Singer-songwriter and activist Steve Earle will headline the Calgary Folk Music Festival on Saturday, July 26 at Prince’s Island Park. Read More
Singer-songwriter and activist Steve Earle will headline the Calgary Folk Music Festival on Saturday, July 26 at Prince’s Island Park. Earle, whose music career goes back more than four decades, will perform with American country rockers Reckless Kelly. Earle joins headliners CAKE, Los Lobos, Patrick Watson and Sierra Ferrell, who were previously announced by the
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Singer-songwriter and activist Steve Earle will headline the Calgary Folk Music Festival on Saturday, July 26 at Prince’s Island Park.
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Earle, whose music career goes back more than four decades, will perform with American country rockers Reckless Kelly. Earle joins headliners CAKE, Los Lobos, Patrick Watson and Sierra Ferrell, who were previously announced by the festival.
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Originally from Texas, Earle has earned renown as a songwriter and progressive political activist over the years. Earle began his career as a Nashville-based songwriter but hit it big with his 1986 debut Guitar Town. In Canada, his breakthrough was 1988’s Copperhead Road, which was a much bigger hit in this country than his own. Since then he has released dozens of acclaimed albums. His most recent, 2022’s Jerry Jeff, was a collection of 10 covers of songs by Jerry Jeff Walker.
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Earle will perform the Saturday night with Reckless Kelly, with American-Mexican roots icons Los Lobos and American jazz-blues singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux.
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Patrick Watson and Ruby Waters will play the mainstage on Friday, July 25, as will British funk pioneers Cymande. That band formed in 1971 and disbanded a few years later, but reunited after hip-hop artists such as The Sugarhill Gang, Gang Starr and De La Soul began sampling their material. Their latest album came out in January.
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On Thursday night, Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell, British Americana singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka and Inuk artist Elisapie will be sharing the mainstage.
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On Sunday, veteran alt-pop band CAKE will headline, with Victoria folk duo Ocie Elliott and L.A. surf-rock instrumental outfit LA LOM opening up the evening.
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All 68 acts have now been announced for the festival, which will run from July 24 to 27 at Prince’s Island Park. Other acts scheduled to perform include Arabic act Al Qahwa, Cambodian psychedelic act Dengue Fever, Vancouver-based cumbia and salsa act Empanadas Ilegales, String quartet Medusa, which plays Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Celtic, Appalachian, and Eastern European music, and Mexican DJ and percussionist Pahua.
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Bria Salmena, former lead vocalist of post-punkers FRIGS and a member of Orville Peck’s band, will perform. Haitian “soul sisters” Bel and Quinn, jump-blues act Blue Moon Marquie and Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter Emily Wurramara are also schedule to perform. Arkansas country singer-songwriter Nick Shoulders, Winnipeg trio Tinge and Montreal indie-popster Maia Davies are also in the lineup.
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A number of Albertan artists will be featured this year, including blues singer-songwriter and master storyteller Tim Williams, indie-pop singer-songwriter Laura Hickli, Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz artist Montuno West, alt-country Lethbridge singer-songwriter Skinny Dyck and Edmonton indie-folkster St. Arnaud.
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For a full list of performers, visit calgaryfolkfest.com.
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