RED ROCK, Ont. - For the Guelph-based folk duo, Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan, known as Tragedy Ann, returning to the main stage at the Live from the Rock Folk Festival after making their tour debut in 2016 felt like a bit of a homecoming.
“It was pretty nostalgic,” Cazzola said. “I was having flashbacks when we were on the mainstage, thinking about what it was like then and how much has changed in our lives and in our performance. It was a really beautiful experience.”
“I think there is an acceptance and a home that we’ve found at this festival,” Phelan added. “There are folks we met at this festival three years ago, coming back it’s like nothing really changed. We are just picking up where we left off.”
Tragedy Ann was just one of more than 70 artists to perform during the 17th Annual Live from the Rock Folk Festival that opened on Friday.
According to festival chair, Laura Foulds, this year saw more than 2,500 people throughout the weekend, which is on par with past years.
“Overall the attendance was great,” she said. “We had a record number of campers this year, which is really exciting. Overall, I think people had a really great time this weekend.”
This year’s lineup included artists from across the country and the world and Foulds said what makes folk so great is how diverse the genre can be.
“We may not have the big names that everyone is used to seeing, but one of the great things about folk music obviously is there a wide genre within that,” she said. “A huge hit on our main stage was the New Zealand Group we had, a Maori group, Māmā Mihirangi and The Māreikura. They were fantastic and a huge fan favourite.”
There was something for all music lovers at the Live from the Rock Folk Festival, even the youngest of fans.
For 10-year-old, Marley McGrath, coming to the festival for the past several years is a chance to get together with her family and enjoy the performances.
“I love it. We come here a lot with my grandparents and my mom and my dad,” she said. “I really like it because of the all the music and the fun things we get to do.”
“I like getting to see the different kinds of music people like to do,” she continued. “I really like them all.”
For music fans who want to take the experience a little further, the festival also offered workshops where fans were given the opportunity to work with musicians on writing their own songs.
Susan Hagens, who has been to the festival every year for the past 16 years, and newcomer, Irene Gonneau, took part in one of the workshops, where they worked with musicians to write a theme song for the festival based on the love of folk.
“I think it gives you a chance to interact more with the musicians and really get a sense as to sharing why you love the festival with them and having the experience of people who are really experienced and wonderful musicians and take your thoughts and put them into song and that is really magical,” Hagens said.
But for artists and fans alike, there is always something special about the Live from the Rock Folk Festival, whether you’ve been before, or taking it in for the first time.
“What I love about the festival is the atmosphere,” Gonneau said. “It’s very laid back, it’s comfortable I think is the word I would use to describe it.”
“I think intimate is definitely the word,” Phalen added. “We are given the opportunity to perform a number of times over the course of the weekend so you build a little bit of a rapport with audiences and performers going on and people become very familiar with what we are doing.”
