LOUDON!

Just got back from an amazing weekend at the Regina Folk Fest - the little fest that rocks. And I do mean rocks. Somehow they have placed artists like K-OS and Bedouin Sound Clash into the Folk category. It may rankle the musicologists (they are easily pissed off anyway) but it makes for some fascinating mash ups. By the way, my use of the phrase mash up is just to show you how hip I still am - and is sponsored by the old guys who think they are still hip foundation. (OGWTTASHF)

A discovery for me was the French African singer Darby Touré. The audience didn't really know what to expect when this guy came out. Two songs in the crowd was mesmerized, with half of them getting up to dance and the rest shimmying in your seats. I'd just like to say that I got out of my lawnchair and went to the stage to do my shaking and gyrating.

But the guy that blew me away was Loudon Wainwright III - he has a name and personality that should always be in caps: LOUDON! It was the second time I'd seen him this summer and I was totally drawn in by his acerbic humour and rawness. He is not everyone's cuppa (my wife will attest to that), but if you get him, you get him hard. He has that ability to get you laughing and then plunges a knife in your heart. I thought it might just be me, but looking around I saw a lot of wet eyes when he sang about his family. Even if you don't come from the dysfunctional background that Loudon does (one he created himself), you can't help but be affected by the vulnerability he displays when he sings about his family in: Another Song In C. This song basically undid me.