Calgary folk fest: Five weekend workshops to worship

Two sons-of-preacher men, Little and Bentall, share the stage with urban musical chameleon Collett and

Minneapolis’ modernly vintage-kissed harmonizers, The Cactus Blossoms. Collett’s and Little’s ability to

write songs in a charm-bracelet’s worth of musical styles will be augmented by Bentall’s tried and true

tunes and Cactus Blossom’s wide and blue harmonies.

Check out a guy and a group of gals whose smouldering chops, smoky vocals and sweet ’n’ sassy lyrics

make heartbreak sound as fun as a naked ride on a waterslide.

Take two Calgary staples — ghoul garage land superheroes Forbidden Dimension and the unpredictable-

as-an-apparition Ghostkeeper — mix together with the mist-like and sometimes surprising songs of

Vollebekk, and add some bones, The Bones of J.R. Jones in this case, whose songs are stripped naked

like, well, like a well-picked bone. Throw in some curveball songs, carry your heart in your throat, and

watch out for the ghost in the moat.

A mashup of Brit transplants, American bluegrass harmonizers, and a Juno Award-winning Oji-Cree

songwriter sounds like it might produce some intercontinental incontinence, but look forward to picture-

perfect summer songs chilled by elegant, ethereal musical moments.

Two of Canada’s veteran road warriors get a chance to dip their riffs into the British-born Carter’s gospel

tinged, roots-raised style and Birds of Chicago’s joyous, rounded melodies.