Though the calendar says summer of 2018 is drawing to a close, the final mega-music event in Ottawa is about to hit town. CityFolk Music Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018, spans 5 days (Sep 12-16), and features music spanning genres and decades. It’s a festival with a little something for everyone.
As The Revue has done in previous years, we will offer suggestions as to which stages to stake out to keep your ears entertained (avoiding the headliners as much as possible). Though the previews will highlight individual days, the full schedule can be found here. Various passes and tickets are still available for purchase.
As a quick helpful hint, do download the app to design your own itinerary and be sure to follow Ottawa Cityfolk on social media for any fun contests and changes in schedules.
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Wednesday, September 12th
Steve Earle and the Dukes – 6:00, City Stage
When the festival is only running one stage, it seems a little unnecessary to provide picks, but take it from us that Wednesday is a full slate of artists you should not miss.
In 1986 with his debut album Guitar Town, Steve Earle took Nashville by storm topping the Billboard country music charts and being nominated for two Grammys. In 1988, Earle served notice to the entire world with Copperhead Road and its cross-over rock title track. The album would go triple-platinum and make Earle a household name. The CityFolk date is part of his 30th Anniversary tour for this landmark album, so show up early and join the celebration.
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Kaleo – 8:00, City Stage
Originally hailing from Iceland and now based in the USA, Kaleo‘s mix of folk and blues has proven to have global appeal. They have made numerous late-night television appearances and their music has been featured in several popular television shows. If you require more proof of their popularity, their single “Way Down We Go” has over 200 million streams on Spotify and 140 million views on YouTube. Yes, you read those numbers correctly.
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Thursday, September 13th
Andy Shauf – 8:00, RavenLaw Stage
This may sound like harping, as I’m sure I’ve posted about my admiration of Andy Shauf as an artist, but allow me some latitude for repetition. Be sure to head over to the Ravenlaw Stage mid-Thursday evening to catch his set. Shauf is a remarkable singer/songwriter, a Polaris Music Prize nominee to boot, and has a plethora a stories to share. His last album was entitled The Party, so tonight consider yourself cordially invited.
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David Byrne – 9:00, City Stage
It is true that shying away from recommending headliners is du rigeur for The Revue, but here in the first post of picks for the festival, we’re going against tradition. Then again, this is David Byrne, whom we all adore. The multi-talented New Yorker has worn MANY hats – and one oversized suit. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award winner has a notable solo career, was the lead singer of the new wave staple Talking Heads, and has a record production role to his credit. Further to this, he’s an author, photographer, and a film director, working heavily in the last decade in the visual arts. This headliner is a true gem, and his performance is one to treasure during the 25th anniversary of CityFolk. Don’t miss it!
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