Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
As I thought Gordon showed up and sang a couple of tunes tonight in Orillia at Mariposa.
Meredith and her friends have a group, "The Earnest Hummingways" and they performed a couple of times this weekend... Pics to come.. |
Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
Gordon and Kim enjoy some music at Mariposa... pic to come..
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Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
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Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
VIDEO - IYCRMM https://instagram.com/p/4xq8TIBmdD/
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Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/07...-its-all-about
Someone said, "This has to be the most international festival in years." I wish I could remember who figured that one out, but when I heard it, I knew it was true. Black Umfolosi taking the Mariposa Folk Festival main stage Friday evening is where the thread begins. This quintet of a cappella singers from Zimbabwe thoroughly entertained with rich harmonies, an awesome dance called the gumboot and a rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight that grew to a choir of several thousand voices. The thread reached all the way to Sunday evening in the pub, where Brian Litvin and Jabulani performed with Kunle. The former are South African and the latter, Nigerian — the music was universal. They performed as one band shifting through the subtleties of the qualities that distinguish the music rooted in different parts of the vast African continent. The real treat was watching the drummer, George Morellato, who was the only one on stage not from Africa. (He’s from Ontario’s frozen north.) His mannerisms and musical choices behind the drum set were incredibly much like a younger Ringo Starr. As per usual at the festival, I didn’t see every performer, and I think some people have a secret delight asking me if I saw so-and-so, knowing my answer is probably going to be "No, I was in the pub at that time." Of those I didn’t see, Lucho Quequezana hails from Peru, Michele Gazich from Italy and Farrucas, which fused its Ecuadorian and Mediterranean heritage but is familiar to me and most of Orillia by virtue of its many downtown street-festival appearances. Then there are a number of musicians from any number of bands who will joke they are from another country, The Rock (Cape Breton), who played at the festival. And there was music from all corners of Canada, which can sound foreign if your familiarity with music begins and ends with playing the radio. It was truly a melting pot of sound and rhythm all weekend, helped along by fantastic weather that gave us our first true summery, sweltering day Sunday, while Friday and Saturday were just right. I did hear Taj Weekes and Adowa on the main stage Sunday night. The band members come from all over the Caribbean, so their brand of reggae is a little different, especially when they introduce African elements to the sound. They were a great break from the standard fiddle and banjo fare that dominates the ears at the festival. So, too, was Reuben and the Dark when it took the stage in the pub Saturday night. Now, in the pub, it’s almost required there be a banjo or fiddle present at all times on the stage. That’s OK; the crowd loves it. But when these guys started, the sound was so different, many people were asking, "Who is this?" in a pleasantly surprised way. Our own Griddle Pickers had numerous performances scattered around the schedule and I think they gained many more new fans than they bargained for. I had to laugh when the hundreds of people swarmed in to the area around the Ruth Stage Sunday afternoon to catch the Gordon Lightfoot Songs workshop — then swarmed out when it was done, not realizing the person they hoped to catch a glimpse of, Gordon Lightfoot, would be back to enjoy his daughter’s performance with The Earnest Hummingways in the following workshop. For the first, there were about a thousand on hand to rise and pay tribute when Gord showed up and barely more than a hundred in the next set. I spoke to several of the musicians after the first set and they were nervous about singing Gord’s tunes in his presence but also extremely focused on what they were doing in order to not let the nerves take over. One of the takeaways from that set: You haven’t lived until you hear Turbo Street Funk do The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. And, of course, Gord did a couple of tunes on the main stage in the evening — Couchiching and If You Could Read My Mind. Something happens to Gord when he walks onto a stage, like he becomes Superman or something, with a stronger voice and mental sharpness that belies his 76 years. I think Mariposa audiences will give him a standing ovation when he’s 99. At the end of it all, the trepidation at the outset of the weekend of how well the lineup of lesser-known names would be received is a faded memory because of the good times and good music that passed in between. John Swartz is a columnist for the Packet & Times. He can be contacted at watchthisproductions@encode.com. |
Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
http://www.orilliapacket.com/2015/07...cal-grand-slam
There is something magical about the Mariposa Folk Festival, widely hailed as the grand dame of music festivals in Canada. Over the weekend, that was abundantly evident once again as the sun glimmered on the calm waters of Lake Couchiching, providing an idyllic backdrop for 24,000 music lovers who made their annual pilgrimage to Tudhope Park to pay homage to the legends, stars and next generation of headliners at the iconic three-day event. Since the festival's return to Orillia 15 years ago, Mariposa has grown and blossomed into one of Ontario's -- if not Canada's -- favourite festivals. Partly, it's that eclectic and enigmatic mix of musicians and performers; partly, it's the intimate outdoor setting framed by trees and water; partly, it's the opportunity to participate in a workshop with an icon; partly, it's the excitement that ripples through the crowd when whispers turn to reality and Gordon Lightfoot makes an impromptu visit to the stage. For different people, it's different things, but to the community that is created for three music- and wonder-filled days, it's that communal feeling of being part of something special, where you can revel in the electric atmosphere of the pub-tent stage or relax in a lawn chair while soaking up the sun and listening to the artist performing on the main stage. In addition to the music, there are the artisans, the food, the opportunity to camp; it's where you meet old friends and meet new ones. While the atmosphere is lively and, at times, raucous, it is also safe and comfortable with a mix of ages that runs the gamut from the very young to the very old. The festival, run out of town in the 1960s before wandering like a nomad to various venues and staggering toward extinction, has, upon its return to Mariposa, matured into one of the premier events in the province. In fact, the festival's success was, at least partly, why Folk Music Ontario had its second annual retreat in Orillia earlier this year. This time, the provincial agency's focus was on logistics as 25 officials from 16 festivals used the Mariposa Folk Festival as its model. Sessions on planning and waste management highlighted how Mariposa has adapted over the years. For example, in 2012, Mariposa conducted a waste audit. Following that progressive, eye-opening examination, organizers switched to compostable (corn-based) plates and cups and eliminated water bottles. Officials also worked with the active trails committee to increase the size of the bike lock-up to encourage people to commute to the event and further reduce its carbon footprint. Sandy Irwin, who organizes the Stewart Park Festival in Perth and was in town for the conference, called Mariposa "one of the granddaddies of festivals. They provide a sustainable model." Mariposa is a model of what a music festival can be. It has proven to be popular and sustainable and has hit its stride in old age -- like so many who come to Mariposa later in life. To those passionate and committed volunteers, to those who work tirelessly to attract and ink talent, to those who organize and strategize and find sponsors, to those who attend, to those who perform, a heartfelt thank you. Once again, in 2015, you hit all the right notes, producing a community soundtrack that is quintessentially Mariposa. |
Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
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Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
FLIKR photos - KERRY JARVIS photoshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/maripo...57661818831866
http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/u...riposa2015.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/u...202015%20-.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/u...%20-kerry2.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/u...rvis%20pic.jpg |
Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
What FABULOUS pics! Thank you, Char!
Gail |
Re: Mariposa 2015 - Lightfoot performs 2 tunes.
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