We watched Into the Wild last night... after we finished I stepped out my sister's cabin door and could not believe that I am there, in Alaska. The bus where Chris McCandless took shelter is only a 2 hour drive away.
The film made my last post, full of superficial worries and thoughts, seem ridiculous. It's frustrating, too frequently I find myself caught up in material things... works like this one just remind me to wake up and do something about it.
That said, I don't think people should martyr Chris McCandless, or try and live his life exactly, he did make many mistakes. But that spirit of living the life you want, the courage to defy the norms, is something that I think we forget frequently. It shouldn't have to be made into a movie to recognize and praise it... I guess we should support those with that courage more often in our own lives. Or at least I know I really need to :)

An odd sort of patriotism

So I think my promise to post more often was a bit of a death wish. I doesn't seem like it's been that long since December, I cannot believe that it's been 7 months! (Curse you Facebook!)
To sum it up, spring basically consisted of watching the US Democratic nomination (I can't believe Obama actually won!), a sweet Hawksley Workman concert and the annual trip down east. And school. Lots and lots of school...
By now I'm sure that the few people who used to stop by have given up by now (I would have too :P), but I still enjoy blogging, so on I shall go! Hopefully the free time I have in summer will mean more time to write.

So far this summer I've been visiting my sister, who goes to university in Alaska. I've been before, but never to the interior of the state, where she lives. It's odd to be in the country which is the focus of such constant media attention and discussion. I find both the similarities and differences between our countries to be fascinating, although my sister is convinced that I've just fallen victim to the "elephant-mouse" syndrome. Frankly I don't think it to be, as she insists, an inferiority complex on our part... I don't know what it is! Whatever it is, it's interesting.
Unlike in Edmonton, here Vietnam and Iraq aren't just news items and history books, but instead a large and painful part of the social conscious. Today we went on a bike ride through the local military base... it was odd to be "inside the machine". There was even a mock up of an Afghani village, complete with street signs in Dari. That was quite surreal... a life or death situation set up as if it were in an amusement park, or a playground. But still it was just an everyday part of the base, I suppose everyone was just used to it.

I didn't quite realize how much I appreciate Canada until I was in America for so long. Not to get me wrong, everyone here has been amazingly kind and helpful. I just miss the feeling of Canada, or perhaps that which is familiar. I can't imagine a life without the CBC, coloured money, or the word "washroom".
I suppose I've always been more patriotic to the things that make Canada unique than I have to the actual country/government itself. And I think that's quite alright for me, for that way there's of a chance for getting the "my country can do no wrong" attitude.
Anyways, I'm enjoying it here, but I do miss Peter Mansbridge ;)

I do so love quizzes

I'm Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme!

Which Simon and Garfunkel album are you?

"A darker grey is breaking through a lighter one"

Alright... I wasn't as snappy about posting again as I would have liked, but it's getting done :P

The only really interesting thing currently going on is the shows I've been attending recently. I don't have any lined up until after Christmas, but hey, I can always look fondly back at the ones I've been to...

Art Garfunkel at the Jubilee:
Before I was introduced to the independent Canadian artists I adore now, I always regretted that I'd never be able to see my favorite artists (The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc.) live in concert. But Art Garfunkel proved me wrong there. Although the show wasn't as amazing as it would have been if Paul Simon had joined him (I missed the gorgeous harmonies), Garfunkel sang quite a few of the old S&G tunes, and of course the crowd loved him for it... I mean, his voice is too astounding!

The Weakerthans at Myer Horowitz:
This was a party and a half. Although The Last Town Chorus almost deafened me (lap steel guitar= good instrument, just don't turn it up so much that all you hear is constant screeching), the show in all rocked. The band kicked it off with a few of their more upbeat tunes, new and old, but in the second half they toned it down with a lot of slower songs, including quite a bit of Left & Leaving, the album which is basically the anthem of my sisters and always brings back nice memories of hanging out at their place during their university days. Think the whole audience singing along to 'My Favorite Chords' and 'One Great City!'
Afterwards I got a ride home with my sister's hilarious friends, and learned some important life lessons ("And Becky remember, marriage is only good for immigration purposes or fraud!")

Justin Rutledge and The Great Lake Swimmers at McDougall Church:
Ok, I must admit, I only went to this show to see Justin Rutledge, who was opening. But I discovered The Great Lake Swimmers, so it's alright.
I first found out about Rutledge at Edmonton Folk Fest, and fell in love with his alt country right away. I didn't find he sang as well at this show, but touring can do that do voices (especially when the artist dubs it "the magical misery tour"). But nevertheless he is amazing, and it was fun to be able to meet him again...
Plus I was introduced to The Great Lake Swimmers music, which is a pleasure.

Justin Rutledge

Geoff Berner and Kris Demeanor at McDougall Church:
Ok, it's Geoff Berner. Need I say more? I've seen him perform a couple times before this, and he was, as always, hilarious. This time I brought along father, who I swear was going to die laughing...
But what I loved best was Kris Demeanor. I haven't laughed that hard... well... ever I think, his impression of his dad in 'I Have Seen The Future' was outstanding... I got the chance to talk to him during intermission, he's incredibly friendly! My hero.

Geoff Berner and Kris Demeanor

Serena Ryder and Wil at Megatunes:
The Megatunes on Whyte (formally Greenwoods books) has a great space in the basment. The artist is set up on the floor, and everyone gets to sit on the cushy carpeted floor to watch. I really enjoy the connection it provides. Anyway, Serena Ryder was giving a quick free show there before her bigger show (which I unfortunately couldn't make). But I got to see her perform a few songs, and Wil also. I didn't know too much about the latter beforehand, but his voice is awesome and the fact that his website is ibreakstrings.com just makes me that much happier :)

Serena Ryder

Life is crazy right now. So much is happening all at once... new school, new people, new hobbies, etc, while it still seems that things are moving unusually slow. But in all the healthy confusion I just haven't had the time to write here. I could say that I haven't had anything to write about, as I've gone to some amazing shows (Art Garfunkel, The Weakerthans, Justin Rutledge with The Great Lake Swimmers). I guess I'm just tired out from trying to balance school and more personal things like writing and music. But from here on out I'll make it a goal to post more often than I have been in the past month or so, even if not as frequently as in the past couple years. I love writing here, and I plan to continue to do so...
So, you know, I'm alive, etc... check back soon :)

Saw the new documentary today at the local theatre... I love the feel of that place, it's actually just a stage with all the original art deco decor features intact, lovely.

Anyway, the film itself was wonderful. It wove narratives of top scientists with amazing footage to create a piece with huge impact.

Some have said they didn't like the role Leonardo DiCaprio played in making of the doc. Personally I believe it's a good thing that he's doing something with his celebrity, especially if it can reach those who don't watch the news but instead e-talk daily (which is most certainly not me)... and if you're still worried, he doesn't make too many appearances in the film.

Others have said they're sick of being told that the world is doomed, but to them I say:

A) That's what it take to make some people take action, and

B) This film offers hope, it's not just a we're-all-going-to-die-roll-the-credits sort of experience.

There were copious amounts of vital facts, but they were presented in a manageable way... to me a couple really stood out:

-Trees can hold up to 57,000 gallons of water each. So by cutting down a single tree, you could be making a serious impact of the flooding of the nearby environment.

-Americans spend more on lawn maintenance every year than the Indian government takes in taxes.

-The U.S. spends more money on their military than the economy of Australia is worth.

-For every one truckload of product, there are 32 truckloads of waste.

-To replace nature, it would take threes times what the world wide economy is worth every year.

These are just a few of the facts that people like David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking and Mikhail Gorbachev presented.

And it may sound like I'm completely promoting this movie... I am. It's something I truly believe in... the sentiment of the entire film "what a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world" is something I try and remember... sometimes I get frustrated as I feel it's hard to really make a difference as a youth. Yes, I can turn off the lights when I'm not in the room, and I can do smaller things around the home, but what I'd forgotten and was reminded of today is that I may not be able to vote for political leaders, but I can vote every time I put money on the counter. It's showing I approve of what that product stands for. And while I may have already boycotted MacDonald's and Nike a long time ago, there is still so much more I can do without.

Hopefully others will remember that too, along with the larger call to arms message. I sincerely believe it's essential we listen.

11th Hour Action

You can take the Canadian out of winter...

But you can't take the winter out of a Canadian :P

A bunch of kids decided to go sledding at the Edmonton Folk Fest... In B.C. till the end of the month, and I thought I'd leave you with that. Enjoy :)

"We'll just cross his name out..."

Really boring modern music,

really boring modern girl

get me out of here,

I’m drowning, I don’t like this modern world

anti-intellect and marketing,

pretty, pretty, who needs talent?

Buck 65 sang that yesterday, although there was a lot of intellect and not much marketing on the last day of the Folk Fest...

All the shows I went to were fantastic, but a couple really stood out.

The first was 'Rites of Passage' with T. Nile, Justin Rutledge and Rob Heath. I feel in love with Rutledge's voice on Saturday, and so this workshop was a must. All the songs played were gorgeous, but his really stood out.

As a closer he sang Four Strong Winds (not aware it's the EFMF's theme). T. Nile didn't know the song, so she had to read the lyrics out of an audience member's program book. The rendition was awesome, better than, in my opinion, when played later on mainstage. After the workshop I got Rutledge to autograph the page of lyrics in my program, and we had a laugh when he scribbled out the credit for Ian Tyson and wrote his own name. Yes, I am a fan.

Then later I caught the 'If I Had a Rocket Launcher' (a nice Bruce Cockburn reference, who was at last years' fest). There played Buffy Sainte-Marie, Connie Kaldor and Mary Gauthier (and one other man who was filling in, but I unfortunately didn't catch the name of). This theme of the workshop was "things that piss you off", which meant we heard many of the artists' best. Especially Buffy, who played Universal Soldier and Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee. That was certainly quite the party!

And last but not least was Buck 65's concert. That man is hilarious, not to mention a genius! He had us laughing the entire time, and amazed us with some of his songs from his new album coming out in October... my favorite had to be Spread 'Em, a spoof on the old cop movies. His chorus of "Spread 'Em. Up against the wall, punk. Spread 'Em" was accompanied by a face that would have made Jack Webb proud. But the best part was easily when he unexpectedly added: "You're under arrest... sexy arrest."
That had the crowd laughing for awhile.

After his show I somehow found my way to the front by the stage and got his autograph on my copy of 'Secret House Against the World', which he signed "Buck 65... Amis Toujours." That made me smile, although I'm sure he's signed hundreds of other CDs like that. But hey, connecting with your fans is important, and his message certainly achieves that goal.

On mainstage was the LA hip hop band Ozomatli, who just took control of the crowd. I have never seen the EFMF crowd so energetic and involved! Everyone was dancing, EVERYONE. Then the lead singer hopped into the dance pit and the place exploded. Even after his band was off the stage the crowd was clapping and broke out into a couple soccer chants.

Michael Franti and Spearhead also got the place to it's feet, and also got them smiling. He told about when he went to San Quentin Prison, and how there was only one song that got all the inmates to sing together. He asked us if we wanted to hear it, and of course the crowd yelled yes.

That's when he played the Sesame Street theme.
And then Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
And then C is for Cookie.
That man is way too cool...
Not to mention he ended their show by doing an onstage headstand.

Finally Buffy Sainte-Marie came on, and I sat perched on the steepest part of the hill with my sister Kim and her friend Danielle (both big fans). Despite technical problems, she closed with a beautiful set with a lot of her classics. It was a great end.

But, of course, there was a one tradition left. If you read my (rather lacking) folk fest coverage last year, you will know that I was traumatized when a group of older women pulled me into their group for a teary-eyed rendition of Four Strong Winds... well, this year I embraced it, and stood up along with the hard core folkies. Although dared, I didn't go put my arm around the random guy in front of us, but I did laugh along with my sister and friend (who were beyond cringing) and took a couple photos of the event.

And this year I actually knew the lyrics :)

The folk fest where there are hills

Oh, it is correct, Edmonton Folk Festival is up and running for 2007! So far we've had beautiful weather, with the exception of a touch of rain on Friday morning (which only ended up being a small nuisance for us volunteers working the morning shift, it turned out fine)

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You know, being on the Enviropower crew means that we get to go backstage... just not when the performers are there... But even with this minor setback, I mustered up all the CNN in me and took this AC360 style photo of the green room of back stage. They go all out for the artists here in Edmonton. I mean, we give them a brown corduroy chair that looks like it's from the Watergate days. All out.

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I've been hanging out mostly with my good friend Maren... Maren (and family) has been very generous, letting me mooch off her tarp and giving me a ride home at 1 in the morning... she's a great friend, and with some of the sad news lately it's been a real comfort to be able to pass the time with her.

Yesterday in the volunteer food tent she blew my mind (and made me laugh). We were leaving the tent when a woman who looked quite familiar to me started chatting away to her. Finally I placed her, and mentioned it to Maren when she was done talking to her.

Me: "That woman looks just like Connie Kaldor..."

Maren: "She is."

Me: "What!?"

Maren: "She's my god mother, you know, the one we always go to visit in Montreal."

Me: "What?!"

Once I got over the shock that Maren's god mother had made Mr. Lonely and Sarah Slean do the can-can in Calgary, I got the chance to quickly chat with her. I also got to spend some time talking with her sons Gabriel and Aleksi, both of whom are enthusiastic and great tarp company.

I feel kind of ridiculous, being so excited, as I know all artists have lives outside of onstage performances, have families, and family friends... but it still kind of came as a surprise, especially after that amazing workshop with her in Calgary.

Anyway, today at her concert she had her kids on to sing a couple of songs. She played the Sound of Music card... and apologized for the absence of lederhosen.

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But since this is my "night off" (as I got four hours of sleep last night), I think I'd better go read... or tend to my unfortunate sunburn (due to bang half of my forehead is red, with the other half being that regular pasty white :P)

I'm excited for tomorrow, which involves getting there at 8 am and leaving at 11:30 pm. A long day, but it should be an entertaining one!

Flashback

Edmonton Folk Fest 2006: I discovered two new artists I adored

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Calgary Folk Fest 2007: Adored artists revisited

Well for the past four days I've been hiding away at the Calgary Folk Fest. It was amazing! I saw some of my favorite artists like Hawksley Workman and Geoff Berner (meeting the former, which was definitely one of the highlights). I also rediscovered some acts I'd forgotten the talent of like Chumba Wumba, and was exposed to those I wasn't really aware of, a perfect examples being Brett Dennen or T.O.F.U.. For four days Prince's Island Park was my home, as I spent most of my time there, and the environment was suited perfectly for contemplation and just relaxing to some beautiful music.

And then it came time to return to my regular home 3 hours north, where I write this now. I'm happy to see my family again, as I miss the fun we have when I'm away (we put the "fun" in dysfunctional :P)... but I just remember last year at the Edmonton folk fest I thought those women sitting nearby were crazy for being so upset when it was all over. Now I understand them a lot better, I was one of them.