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It's a mid-winter sanctuary for the freeze-dried couch potato in you!
Thaw your heart and soul with the joy of music and song amid the warm ambiance and wonderful acoustics in the beautiful sanctuary of historic Trinity United Church in downtown Portage la Prairie! PWFF 2015 is gonna be totally rad!
Portage la Prairie's one and only Winter Folk Fest, a brainchild of local arts advocate Linda Omichinski in 2012 with the first annual festival established in February 2013, is sure to be a great event enjoyed by all ages; the past two years were a huge success!
Experience local culture and talent, let the various music styles move you, and oh, did we mention be sure to count on having a fun & entertaining time?! It's not just traditional folk you will be enjoying, as folk music covers a broad spectrum in this day and age, having had exploded with diversity during and following the Folk Revival of the 1960's! Folk is music of the people - ethnopop, bluegrass, folk rock, back-porch Louisiana blues, you name it - immerse yourself in FOLK and savour every moment!!! Everyone is welcome to attend!
You may feel like dancing in the aisles. Go right ahead if the spirit moves you - you are more than encouraged to DANCE!
2015 Line-Up has been Announced!
Opening the folk fest this year at 1:30 PM is singer-songwriter local talent Ed Goertzen from right here in Portage la Prairie. Having incorporated the styles from all his musical education, Ed's music has many elements of jazz, blues and the roots music he grew up with. Ed has been compared to many greats such as Martin Sexton and John Mayer.
Following Ed at 2 pm is Vancouver musician Ben Rogers who is stopping by to play at the folk fest while on Home Routes tour. Ben Rogers is a folk artist and classic storyteller with a voice like smoke damaged velvet soaked in Tennessee whiskey. Trusty old acoustic guitar in hand and boots stomping out a steady rhythm, Ben can hypnotize audiences with his timeless tales of murder, betrayal, war, justice, love and the human condition, just like a modern day folk troubadour should and does.
Rogers was raised, and is based in Vancouver, Canada, and though it's a far cry from the back country roads of the southern US, he embodies the values and musicality of traditional folk, Americana and country, a la Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and George Jones, with a little Roger Miller and Tom Waits thrown in. That said, Ben is an individual as a performer, and possesses a careful balance of mystique, mischief and gentle kindness that emanates through all aspects of him. "The man's dark charisma is something you need to experience live to fully appreciate," writes The Georgia Straight, who recently included him in their Best of Bands 2013. There's a bright side to Ben as well; his sense of humor in writing and performance is as infectious as his songs. As American Roots UK writes: "He could turn out to be one of the best singer/songwriters of a generation."
At 3 pm, you'll delight in Winnipeger Emma Cloney and her band which includes a Manitoba favorite - Canadian fiddle master Patti Kusturok (Lamoureux), and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Rusu. Undeniable are the influences of blues, bluegrass, Celtic and country in Emma's instrumentation and melodies, but there is also just enough pop rhythm to remind listeners of Emma's youthful and playful side. With tremendous vocal range, Emma's voice is sultry and haunting, allowing listeners to intimately experience her vulnerabilities, while championing her triumphs. We heard Emma at a Winnipeg house concert and know you'll love her style.
Emma hosts and organizes a "Prairie Kitchen Party" at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg every year and she is bringing it to our WFF 2015! For Winnipeg Folk Fest goers, it is similar to the workshops at the festival. We were intrigued with the idea so we'll be ending the main festival program from 4 to 5 PM with one hour of kitchen party that will include some local professional musicians joining the party. The guest musicians will be Ed Goertzen and Chris Messytone who brings a different instrument, the accordion, to the kitchen party.
The festival will conclude with the AfterFest Jam at about 5:15 PM, hosted by the Winnipeg group TWIN, an armada that adventures down rivers by canoe throughout Canada and the USA. The duo are currently on tour in the United States introducing an original new musical genre called "North Americana" to the contemporary music scene. This genre incorporates musical/cultural elements of both Canada and USA, and beyond!
You are more than welcome to stay for this jam session immediately following the performance to watch the musicians come together, along with other improvisational musicians from the public audience (if you have an instrument, feel free to join the "after fest" as well...some instruments will be provided so that those without instruments can still partake in the jam session), to "party," jam, and have an overall awesome time! The jam will be rotational, so TWIN will lead with a couple of their own tunes and then other musicians will follow if desired, and then someone else will do a song with the rest of the jammers following along, and so on.
During the 15 minute breaks between the acts, feel free to to purchase snacks and refreshments. Also during this time, make yourself at home by mingling among fellow members of the audience, walking around the inside and/or outside of the venue if desired, and seizing the opportunity to meet the musicians! CD sales will also take place during intermissions. Since we are folkies, please know that even during the performances, so long as it's not disturbing the musicians/audience, the festival attendees are welcome to walk around, dance, go downstairs, and talk minimally (away from the stage, as the festival is indoors).
Make yourself at home - for the event, the venue is a folk festival, not a church! This is not a formal concert setting, so please, come as you are and just simply have a good time! Sit back, relax, unwind, move around, whatever...Winter Folk Fest's atmosphere is laid back and provides a great opportunity to forget about the cold winter weather and just live in the moment!
Just a heads up, for your comfort, feel free to bring cushions to the event to sit on, as the seating inside Trinity United Church consists solely of wooden pews.
Tickets can also be purchased at three downtown Portage la Prairie locations - Trinity United Church, Olina Jewels, and Hills East Pharmacy.
Enjoy the festival! See you in February! We are so pumped, and hope you are too!
Peace,
Winter Folk Festival
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LocationTrinity United Church (View)
15 Tupper Street South
Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 1W7
Canada
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| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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