Summer Festivals

What a great summer of music in Calgary.

Michael Franti came back to Calgary and blew a new hole in the ozone layer in early July. His band, Spearhead, has one of the finest drummers I have ever heard. But it is the energy blowing from the stage that is amazing. I hope the US elects a president he can respect in 2008 so he can be less political. I want him to go back to being the troubadour of the urban experience.

Then there was the Calgary Folk Music Festival. Four days of exploring the music of some very interesting musicians, although in blazing heat. Bought 9 CDs on site, a new record for me. They have preserved the essence of the weekend though.

The music at the Calgary International Blues Festival was great. The new site is tragically wrong though. Who wants to sit in a paved parking lot, no shade, fenced off from anything green?