Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 7, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba FRIDAY MARCH 7, 2025 ● ARTS & LIFE EDITOR: JILL WILSON 204-697-7018 ● ARTS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ARTS ● LIFE SECTION C CONNECT WITH THE BEST ARTS AND LIFE COVERAGE IN MANITOBA ▼ Folk fest marks five decades with lineup including Mavis Staples, Begonia, Gillian Welch, Ani DiFranco, Waxahatchee, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings T HE bigger the milestone, the greater the pressure to hit the right notes. “You only turn 50 once,” says Chris Frayer, artistic director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. This morning, the organization released the highly anticipated musical lineup for its 50th anniversary event, which takes place July 10 to 13 at Birds Hill Provincial Park. Unlike festivals of the recent past — which have featured major mainstream artists such as Orville Peck, Vance Joy and Kacey Mus- graves — this year’s program aims to broaden the spotlight while paying homage to the last five decades. Among the headliners returning for the 2025 edition are Australian funk outfit the Cat Em- pire, Canadian country-rockers Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, prolific American folk artist Ani DiFranco and contemporary Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell. Mavis Staples, the pioneering soul singer and civil rights activist, and legendary Amer- icana duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are making long-awaited festival debuts. For Frayer, this year’s lineup aligns with the festival’s tradition of musical discovery. “The artistic vision is essentially the same as it was the first year. By and large, most of the bands that we hire, the artists we hire, are emerging professional artists that a lot of people haven’t heard of before,” he says. The first Winnipeg Folk Festival took place in the summer of 1974 with an estimated 22,000 people in attendance. Under the lead- ership of co-founders Mitch Podolak, Ava Ko- brinsky and Colin Gorrie, the goal was to cre- ate a well-oiled event that embodied the social consciousness of folk music. Early performers included the likes of Bruce Cockburn, Curly Boy Stubbs, Sylvia Tyson and Stan Rogers. The organization is celebrating its golden an- niversary two years late owing to the pause in regular programming caused by the pandem- ic. While the delay has provided extra time to plan the 50th, waiting can come with its own challenges. “Two years doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s precious years. Two years can take away a lot of people,” Frayer says, referring to artists, volunteers, attendees and other stakeholders who may have been present at the festival’s inception. The organization has also undergone an internal shift in that time, with Valerie Shantz taking over as executive director following the departure of Lynne Skromeda to Manitoba Film and Music in 2023. Curating an anniversary event is a balance between nostalgia and evolution, says Frayer, who’s overseen his fair share of festival mile- stones in the last 20 years as artistic director. “We’ve been focusing a lot on trying to rejuvenate the audience as we all get older, and then having those really good nostalgic touchpoints so people feel like there’s some- thing there for them in the history of the organization,” he says. The acts representing the early days of the folk fest include renowned bluegrass guitar- ist Cathy Fink, who graced the stage in 1974 and who will be performing this year with her longtime musical and life partner Marcy Marxer, as well as Chao Tian; blues guitarist and singer-songwriter David Essig; and indel- ible local children’s performers Al Simmons and Fred Penner. The lineup also features rising Canadian and international talent such as Ruby Waters, Ombiigizi, Basia Bulat, Hurray for the Riff Raff, La Chiva Gantiva and Ye Vagabonds. Winnipeg’s music scene is well-represented in Begonia, Leonard Sumner, Zrada and others. There’s also a large contingent of Aussie outfits coming to the Prairies from Down Un- der: the aforementioned Cat Empire, the Paper Kites, Melbourne Ska Orchestra and Emily Wurramara. “Australian bands have historically been ex- tremely popular at the festival,” says Frayer, who relies on a combination of crowd vibes, lo- calized streaming data and past concert ticket sales to determine which returning artists will qualify as “fan favourites.” W HILE the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s 50th anniversary is a big deal at home — in early February more than one-third of available weekend passes and camping tickets had already been purchased — booking artists for the event remains influenced by the usual whims of availability, scheduling and cost. The latter has been a bigger concern this year, owing to the impact of U.S. tariffs on the Canadian dollar. “The ship’s out of the harbour. We need to take a wait-and-see approach,” says Frayer. Over the last two years, the festival has been working with a legacy committee of longtime volunteers to develop special programming for the anniversary celebration. During the festival, visitors can expect to find a photo exhibit, video installation, in-per- son gatherings, a special-edition poster and other merch. For Frayer, who’s been attending since he was a teen, the festival’s 50th anniversary is a triumph laced with the concern for the future. The landscape of the Canadian folk festival scene has changed, with event cancellations and hiatuses plaguing the Regina Folk Fes- tival, Jasper Folk Music Festival, Vancouver Island MusicFest and others in the wake of the pandemic. “People need to know how fortunate we are that this organization is celebrating this mile- stone because it’s so hard,” he says. “So many festivals have come and gone since 1974.” eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com EVA WASNEY 2025 Winnipeg Folk Festival lineup SUPPLIED Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are among the headlining acts at the 50th Winnipeg Folk Festival. GOLD STANDARD Fifty years of stalwarts, upstarts SUPPLIED The Cat Empire is one of several Aussie acts at the fest. SUPPLIED Ani DiFranco has played the fest six times. SUPPLIED Allison Russell was last in town opening for Hozier. SUPPLIED Winnipeg's Begonia is on the bill. ■ Al Simmons ■ Allison Russell ■ Ani DiFranco ■ Ashwin Batish ■ Basia Bulat ■ Beats Antique ■ Begonia ■ Blackie and the Rodeo Kings ■ Blue Moon Marquee ■ Camper Van Beethoven ■ Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian ■ Christopher Paul Stelling ■ Cristina Vane ■ D’orjay & The Lovely Luvies Fam ■ David Essig ■ Dominique Adams ■ Dougie Poole ■ Duane Andrews and the Hot Club of Concep- tion Bay ■ Emily Wurramara ■ Folk Bitch Trio ■ Fred Penner ■ Gillian Welch & David Rawlings ■ Gustavo and the Green Fools Theatre ■ Hurray for the Riff Raff ■ Jake Vaadeland & the Sturgeon River Boys ■ Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit ■ Jolie Laide ■ Kevin Morby ■ La Chiva Gantiva ■ La Lom ■ Lake Street Dive ■ Leonard Sumner ■ Les Mamans du Congo ■ Leyla McCalla ■ Los Bitchos ■ Maryna Krut ■ Matt Gordon & Leonard Podolak ■ Mavis Staples ■ Melbourne Ska Orchestra ■ Mia Kelly ■ Noeline Hofmann ■ Ombiigizi ■ Peter Paul Van Camp ■ Petunia & The Vipers ■ Robyn Hitchcock ■ Romi Mayes ■ Rose City Band ■ Ruby Waters ■ Slow Spirit ■ Son Rompe Pera ■ Sousou & Maher Cissoko ■ Summer Bear Dance Troupe ■ Supalung ■ The Budos Band ■ The Cat Empire ■ The Duhks ■ The Lee Boys ■ The Paper Kites ■ The Swinging Belles ■ The Zawose Queens ■ Two Crows for Comfort ■ Viv and Riley ■ WackyDoodle Dance Party ■ Waxahatchee ■ Willi Carlisle ■ Ye Vagabonds ■ Zackery ■ Zrada SUPPLIED Leonard Sumner DANNY CLINCH Mavis Staples ;