Upcoming concert!

The RFF Lovers Sale is now ON!

For a short while, we've got a pretty great promotion going on.  This is THE BEST time to grab your weekend passes for the 2012 RFF August 10 - 12.  Maybe it's because it makes for an awesome holiday gift for the music lovers in your life.  Maybe it's because this is the lowest price weekend passes can get to.  Maybe it's because you don't even care what the 2012 lineup will be because you have a real sense of trust in the RFF.  Any way you look at it, this is a good deal!

We've only got a limited number of passes at this price, so scoop them up soon!

You can find them at the Globe Theatre Box office online or by phone (the number above or 525-6400).

The Festival is Hiring!

Regina Folk Festival Inc.
Finance & Operations Coordinator

As an integral member of RFF Inc.’s dynamic team, the Finance & Operations Coordinator will assist in the coordination of RFF Inc. and its two main programs, the annual Regina Folk Festival and the RFF Concert & Workshop Series as well as the administration of RFF Inc. and its offices.

The Finance & Operations Coordinator will play a key role in coordinating financial systems for the festival including supervision of volunteer team leaders and coordination of systems in all areas related to finance, including festival beer sales, 50-50, concessions & crafts, box office, festival merchandise, festival record store and after parties. The Finance & Operations Coordinator will be responsible for the recruitment & administration of crafters & concessionaires for the annual festival as well as the ordering of festival merchandise.

The Finance & Operations Coordinator will be responsible for financial record keeping for RFF Inc., including accounts payable and receivable, cheque writing and the compiling and coding of monthly accounting data for the RFF Inc. bookkeeper as well as the preparation of year-end audit materials for the auditor.  Other administration duties will include supervision of the part-time administrative assistant and overall coordination of office systems as well as day-to-day office duties shared with the rest of the RFF Inc. team.

The Finance & Operations Coordinator will also be responsible for all aspects of event coordination of the RFF Concert and Workshop Series including finances, artists’ services, box office, stage technical & volunteer coordination.

This is a full-time permanent position for 35 hours per week.  Some evening work for concert series events and intense work over the festival weekend (August 10-12, 2012) as well as regular office hours will be required.

List of Requirements

·      Post-secondary graduate with studies in arts, business administration or related area of study

·      A keen interest in pursuing a career in the arts and culture sector

·      Solid knowledge of event coordination, financial systems and box office management

·      Strong organizational and communication skills

·      Bookkeeping and accounting knowledge

·      Computer literate with ability to use MS Office Software

·      Previous experience working with databases

·      Previous experience working with non-profit organizations

·      Good communication skills both written and verbal

·      Ability to work well with others and independently

Assets

Ability to work effectively with the public, artists, volunteers, and suppliers

Interested in the promotion and development of arts and culture

Willingness to learn and upgrade skills
Good understanding of Macintosh Environment

Please apply via email to:
info@reginafolkfestival.com

Or by mail to Regina Folk Festival Inc.
#101-1855 Scarth Street
Regina, SK S4P 2G9

Deadline for applications is November 30^th, 2011

Only those candidates chosen for an interview will be contacted.
No phone calls please.

A full job description for this position is available on request at info@reginafolkfestival.com  

Upcoming concert!

Socalled Concert coming up! Pick up your tickets soon!

50/50 winner

And the lucky 50/50 winner is.... #2279
Raffle prizes on Friday and Saturday went to #36 and #1605

Lost & Found

Hey all y'all Folk Fest goers! If you've lost anything, give us a ring (757-0308) or email (info@reginafolkfestival.com) with your name, contact info and a description of the missing item. The RFF office is closing up shop for a couple weeks, so we'll get back to you in September. All remaining festival accoutrement will go to Salvation Army at the end of September.

Tomorrow! Return to Black Forest: Red's Revenge

Crafting the perfect 2011 RFF lineup

Written by Shayna Stock

As Artistic Director, it is Sandra Butel’s challenge and joy to orchestrate a festival that strikes a chord with every one of the diverse audience members that attend.

She is unique among her colleagues at other festivals in that, by her own admission, she is not a music geek. She loves music, and she could certainly name more musicians than the average festival-goer, but she’s more inspired by how the music affects the audience’s experience at the festival than she is by the music itself.

“And the experience,” she tells me in an interview in Victoria Park, “is as much about what happens to you when you wait in line for the port-a-potty as it is standing in front of the stage experiencing the music.”

This perspective fosters an attention to detail that Sandra brings to all aspects of her role – from managing finances to booking artists to managing the festival team. And, if the festival’s steady growth throughout her 12 years as Artistic Director is any indication, I’d say it’s working.

Tell me about your process for creating the line-up for each year.

It’s an organic process. Each year’s lineup actually takes a few years to put together. There are always artists I’ve been interested in for a few years but it hasn’t worked out, or international artists that happen to be touring then. I start off in September or October with my dream list of what might be possible.

What do you look for in potential performers?

I’m looking for artists who have created something that belongs to them. I’m looking for people’s personal expression – that’s more interesting to me than being completely true to the genre of whatever music it is that they play.

I think a lot about what it’s going to feel like in the park, and what it’s going to feel like as an audience member to hear this artist for the first time. That affects where I place the artist in the lineup – whether they’re first, second or third, and whether they’re on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

This is an international festival, but it always highlights local artists as well. Can you talk about the balance between local, national and international music?

I think it’s important to support the development of local artists. It takes a very long time to build an audience in your own town, even more than in other towns, so being able to support that is important. But I don’t want people to come away with the impression that local artists are only on the stage because they’re local; I want the audience to hear them and say, ‘They’re fantastic, where are they from?’, find out they’re from here, and be very proud and excited about it.

k.d. lang  played at the Regina Folk Festival in 1985 – the year the festival first moved downtown. It must feel pretty special to be able to bring her back this year.

Having k.d. lang back this year is pretty phenomenal. For long-time festival-goers, dancing in the rain to k.d. lang and the Reclines in 1985 is a powerful memory, and she was pretty unknown then. It’s raised the profile of the festival for the people who didn’t know it, and for those who come every year regardless, having her back is like a big gift.

What’s new about this year’s festival?

I’ve been hassled for years that I don’t book enough blues music. I started looking at past lineups and thought, ‘You know what? I don’t.’ Because I like music that takes a genre and personalizes it for that artist, and I wasn’t seeing a lot of blues that was doing that. So this year, I decided to organize a blues project called Planet Blue. It includes Taj Mahal, Etran Finatawa, the Sojourners and Shakura S’Aida, who are all performing on the main stage. I think that these performers will not only bring some blues to the festival, but they will also take the blues audience and show them something new, which I always like to do.

To see the lineup of the 2011 RFF see the Performers' page.

To hear more from Sandra about the making of a good festival, be sure to take in the SaskMusic workshop: 

So You Think You Can Fest?

Thursday, August 4, 2011, 7pm

Regina, Creative City Centre, 1843 Hamilton Street

Presented by SaskMusic and the Regina Folk Festival

It seems that more and more music festivals are popping up all over the world, but for emerging artists, landing a slot at a festival, even as an opening band, may seem out of reach – a goal for “later” in your career. Festivals can be an invaluable way of exposing your band to new fans and industry insiders searching for fresh talent. But before bands and managers see a festival slot as their ticket to fame and fortune, they need to know how to get noticed and how not to blow it once they're booked.

The Festival Buyers Panel will feature three of western Canada’s leading festival buyers, Chris Frayer, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Kerry Clarke, Calgary Folk Festival and Sandra Butel, Regina Folk Festival. The panel will discuss tips and tricks of getting your submissions noticed and what to do once you have been selected.

Play, Make, Believe!

Written by Shayna Stock

This is Jeannie Staub’s eighth year working for the Regina Folk Festival. As Manager of Marketing, she’s responsible for determining a new theme for each year’s festival and coordinating marketing efforts around that theme. While she’s the creative mind and the technical wizard behind most of the promotional materials, her work is incredibly collaborative, with fellow RFF staff, an ad-hoc museum in rural Manitoba, and a Brit on EBay all contributing critical components toward the development of this year’s theme and marketing materials. Her stories contain enough whimsy to make one wonder if she’s taken this year’s theme “Play, Make, Believe” a little too closely to heart. But they do check out, which makes them all the more fantastic.

Where do your ideas for each year’s theme come from?

It’s always such a combination of influences. I look at what the trends are, what people are gravitating toward, what people are interested in visually. The line-up always inspires it, too. I sit down and start listening to the music, and ideas start to flow. I sort of collect ideas and aesthetics and try to create a narrative around them. It’s pretty intuitive.

What inspired this year’s theme, “Play, Make, Believe”?

I’ve seen a lot of throwbacks to the original graphic style, like letterpress printing. People seem to be interested in those aesthetics again (maybe it’s a reaction to an over-digitized media assault).

Then [RFF artistic director] Sandra told me about this wonderful place about two hours east of here – this man George Chopping’s house that he’s turned into a museum. The part that was most interesting to me was the attic. It was filled with dusty old toys, just like right out of a storybook. The way he let the toys just sort of be there and grow old and get dusty and worn – it was very artful, playful and intriguing.

The posters and TV ads feature a lot of dusty, old toys. Is there a story there?

Yes, they’re my Dad’s. I went to my parents’ farm and pulled out all of my Dad’s old toys from the ’40s and ’50s – wind-up cars and little helicopters and playful things. I didn’t even bother cleaning the dust off. Our TV producer Jayden Soroka and I set up a shoot right there in the basement of my house.

Amazing. And that old letterpress type featured in all the posters is equally intriguing.

Yeah, I’d been looking around town for letterpress type, but couldn’t find any. I ended up messaging a guy in the U.K. who was selling the letters on Ebay. He responded right away. Apparently, it’s not the first time he’s had this request. Since all I needed was digital photos of the type, he suggested that he just shoot all the letters that I wanted, and send the photos to me over the internet. So he cleaned off all the ink and took them outside and took pictures of all of them, and now I have this huge library of these gorgeous old pieces of letterpress. That’s what made up our logo this year, and the names of the artists on the posters.

Everyone who attends the festival will interpret the theme, consciously or not, through their own experience, but what does this year’s theme mean to you?

Toys represent our imagination, as do the playful aesthetics of rooms, windows, costumes and curtains. I feel like this theme is meant to remind us of how accessible our creativity really is. The theme often doesn’t make total sense to me until other people get involved. So I’ll actually have a better understanding of it ­after the festival, because of people’s participation.

How do the visual aesthetics of the festival interact with the music, in your experience?

Music starts out as the focus, but then by the end of the festival weekend, people are really more engaged in the experience. Folk festivals are a place where creative expression is really embraced, so you see all sorts of colourful ideas floating around you at the festival, and we inspire one another. That’s what’s so special about folk festivals. And in Regina, we do it right in the middle of our downtown, which is extra cool.

How do you think the theme influences the experience of festival-goers?

It’s interesting – the generation of a theme is part of marketing and communications, but it goes beyond that – having a theme to draw on really brings people together. It serves as a starting point for things to jump from. For example, the Fada dancers will interpret what’s going on with the theme and create numbers that are related to it; sometimes we create on-site artwork to allow people to engage in the theme or create programming with it in mind. It is meant to inspire people, energize everyone involved and engage in a conversation about why we are here together.

 *** See the best example of Jeannie's work in the TV ad produced.  It's so whimsy and delightful.

Or view it on the homepage of our website!

Two Upcoming Workshops presented by the Regina Folk Festival & SaskMusic

So You Think You Can Fest?

Thursday, August 4, 2011, 7pm

Regina, Creative City Centre, 1843 Hamilton Street

Presented by SaskMusic and the Regina Folk Festival

It seems that more and more music festivals are popping up all over the world, but for emerging artists, landing a slot at a festival, even as an opening band, may seem out of reach – a goal for “later” in your career. Festivals can be an invaluable way of exposing your band to new fans and industry insiders searching for fresh talent. But before bands and managers see a festival slot as their ticket to fame and fortune, they need to know how to get noticed and how not to blow it once they're booked.

The Festival Buyers Panel will feature three of western Canada’s leading festival buyers, Chris Frayer, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Kerry Clarke, Calgary Folk Festival and Sandra Butel, Regina Folk Festival. The panel will discuss tips and tricks of getting your submissions noticed and what to do once you have been selected.

Socalled: Hip Hop Workshop

Thursday, October 13, 2011, 7pm

Regina, The Club, 2431 8^th Avenue

Presented by SaskMusic and the Regina Folk Festival

When Josh Dolgin (aka Socalled) first heard klezmer music on an old Yiddish record, he was fascinated by the cool sounds he could sample to make hip hop beats. Then he realized that integrating this Jewish music from the 1930s into his songs was a way of representing himself and his cultural heritage. It enabled him to bring something of his own to funk and hip hop, giving him what he calls "a real reason to make music." Known for his genre-bending approach and his collaborations with musical giants of funk, klezmer, hip hop, lounge and classical music, Socalled has performed all over the world.

Socalled’s particular brand of mash-up is an exercise in furthering his overall mission to cross boundaries, to mix old and new sounds, acoustic and electric instruments, and digital and analog recording techniques, while exploring different cultures and styles, all in the service of creating something catchy, smart, hilarious, emotional and timeless. This workshop will provide a rare glimpse in this mixmaster's process, as he does a live mash-up of found sounds, traditional Yiddish songs and hip-hop.

*****

These workshops are FREE for all SaskMusic members or $20/each for non-members. Please pre-register as space is limited: 1-800-347-0676 or email info@saskmusic.org.

Our new artwork! Isn't it lovely! Isn't it divine!

BAZAART + The Regina Folk Festival

We are very happy to partner with the Mackenzie Art Gallery again this year.   The MAG's annual fundraiser, BAZAART, takes place Saturday June 18, 2011.   

Spend some time on the gallery lawn at the Regina Folk Festival’s stage from noon to 3:30 pm. Sway to the sweet sounds of two Saskatchewan artists who are performing at the 2011 Regina Folk Festival: Indigo Joseph and Jeffery Straker. As part of this partnership, the MacKenzie Art Gallery will host a community art activity at the Regina Folk Festival in Victoria Park on Saturday, August 6, and Sunday, August 7, 2010. Stop by the MacKenzie tent and show us your best hipster pose in our Artist Series Photobooth with the talented Chris Graham and Carey Shaw. 

Regina Folk Festival Stage at Bazaart:  

12 to 1 pm - Concert, Jeffery Straker   

1:15 to 2:15 pm - It's funny you should ask: Songwriting workshop with Jeffery Straker & Indigo Joseph  

 2:30 to 3:30 pm - Concert, Indigo Joseph  

Tickets and a free song!

Hi everyone!  We have a bit of news to share!

Our Early Bird tickets are now sold out, though we do have weekend passes and individual night tickets on sale through the Globe Theatre Box Office still.

We are also still looking for volunteers.  However, we are very very close to being full, so if you are still interested, now's the time to fill out that application!!

And last bit of news: A Gift!
k.d. lang is offering a free download of her song "Sugar Buzz" off her latest album to give her fans a chance to hear her new sound!  I've downloaded it and it's really quite lovely!

Have a lovely long weekend :)

RFF Mainstage Schedule is UP!

You've been asking and wondering about who's playing when for a while now, am I right?  How can you not?!  We're just so excited to finally be able to say, "We're ready!!"

So, without further ado...

Friday starts off the fun with:
Fred Penner, Braids, Etran Finatawa, Andrew Bird & KT Tunstall!

Saturday will be hopping with:
Library Voices, Marco Calliari, Shakura S'Aida, Taj Mahal & k.d. lang and The Siss Boom Bang!

Sunday send us off in great style with:
The Sojourners, Dan Mangan, Aurelio Martinez, Coeur de pirate, Hawksley Workman & the Grand Finale!

(Schedule subject to change.  Teaser & Daytime schedules TBA)

For more info, see the Schedule tab!
Individual Night tickets on sale now!  Click on the large button or phone Globe Theatre Box Office at 525-6400!

Sponsorship Opportunities!

The Regina Folk Festival  presents an amazing weekend of music and community once a year right in the heart of Regina’s downtown. The 2011 edition of the RFF, which rolls around August 5th - 7th, promises a spectacularly good time for one and all.  The festival offers a weekend outside of the regular routine where we can all let go of our stresses and worries and just be together in celebration of exceptional music from both near and far. With highly anticipated ticketed Mainstage shows, free daytime concerts and workshop sessions, a lively, fun Children’s Area, chances to peruse the arts market and international food court, festival record store and hang in the Big Rock Garden, there is no lack of ways to bask in the glow of the RFF.  When Monday comes, all too soon, people wake up and tell us “That was the best weekend ever!”

It begs the question:  Was your company a part of it?

If not, it certainly can be!  Our 2011 Sponsorship Guides are now available!  Please see our Sponsorship webpage for more information!

2011 Regina Folk Festival LINEUP is ANNOUNCED!!

See the Performers tab above for artist bios and links!  

Other great artists (including additional Saskatchewan artists) will be added to the bill by the end of April 2011.

With this year’s lineup the Regina Folk Festival experience will not only be focused on performances by fantastic headliners (and we are pretty stoked to have k.d. lang back at our fest and to welcome Andrew Bird & Taj Mahal & KT Tunstall to Regina) but also on the musical discovery of artists from all across Canada and internationally (USA, Honduras, Niger). 

A limited number of early bird tickets go on sale March 24th at a price of $89 plus GST for adults and $79 plus GST for students & seniors.  Tickets can be purchased at the Globe Theatre box office at 1801 Scarth Street (4^th floor), by phone at 525-6400 on through our web site at www.reginafolkfestival.com/tickets

Brazilian Percussion Workshop

Partnering with SaskMusic, we are happy to announce Celso Machado will be leading a drumming workshop!

Kiran Ahluwalia - January 28th - The Artesian on 13th!

An article from the Toronto Star.

"Kiran Ahluwalia got hooked on Tinariwen at a Harbourfront Centre concert. Her latest album features their collaboration."


This Friday at The Artesian on 13th!

See our facebook group!

Mustt Mustt : Kiran Ahluwalia with Tinariwen

Watch Kiran Ahluwalia's newest video!

This track is from the album being released at her concert January 28th at The Artesian on 13th.
See our the facebook event or the RFF Concert Series schedule for more info on Kiran or to buy tickets!

Accepting Applications for the Sask Sampler

SASK SAMPLER

Saturday April 30^th

Doors: 7:00pm, $5 cover

Bushwakker Brewpub - 2206 Dewdney Ave.

The Regina Folk Festival, the Ness Creek Music Festival and the Gateway Music Festival present some of the best independent music to some of the largest audiences in Saskatchewan, but we don't always get a chance to see the performers that live in our own backyard.

So we've partnered with Bushwakker Brewing Company to put on a show called the SASK SAMPLER and we want you (or your friends) to come play it.

This is a great opportunity for Saskatchewan’s Festival Artistic Directors to see your band play live! 

If you're interested and you live in Saskatchewan, apply online through the Regina Folk Festival’s SonicBids account. Please submit your EPK, links and sample mp3 directly to our account.  Simply add a note indicating the submission is for the Sask Sampler. Six bands will be chosen to perform! 

The deadline for submissions is: FEBRUARY 28TH 

Hope to see you there!

Gettin' Psyched for Sarah!

Sarah's on the cover!  

Thanks prairie dog mag for this awesome interview!

We're getting pretty excited about her concert on Friday!

(psst, now's the time to plan your weekend and scoop up some tickets to this fab friday night event)

See the our Concert Series page for more information.

And, hey, thanks for the delicious chocolates you brought over the other day prairie dog team.  Yummers!