Back from Edmonton Folk Music Festival

Well, my very first Folk Fest is now over, and boy- was it ever fun! Sure, there were plenty of country, bluegrass, and gospel singers (NOT MY THING), but a handful of performers really appealed to me.


Michael Franti and Spearhead were there! Wooooooo! He's an awesome vegan for sure. I really enjoyed his music much more than I'd have thought, and I'm glad that he got a prime spot on the main stage. He got the whole hill up and dancing :). The highlights of his set were 'Sesame Street' and 'C is for Cookie'.


Some other artists that were there:That's Justin Nozuka- his music wasn't really my style, but he was good! And only 18 years old.


T. Nile was absolutely amazing. She's kinda folksy-bluesy, but she's young and fun too. (you can listen to some of her music here) My friend and I would try to rush out to every concert and workshop of hers!



Supposedly, Damien Dempsey is real big in his native Ireland and in England, but I'd never heard of him until two days ago. His songs had a great 'message'- there was one that went "LOVE YOURSELF TODAYYYYYY, OKAYYYYYY, OKAYYYY". Aha, it was awesome.



And, Dala! They were absolutely brilliant.


Jenn Grant was probably my favorite out of EVERYONE. She's from Halifax and has actually been on the Let's Get Baked show (link in sidebar). Her music has a indie-folksy sound that reminds me a bit of Shelby Sifers, but with a better voice. No offense to Shelby. :)

Jenn wasn't as seasoned of a performer as some of the other acts at EFMF, but her awkward moments and honesty were refreshing that way.

I even went up to talk to her after her show, and she was real friendly. I should have asked for a picture with her or something, but ah well. Maybe she'll be back next year?


I tried to take a picture to show the CRAZY massive amount of people, but this doesn't quite do it. There were crowds and crowds of people, and it was neat because there was a wide range of the types of 'folkies'... Aged hippies with bandannas, young families, indie kids like me, college students, freegans with dreadlocks, and everyone in between. Some people would spend the whole night dancing down by the stage (woohoo!), while others would be snuggled in blankets on their tarp. All these different people from different walks of life, with music bringing us all together. Aww.

This picture didn't work out so well either... Edmonton looks so nice at night, with the river valley contrasting with the bright city lights.


Now, what did I eat there, you ask?

Thursday & Friday- it didn't start until 6, so I ate beforehand.
Saturday- I packed a hearty lunch of garden carrots, an apple, one of my uncle's cucumbers, and a modified version of Sarah's Delicious Chili from How it All Vegan. I made a big pot then stacked it all away in little containers.
It's absolutely delicious! I was a bit skeptical of the use of curry paste in a chili, but it supplies a good amount of heat without being overpowering. A keeper. (I added quinoa instead of rice, some kale, some spinach, bell pepper, and fresh tomatoes instead of canned. and only 1 can of beans, but they were black beans)

Then, dinner was a yummmmmmy dal (dahl? daal?) that my friend's family brought. Verrry yummy.

Sunday- Sandwiches for lunch, with crusty bread and grilled veggies. I put extra eggplant on mine :)

The only food I bought there was for Sunday's dinner. I had the chickpea curry from 'India Palace', but without the rice (it's not my thing..). I'm proud of myself for making sure that they used vegetable oil instead of ghee- yay for doing your vegan homework! It was delicioussssss, especially since I added some of my friend's family's extra grilled veggies.

(sorry about no food pictures...)


The other day, my awesome littlest sister and I made the Chocolate Espresso Pie from the Everyday Dish. It was so easy and received rave reviews, of course. I didn't manage to take any pictures, since I was gone at the Folk Fest when my family cut into it, but here's a messy-looking picture of what is left:
(I can't believe how firm the silken tofu 'pudding' gets once it's chilled!)


Finally... right now we're making a traditional Croatian stuffed 'pita' that my aunts from Europe taught us a few summers ago. The recipe is kinda crazt- 8 cups of flour, 1 cup of water, some other stuff, then kneeeeeeaaaaaaad, tear into 'tennis balls', and kneeeeeeaaaad a lot more. Then you stretch it out, fill with filling, and bake!
My wrists are sore from the kneading, but it's got to be good for my tennis!
We'll be stuffing these with Swiss chard from the garden. :)