why folk why not

folk & country music on CJSR FM 88.5 in edmonton monday nights from seven to eight

[whyfolkradio-blog]

Interview | Jim Warner on the Wild Oats & Notes Festival

  The 9th edition of the Wild Oats & Notes Festival is set to take over the Schultz family century old farmstead just outside of Tofield, Alberta, on June 27 & 28. During the year the farm is home to peas and canola but every other summer one of the sweetest little folk festivals in the province takes place there.

We caught up with Jim Warner who runs the festival with friend & founder (& farm owner!) Brian Schultz. Jim reflects on festivals past, explains where the catch phrase "there's no culture like agriculture" comes from, and gives some pro tips for enjoying the weekend.

Originally broadcast June 23, 2014.

[whyfolkradio-blog]

Interview | Kurt Loewen of the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra

Kurt Loewen of the Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra stopped by the CJSR Studios to chat about the origins of the band in a gloriously dingy underground Victoria bar, his love affair with Edmonton, and how to make a long-distance music making work.

The band will be at the Wild Mountain Music Festival in Hinton, Alberta on July 18.

Originally broadcast in May, 2014.

[whyfolkradio-blog]

Interview | Henry Adam Svec on Livingston

  We reached Henry Adam Svec in London, Ontario to find out about his new project Livingston: Artificially Intelligent Folk Songs of Canada.

Henry explains the database, aka "Livingston", that is responsible for the new album of songs, talks about the legacy of Canadian folklorist Staunton R. Livingston for whom the project is named, and, as always, blurs the boundaries of fact and fiction to create a fascinating look at the world of folk music.

You can download the album for free at www.folksingularity.com

Originally broadcast April 14, 2014.

[whyfolkradio-blog]

Interview | Michelle Anderson of Sweet Alibi

At home in Winnipeg in between tours of Eastern and Western Canada we caught up with Michelle Anderson of Manitoba's soulful folk-pop trio Sweet Alibi.

Michelle remembers back to her first high school band, talks about the influence of producer and Imaginary CIties frontman Rusty Matyas, and reflects on the personal trials that led to their sophomore release We've Got Too.

Originally broadcast Monday April 14, 2014. 

[whyfolkradio-blog]

Interview | Geoff Berner

Geoff Berner talks over coffee about the trouble and the joy of folk festivals, the strange and wonderful people at them, and reveals that his book, Festival Man, is only the beginning...

Originally broadcast on CJSR FM 88.5 on Monday February 3, 2014.

[whyfolkradio-blog]

Interview | Corin Raymond

We reached Corin just as he disembarked from his flight to Edmonton for a series of shows in Alberta. He took a moment to chat about how reading is a songwriter's fuel, the typewriter he wrote science fiction on as a kid, and what it's like to perform without a guitar in hand.

Originally broadcast Monday February 10, 2014.