Van Morrison, Wilco, Will Butler and Lucinda Williams to headline CityFolk
Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 2, 2015, Last Updated: June 2, 2015 12:50 PM EDT
With a stellar lineup that includes rock legend Van Morrison, alt-country queen Lucinda Williams, roots travellers Wilco and Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, the inaugural edition of CityFolk can’t help but stand out from this summer’s crop of Ottawa-area festivals.
Conjuring a lineup that attracts attention was a challenge that executive and artistic director Mark Monahan rose to meet in his mission to transform the former Ottawa Folk Festival. The revamped version of the late-summer music festival takes place Sept. 16-20 in a spiffy new location: the Great Lawn of the recently renovated Lansdowne Park.
“I think that the festival scene is becoming very crowded and what I’m trying to do is to carve out a niche for this event that will get an Ottawa audience excited. That’s the first goal I had in mind,” Monahan said in an interview.
“When I look at the lineup, it can’t just be like every other festival. It’s about taking what’s out there and trying to figure out what is best given our location and audience. That’s where I start. We’re not going to bring in someone who’s been here in the last year. It can’t be the same thing.”
What’s more, the CityFolk lineup had to be different than that of RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest, too, the 10-day festival that’s been run by Monahan and his team for more than 20 years. They took over management of the folk event in 2011, moved it to Hog’s Back Park, put some new ideas into the programming and have been watching attendance grow ever since. Last year’s festival attracted a record crowd of 50,000, although organizers lamented the lack of infrastructure in the picturesque park.
Armed with audience surveys that show the folkfest crowd is slightly older than the throngs who attend Bluesfest, Monahan wanted a superstar artist to anchor this year’s program, to not only put the rebranded festival on the map, but also keep growing the attendance numbers.
“I wanted to bring in something really accessible to people that would be viewed as an international star, but attract a wide spectrum of people. I felt the lineup was coming together, but needed that one iconic name that would top it off,” said Monahan, who partnered with a U.S. festival to host the Moondance singer. The one-off shows are not expected to be part of a full summer tour.
A good chunk of CityFolk’s $1.5 million lineup was booked in conjunction with the Toronto Urban Roots Festival, whose creative director, Horseshoe Tavern owner Jeff Cohen, is originally from Ottawa and has known Monahan for years. TURF moved its dates to the same September weekend, and the festivals have teamed up to present performances by several artists, including Wilco, Avett Brothers, UB40, Lord Huron, Deerhunter, Passenger, Lucinda Williams and more.
In Ottawa, CityFolk kicks off Sept. 16 with a double-barrelled blast from the 1980s with UB40 and The Tubes. On Sept. 17, Avett Brothers share the stage with Walk Off The Earth, Lisa Leblanc, Wintersleep, Scarlett Jane and the Steep Canyon Rangers (without Steve Martin).
Van Morrison headlines Sept. 18, with Patrick Watson, Elle King, Amy Helm, Lee Harvey Osmond and St. Paul & The Broken Bones also on the bill. The Saturday, Sept. 19 schedule is topped off by Of Monsters and Men, but also includes Sheepdogs, Barr Brothers, Will Butler and more, while the festival’s final day, Sept. 20, features Lucinda Williams, Passenger, Wilco and more.
One tradition that’s been maintained from previous editions of the festival is the free programming. You will need a ticket to get to the main-stage concert bowl on the Great Lawn, but activities at the Aberdeen Pavilion are free. Marvest, an all-ages, family-friendly “musical harvest” will features local music, food and microbeer at the Pavilion.
The park’s Horticulture Building will also be pressed into service as an indoor, ticketed venue known as the Hort Stage. As part of the effort to minimize soundbleed into the surrounding Glebe neighbourhood, the main stage will shut down at 10 p.m. each night, to be followed by music indoors at the Hort Stage.
Being able to use the buildings at Lansdowne is one reason organizers are thrilled with the new, central location. Accessibility is another. “It solves a lot of issues we had at Hog’s Back in terms of people’s awareness of how to get there,” Monahan said. “The park has beautiful lawns, and a lot of things that Hog’s Back had but in a much more accessible location.”
Tickets go on sale at capitaltickets.ca at 10 a.m. Thursday, with a presale price of $99 for a full, five-day pass in effect until midnight ($199 for a VIP pass). Regular price for five-day passes is $149 beginning Friday.
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