PLAIN FOLK

by Les Pearson
What Every Festival Stew Needs: Noodlers and Local Flavour!

If I was opening a restaurant, I’d look for the best chefs, great recipes, and a prime location. Tongue on the Post, Alberta’s first winter folk festival, is just such an enterprise!

Medicine Hat College has location. First, it is indoors! (Informed people need to know.) The College has the main stage theatre and other potential performing areas.

The Medicine Hat Folk Music Club (MHFMC) has booked three acts that really cook: John Wort Hannam, Karla Anderson, and the McDades! The recipe for festival success is simple. Keep the prices reasonable—only $25 for the evening concert and $35 for both the evening show and afternoon workshops—then provide a full-day folk music feast beyond compare!

These prices make seniors menus look like grand theft. Beware! Calgarians are already queuing up for tickets. Buy your series pass or festival tickets early or miss out….

Tasty afternoon workshop appetizers depend on great “noodlers.” These are the musicians who play well and by ear. They listen to a song, find the key, catch the rhythms and in nanoseconds are instrumentally soaring with the featured performer. Usually, they add their own special spice to enhance the tune. (Remember Dan Walsh’s role with Romi Mayes?)

John Wort Hannam is not a noodler. Karla Anderson noodled a bit on Canmore’s workshop stages last week. But The McDades are all blue ribbon noodlers! If you have doubts, listen to Shannon Johnson’s fiddle work on Phyllis Sinclair’s new CD.

Shannon is one of three McDade siblings in their namesake’s quintet. All three are classically trained musicians. She began to study the violin at age three and is now recognized as an international fiddle star. Shannon’s brother act includes Solon on violin, bass and cello and Jeremiah, a virtuoso on a score of instruments and a composer to boot. All three McDades cook in flavours ranging from jazz to Celtic and World.

These kids have learned to play well with their peers. Each has a plethora of recordings featuring each other or the likes of Captain Tractor, Maria Dunn, Bill Bourne and more.

The McDades we will see in January include two adopted Montreal musicians, Francois Taillefer and Andy Hillhouse. Together, these five comprise a formidable musical team that, together or singly, will enliven any afternoon workshop stage.

Beside Hannam, Anderson, and the five members of the McDades, our festival workshops need local flavour and the colour of Medicine Hat’s best! The MHFMC is actively searching for at least six musicians or groups to share workshop stages with our visitors.

If you are a local “noodler” or simply want a showcase for your musical talent, please check the Club’s web site at for an audition application. Selected acts will be asked to audition at the Farmers Market stage on Saturday, August 26, from 9:30 a.m. until noon. It takes all kinds to make a music mulligan. Maybe you are our festival’s missing ingredient!