Indigenous Music
Walking in Memphis (is not something the locals do)
We've been in downtown Memphis before, so when Sara and I arrived at the airport, we caught a cab straight to the whole foods market grocery store. Walking through downtown Memphis feels a bit like being on Truman show - there are roads and sidewalks and nice street lights but no people, and certainly no grocery stores. And with the restaurant scene leaning heavily toward the heavy (famous bbq and such) some veggies and fruit would be welcome snacks in the days ahead. So I was surprised but not that much to run into fellow Canadians at the whole foods, who were also making a trek for supplies, and we were happy to catch a lift back to the conference.
Folk Alliance all takes place in one downtown hotel, with a little spillover into the adjoining conference centre. That makes it a pretty close knit event where you keep running into old friends, and it makes it pretty straight forward when trying to make new connections. The amount of great music is phenomenal (the amount of bad music is kind of staggering too, although pretty easy to avoid).
With 9 Manitoba acts at the conference this year we've had a big presence and a great reception. Many of the artists are down for the first time and enjoying the discovery of a new world, while also making some important business connections and some new fans.
On top of all the Manitoban's the quality of the Canadians has shone through. The return of the Sweet Beaver Suite, the Creeking Tree room, the East Coast showcase, have all been stellar. There is way too much to see. With meetings that start at 9am and showcasing that goes until 3am there isn't much time for sleep. Looks like I won't be going to Stax or Sun or Graceland, there's just too much going on here and not enough time. And I won't get 10 feet close to Beale, never mind off it.
Folk Alliance all takes place in one downtown hotel, with a little spillover into the adjoining conference centre. That makes it a pretty close knit event where you keep running into old friends, and it makes it pretty straight forward when trying to make new connections. The amount of great music is phenomenal (the amount of bad music is kind of staggering too, although pretty easy to avoid).
With 9 Manitoba acts at the conference this year we've had a big presence and a great reception. Many of the artists are down for the first time and enjoying the discovery of a new world, while also making some important business connections and some new fans.
On top of all the Manitoban's the quality of the Canadians has shone through. The return of the Sweet Beaver Suite, the Creeking Tree room, the East Coast showcase, have all been stellar. There is way too much to see. With meetings that start at 9am and showcasing that goes until 3am there isn't much time for sleep. Looks like I won't be going to Stax or Sun or Graceland, there's just too much going on here and not enough time. And I won't get 10 feet close to Beale, never mind off it.