under the summer time spell of the
boreal forest and little criminals was born. These
folk pixies weave together haunting melodies,
dissonance, and psychedelic accents into tunes
that go down like a dark and stormy. The heartwrenching harmonies and vulnerable confessions
of this duo will make your soul feel at once
rejuvenated and heavy-laden.
FadaDance
fadadance.ca
FadaDance works with great rigor to unleash
spunky and inventive contemporary movement.
Together, its three members: Heather Cameron,
Fran Gilboy, and Misty Wensel, manifest an
entirely unique dance that seeks to rouse its
audience and trouble conventional notions about
the spaces, places, and ways that dance and
audience meet. FadaDance works with a steadfast
commitment to create work that both invites and
involves its audience, while conjuring an excitement about the discipline of dance. Appealing
to a wide array of individuals, Fada has gathered an ever-growing public within
Saskatchewan. This is a company whose work is truly kindled by community.
RFF 2015 Media Accreditation Form
ACCREDITATION: Please complete and submit to Amanda Minion (fax: 757-7688, email:
info@reginafolkfestival.com) no later than July 31, 2015. The RFF will review all requests and register
approved media for accreditation. Accredited Media will then be emailed and faxed a sheet detailing the
Festival’s Media Processes.
INTERVIEWS: Media are encouraged to pre-arrange interviews. Please pre-arrange interviews with
Media Liaison Deb Young (email: debrayo@sasktel.net).
RFF MEDIA LIAISON: Media scramble parking is available. Media can check in at the Media Tent at
the Festival site where you will receive your wristband and Media Pass. The Media Liaison is on-site to
ensure that media concerns are addressed and will also assist media in setting up last minute and on-site
interviews with staff and artists. The Media Liaison phone number will be printed on your Media Pass.
Media are not allowed backstage unless accompanied by a RFF Media Liaison. If you plan to speak with
artists or shoot footage backstage, you will need to make arrangements with the Media Liaison.
FOLLOW UP: Please submit copies of coverage produced to info@reginafolkfestival.com
Media Outlet Name
Contact Person
Address
Phone Number
Email
Production Name
Type
Radio
Print
TV
Other: Specify _________
Proposed Publication Date
On site Reporter
Reporter Cell phone:
Camera Person (if applicable)
Coverage Dates
Interview Requests - Regina
Folk Festival Representative
Interview Requests - Artists
(in order of preference)
1.
______________________________
2.
______________________________
3.
______________________________
CONTACT:
Amanda Minion, Sponsorship & Communications Coordinator
(306) 757-0308 or info@reginafolkfestival.com