small print at shelter valley

small print finds himself on stage at shelter valley folk festival (alongside steve slade).

small print finds himself on stage at shelter valley folk festival (alongside steve slade).

i was at the shelter valley folk festival on the weekend.

i love shelter valley. truly. deeply. it is a laid back affair that attracts people of all ages, with many folks treating it as a family outing — mine included.

one of the remarkable things about shelter valley is the number of volunteers — a ratio of about one volunteer for every four attendees. this is a phenomenal figure. astounding. unheard of at other festivals.

some of the musical highlights and links to artist sites:

martyn joseph: http://www.martynjoseph.com/

joseph played with almost everyone on the docket at some point during the festival. his generous style and flair for musical improv elevated the sets of just about everyone. the highlight was his hilarious freight-train delivery of “we love steve slade.” performed alongside a dumbfounded steve slade.

speaking of steve… : http://www.steveslade.com/

…he too played with almost every artist present (including yours truly — which took everyone, including me, by surprise). steve mixed gentle humour with astounding musicality to make all of his workshops magical.

david myles: http://www.davidmyles.com/

when a transformer blew and the show had to go on with murky, muddy sound, myles turned the only working speaker — a stage monitor — around to face the crowd. he cranked his delivery up a notch and saved the situation in a way that only a true showman can. he had the audience singing, clapping and thrusting their fists in the air in a mock-springsteen tribute. this, my friends, is what folk festivals are made of.

po’ girl: http://www.pogirl.net/

i love you, po’girl.

garnet rogers: http://www.garnetrogers.com/

garnet is a canadian institution. enough said.

i’m already counting the days until next year’s fest. and i want to see YOU there as well.

for more info:

http://www.sheltervalley.com/