Vancouver Folk Festival

I think this festival should be called the Village 900 Festival! Check out all the village 900 artists I saw!

Is that Elisapie Isaac? Why it certainly is! Goodness gracious she is stunning and such an incredible singer.

Now here she is with the worlds greatest spoken word poet, Shane Koyczan. He could be the closest to passion, truth, honesty and beauty I will ever witness.

Alex Cuba = no big deal.

He's too good looking to just post one picture. Look at this superstar!

Alex Cuba was born Alexis Puentes. Did you know that? I didn't. Adonis Puentes is his brother, and Valentin Puentes is his father. What a talented family.

On the same stage that Alex Cuba and Valentin Puentes played, was the incredible Debashish Bhattacharya. (Say that three times fast) Look at this insane slide guitar, one of 3 he has invented.

Oh and then to top it off. I saw Sarazino! It was his first North American tour and he rocked it!

I could go into major detail about all these artists and some of the others I saw, but I figure I can just link you to their websites and you can dig as far as you want to dig. It was a fabulous festival... This is where I spent a lot of my time.

Not bad right?!

Vancouver Folk Festival/Village 900 Festival = major talent and major good times.

The Breakmen

Archie Patemen - The Breakmen

Here's a clip from my show last week. Its an interview with Archie Patemen, guitar/banjo player and singer from The Breakmen. Also, at the end of the interview you can hear one of their tunes! They are quite fabulous and will be back in Victoria on December 2nd 2010, celebrating the release of their brand new album. Good looking band!

Interview with an Irishman

Kevin Doherty - guitar player, 4 men and a dog

Four Men & a Dog made a name for themselves with their eclectic and vivacious blend of traditional Irish music with a wide spectrum of other genres.

They are coming to the Filberg Festival this year, playing a double set on Friday July 30!

Oh, and Kevin is a funny guy!

Festivals Galore

Vancouver Folk Festival (Vancouver)

July 16-18

This is probably one of the best line-ups I have ever seen. So many Village 900 artists!

Who's Playing?

• Alex Cuba
• Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba
• The Avett Brothers
• Crooked Still
• Babe Gurr
• Elisapie Isaac
• Jon and Roy
• Connie Kaldor
• Nathan Rogers
• Po' Girl
• Sarazino
• Timbre Timbre

(and so many more!!)

Click here for details.

Island Folk Festival (Cowichan)

July 23-25

The Cowichan Folk Guild is putting this festival on so people can share some good times, great food and even better music!

Who's Playing?

• David Francey
• The Mark Atkinson Trio
• Suzie Vinnick
• Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra
• Puzzleroot

(and so many more!!)

Click here for details.

Filberg Festival (Comox)

July 30-Aug 2

This is a juried arts and crafts festival, so only the best of the best artisans are allowed to showcase their uniquely hand crafted arts... which means bring some dollars, and maybe a trailer. Oh, and to top it off, there is live entertainment on two stages all throughout the weekend!

Who's Playing?

• Babe Gurr
• Suzie Vinnick
• 4 Men and a Dog
• Connie Kaldor
• Fred Eaglesmith
• The Ginn Sisters

(and so many more!!) including some incredible local artists... (I'm not biased, I swear.)

But, I will be at the Filberg Festival broadcasting live from 12-4pm on Saturday July 31st. Tune in to Village 900, stream us live, or get your butt up to Comox and enjoy the festival first hand!

Click here for details.

Great Canadian Beer Festival (Victoria)

Sept 10-11

An international beer festival = 100% awesome.

Mark your calendars! Tickets go on sale July 24th... sales are online only.

Click here for details.

SkaFest

July 7th - 10th

Only two more days!!

Okay, there are a lot of awesome things happening at the Victoria Ska Fest this year.

First of all. A FREE SHOW! Awesome!

Wednesday July 7th

5pm @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour) view map
Who's playing?

Easy Big Fella

Skampida

The Valuables

Second of all. On Thursday July 9th, Shane Philip is playing WITH MARK ATKINSON! Awesome!

Shane Philip is normally a one man band consisting of the following:

• digeridoo
• guitar
• vocals
• drums
• and more!

I was lucky enough to see him perform a free show during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics... in bare-feet, with great hair, a great smile... and oh yes... with incredible talent! I may have a mini Shane Philip crush. But, I also have a mini Mark Atkinson crush. So what does this mean? It means I'm off-the-wall excited for this show on Thursday. The Shane Philip Tree ft. Mark Atkinson and Joby Baker. Awesome!

Thursday, July 9th

5pm @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

Who's playing?

Shane Philip w/ Mark Atkinson and Joby Baker

Mindil Beach Markets

Katchafire

What else? The Aggrolites are coming!! Awesome!

From LA, The Aggrolites are a 5-piece, funky, full of soul, dirty reggae party band. This band will rock the socks off any crowd... Hey, that could be you on Friday!

Friday, July 10th

5pm @ Ship Point (Inner Harbour)

Who's playing?

The Aggrolites

Rocky Mountain Rebel Music

The Beatdown

Finally, what's really really fantastic... We have tickets to give away to ALL THESE SHOWS! Including the grand finale. Awesome!

Saturday, July 11th

7pm @ Victoria Curling Club

Who's playing?

Fishbone

The Black Seeds

Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Brave New Waves

DJ Su Comandante

Awesome right?!

Tickets to these shows are available at Ditch Records, Lyles Place, The Reef or online at ticketweb.ca

Or listen to village 900 to win!

Click here for volunteer opportunities, show details and other event listings for Ska Fest.

Victoria Jazzfest 2010