The temperature rose and fell but the music was smoking!
The 26th Annual Roots and Blues Festival is being put to bed after a successful three-day musical feast at the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds.
Despite the wildfire smoke that blanketed the grounds and shrouded the scenery, festival-goers got their money’s worth with performers who played with passion and raved about their reception in Salmon Arm.
“I love this festival, the vibe is so great – so comfortable and loose, said Russell deCarle, founding member of award-winning Prairie Oyster.
Swang Stewart of The Family Stone told a huge Saturday night Main Stage crowd they’ve never had a better reception and Bill Kirchen, the Telecaster magician, has great respect for artistic director Peter North and the opportunity to make memorable music with other talented and passionate music makers.
That is music to the ears of Brook Roberts, chair of the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society which hosts the annual three-day extravaganza.
Roberts says North turned to him during Sunday afternoon’s “Bombs Away” workshop that included host Steve Marriner of MonkeyJunk, Colin James, Rick Vito and Big Dave McLean, and said, “Right now, this is probably the best blues band in the world.”
Another highlight for Roberts was Michael Franti’s message of inclusivity, directing festivalgoers to go have their photos taken at the rainbow crosswalk at Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street SW. He says a post #inclusive salmon arm went up that night and had 5,000 views by the next morning.
“He flamed the fires of the positive.”
Related: Michael Franti shows support for Inclusive Salmon Arm campaign
Roberts is also proud of the fact that a small town like Salmon Arm can host such a spectacular event that draws so many.
Justifiably tired but exhilarated on Monday morning, North said he felt good.
“How the musicians and patrons feel is more important than how I feel,” he said, raving that Bombs Away was a big highlight for him as well. “There’s no better band on the planet.”
North was proud to say the concept of adding a house band to the festival mix has paid off handsomely.
This year’s version included Winnipeg blues guitarist and singer Brent Parkin, Vancouver drummer Chris Nordquist, Calgary keyboard wizard Garth Kennedy, bassist Dennis Marcenko and saxophonist David Babcock.
“It’s become a band of its own and will be playing the Edmonton Folk Fest,” he said.
Thrilled is how North describes his reaction to the many artists who performed in the Songs of Herald Nix workshop on Sunday.
“The artists really did their homework turning out the breadth of Nix’s mastery and economy of words and the startling, impactful images of his words,” he said. “They really did their homework. Nix came backstage later and was really touched.”
Lil’ Jimmy Reed of the stinging guitar work, gritty vocals and haunting harmonica also scored high on North’s list of 2018 favourites, as did Steve Marriner who hosted Bombs Away.
“If the weather had been completely on our side, I can’t imagine how many people would have come,” he says, pointing out Festival 2018 was amazing in spite of the weather. “I knew Friday afternoon it was gonna be good. Everybody was in the moment and on-board.”
Executive director David Gonella was inspired that despite the terrible smoke, patrons were flowing through the site, enjoying the music and amenities, among them the food tent adjacent to the food vendors.
He was also very proud that the new eco policy reduced the amount of garbage going to the landfill by 75 per cent.
Related: Roots and Blues plans to lighten the load
“We’ve improved flow and there’s more shade than ever before, not that we needed it so much this year,” he said. “It started off with Franti and I could not get over how amazed I was by the Main Stage acts; they were all just a step above.”
An exhausted office administrator Cindy Diotte was still working on attendance numbers on Tuesday afternoon.
She says praise delivered every year by most performers is a credit to the hospitality team of Diane Jewell, Tori Jewell, Larry Jewell and Valorie Ellis-Peet, who work non-stop to take care of them.
Also earning accolades are volunteer co-ordinator Holly Ketter and her army of volunteers and sponsorship volunteer Selina Metcalfe.
While the RCMP responded to 80 calls over the weekend, Staff Sgt. Scott West said only a small fraction of the action was related to the Roots and Blues Festival.
“There were minor complaints, the usual drinking and disorderly complaints,” he says. “Someone who needed us to take care of them or house them for the night.”
Agreeing the mood overall was mellow, West said the festival was really well-attended, very well-organized and went well from a policing perspective.
Adds Gonella: “The RCMP and Scott West have been awesome, his whole team has been involved with the security process.”
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