IN CONCERT
What: Islands Folk Festival featuring the Jerry Cans, Carmanah, Shuffle Demons and more.
When: Friday through Sunday (July 26-28)
Where: Providence Farm, 1843 Tzouhalem Rd., Duncan
Tickets: $40 (Friday), $75 (Saturday) and $40 (Sunday), $125 for weekend pass; half-price tickets and passes available for youth under 19; children 12 and under admitted free
Information: islandsfolkfestival.ca
Andrew Brown was a fan before taking over as artistic director of the Islands Folk Festival, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
So don’t expect to see any major changes to the beloved showcase, since Brown is loath to mess with a good thing.
“My kids have kind of grown up there,” he said. “It’s just a great family environment. That’s kind of what originally drew me to the festival just as an audience member.”
He remembers his daughter running barefoot in the crowds and everybody looking out for their neighbours and their neighbours’ kids.
“I joined because I really like what the festival and the Cowichan Folk Guild are doing and I want to embrace that history,” he said.
“This year is kind of more for me just to sit back and take everything in and see where we are and how can I build on that. I don’t really want to change anything, because it’s a beautiful festival.”
Brown said this year’s lineup at historic Providence Farm in Duncan continues a tradition of not-to-be-missed acts with 32 artists performing on five stages over three days.
One of the highlights, he said, will be the Jerry Cans, an indie group from Iqaluit, Nunavut, who blend traditional Inuit throat singing with folk-rock music sung in the Indigenous language of Inuktitut.
“It’s unlike anything you’ll see anywhere else,” Brown said. “It’s mind-blowingly fantastic.”
The Jerry Cans, who performed at the Junos in 2018, will cap a Saturday-night lineup that includes the popular Victoria quintet Carmanah and Toronto’s Shuffle Demons, a band sure to meet the demand from festival-goers for more dance music, Brown said.
“We’re trying to go full bore with that and give the folks what they want,” he said.
Elsewhere, the concerts in Providence Farm’s chapel are always a highlight, thanks to the room’s impressive sound.
“It’s one of the nicest acoustic-sounding rooms I’ve ever used,” Brown said. “I use it quite frequently for other shows throughout the year as well. We’re going to go essentially unplugged — obviously we’ll have a little bit of reinforcement for instruments that won’t transpose well — but the sound just carries amazingly well. I’ve even sat there just with my acoustic guitar, by myself, and it just fills the whole room. It’s incredible.”
The ever-popular venue will be used this year to highlight such talents as Kansas City songwriter Kelly Hunt.
“When you see her performing, there’s something that you don’t see in many people,” Brown said. “She’s going to be famous; I really anticipate that. She’s a true gem.”
But it’s Khari Wendell McClelland who will make Brown take a break from his administrative duties and grab a seat in the chapel.
Vancouver-based McClelland, originally from Detroit, merges soul and gospel “with the most incredible voice,” Brown said.
“I think the chapel show will be one that is going to stand out. I’m definitely going to avoid my duties at that point to check that one out.”
Ultimately, he said, it’s the intimacy of all the stages that makes the Islands Folk Festival so appealing. “You can really get up close and personal with the artists. I mean even on the main stage — the furthest point from the main stage — you could toss a small stone and hit the person on stage — though we don’t recommend that, of course. But all the workshops, you’re literally just sitting across the room from them, hearing about their story, their musical journey.
“And you’re bound to bump into all of the artists over the weekend because they’re just kind of roaming around and enjoying the festival. It’s an intimate, family experience.
“It’s really remarkable in that way.”
