Thursday Official Showcases at Folk Alliance
Thursday, February 15, 2018 was another night of incredible music band after band. I Love KC Music was able to catch some incredible bands. Check it out!
Up first was Rosie & the Riveters (Saskatoon, SK), a vintage inspired folk band with a contemporary feminist twist. They played lots songs from their upcoming album Ms. Behave. Their song I Believe You, a song for survivors of sexual assault brought tears to my eyes. They brought the crowd back up with a call of power to women.
Celeigh Cardinal (Grande Prairie, Alberta), mixes soul, folk, and blues. She was nominated by CBC Music Indigenous Music Awards for the best pop album.
Hackensaw Boys (Charlottesville, VA), took the stage with a some raw Americana.
Rita Chiarelli (Hamilton, CA) plays the blues with grit and honesty and a little love too. She's often called the Canadian goddess of the blues, but she is not one to be cornered into just one genre. The energy of this set was so good.
The Next Generation Leahy (Lakefield, Ontario) is comprised of the Leahy family. Lead by parents Doug and Jennifer play Celtic music with their six children ranging from 15 to 7 years old. This band enamored the crowed with high energy music and dancing.
Black Umfolosi (Zimbabwe) has been making music for 30 years and they show no signs of stopping. This A Cappella band kept my eyes glued to the stage with their dance. Their harmonies are so close, they become one powerful, beautiful voice. We wee invited join singing a traditional African song with them, Imbube (In the Jungle) and we got to see the traditional gum boot dance. This was a spiritual experience.
Making Movies (Kansas City) played with hearts wide open. Enrique took the stage with a blackened eye representing the way immigrants have been beaten down this year. The day before I Love KC Music caught them in a private showcase in a low key setting, but here they got to play with full energy. It was epic. Seeing this band live is to live for.
Joe Purdy (Los Angeles, CA) packed the room with people intently listening to his music. Over the years he has made many album with his latest having a more political leaning following the long time history of protest music in folk. He was also promoting his latest movie, American Folk - The Movie.
The Aerialists (Canada, the US, and Scotland) bring the magic with fiddle, harp, guitar, bass, and drums through their prog-trad music.
Ruthie Foster (Austin, TX) played an energetic, empowering, spiritual set to a packed room. As her set went you could feel the energy in the room build. She ened the set with the song Woke Up This Morning. It was moving as the crowd of musicians and music lovers sang along to this hymn of justice. She spent some time talking with people after her set.
Delhi 2 Dublin (Vancover, BC) closed out the official showcases with a dance party. Their high energy music mixed electronic, Celtic, and Punjabi music. It was to fun to turn up and dance.
