Folk Fest, July 14 2013

This is the final piece for this year from your Electronic Folk Fest Storyteller, Leif Norman. Hopefully I will return next year with more stories…
One of the traditions of the Winnipeg Folk Fest was getting up off your tarp, somewhere during the main stage concert like a seventh inning stretch, to proclaim how much like a little prairie flower you were, and how wild you were with twirling and jumping action. It’s a short bout of mutual silliness that lets the whole crowd know; everything will be all right, as long as you were as wild as wild can be. This tidbit of mirth was found by Brian Richardson in a stack of his mother’s music from the 1930’s, the music hall days, when language and wordplay as entertainment were a little more fervent. See the works of Leslie Sarony for more details.
Brian thought the little prairie flower song would be a treat and introduced it to the Fest when he began hosting in 1991. Brian is an all around dextrous guy who sings, plays many instruments and does many silly voices and accents. In the seventies he worked with some of Winnipeg’s best talent; Al Simmons, Fred Penner, David Gillies, Jim Ingebritsen, Wayne Nicklas, Stephanie Ballard and Odette Heyn; often all at the same time!
Peter Paul Van Camp, another fest tradition, began busking with his Vaudeville style poetry and performance permutations at the 1974 Folk Fest. Mitch Podolak heard him reading at some picnic tables and instantly booked him for the 1975 Folk Fest at the Poetry Stage; maybe that’s something we could bring back? I know bunches of poets in the city!
Peter and Brian’s performance circles were bound to overlap in Winnipeg, and indeed they did at the “Manitoba Puppet Theatre”, a splendid sounding situation I wish was still around. By the time Brian Richardson started hosting in 1991 Peter introduced him as “The New Guy”.
One of Mr Van Camp’s best loved creations is the famous “Dairy Products” poem. It made it’s premiere in 1977 at the Folk Fest; and the actual name of the piece is “A Milkman at Heart”. (People also think The Who song is called Teenage Wasteland but it’s really “Baba O’Riley”. And by the way, they never said Play it again Sam, or Beam me up Scotty. Sorry; where was I?) The main stage crowd would shout out “Dairy Products!” and eventually Peter Paul would come out and read it. From 1977 to 2002 for about five minutes the Folk Fest would ring with the sounds of cheese and butter.
Tonight, the huge crowd in the Park saw two classic performances for the 40th anniversary; Brian Richardson’s Little Prairie Flower song, complete with spinning and jumping sing along actions, and Peter Paul Van Camp’s syncopated modulated opus about being a Milkman at Heart. Yoghurt!

A nice Manitoba Summer cloudy sky

 

Folk Fest Volunteer shuttle bu out to Birds Hill

 

Simon from Thunder Bay worked an office job, but wore wild Value Village Ties. On the last day of work before he retired, he got 35 of them made into a Kilt (plus the Sporran) and wore it all day. He makes a pilgrimage each year to Birds Hill with his special Folk Fest kilt.

 

The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer at the Winnipeg Folk Fest 2013

 

Happy gang of girls and ukuleles

 

Cloverdale Forge and the flames

 

Matt Jenkins, local blacksmith gives Caleigh lessons on how to pound metal

 

Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers play for the beer tent

 

A collection of fake wrist bands. Seriously?

 

Levy of D’Harmo, the French Canadian harmonica band, does a workshop in the Folk School Tent

 

King of Canada

 

Kids and bubbles

 

Leon Redbone confuses his Piano Player

 

 

The Magnificent 7’s at the Winnipeg Folk Fest.

 

 

 

Hulk Hogan makes an appearance during a Mag 7’s song about wrestling, Winnipeg Folk Fest

 

 

 

Racoon tails are the hot accessory.

 

The Milk Carton Kids

 

Matt the Electrician at the Winnipeg Folk Fest

 

Leon Redbone inspects a portrait of himself

 

I’m sorry I didn’t get his name. The piano player for Leon Redbone found this Victoria Spivey record at the Folk Fest music store. A treasure! he said.

 

 

Happy Musicians at the Winnipeg Folk Fest

 

Peter Paul Van Camp; then and now

 

Leon Redbone getting interviewed by ShowBiz Monkeys behind the media tent at the Winnipeg Folk Fest, 2013

 

Back in the saddle as Folk Fest Main Stage Host, Brian Richardson

 

 

Quiet! Performers on stage.

 

One of the Blind Boys of Alabama makes it back on stage

 

Brian Richardson prepares the crowd to be as wild as wild can be.

 

Leif Norman dancing like a Prairie Flower with his Fluevogs at the Winnipeg Folk Fest. photo by Sean Carney

Brian invited me up on Folk Fest Main Stage to jump around like a little prairie flower. This was the view.

 

Manitoba Dragonfly and yellow

 

 

Peter Paul van Camp performs “Milkman at Heart” for the first time since 2002

 

The hard working Folk Fest Transpo crew

 

A wonderful Manitoba Sunset

 

Folk Fest technical services can find and fix anything, but don’t test them on it!

 

Sean and Ian minstrelling in the forest