Edmonton Folk Music Festival 2017 - August 10-13, 2017

Dana Zuk August 14, 2017

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

The 38th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival took place in the heart of Alberta this past weekend. Residing in the infamous Gallagher Park, close to 20,000 people gathered each day from Thursday to Sunday to watch some of the finest acts in folk music today, all while taking in the beautiful downtown skyline of Edmonton.

This was my first year shooting the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and needless to say, it surely won't be my last. I had a wonderful time shooting the bands on the main stage, and discovering new music throughout the weekend, and that's just something that cannot be beat, if you ask me. The weather was gorgeous for the most part, despite the rain on the final day of the fest, and an evacuation on the first day due to severe winds in the area, which in turn, resulted in a last minute performance by fest scheduled artist, Shakey Graves, down at The Needle Vinyl Tavern a few hours after the evacuation of the festival grounds. A blog about that adventure along with a full gallery of photos will be coming soon, I promise!

On the bright side, all of the main stage acts that I covered completely blew me away with raw and pure talent. I felt mesmerized at times while photographing some of the artists, and completely captivated by what they were doing on stage. Luckily, through my amazement I was able to capture some interesting shots of the bands. Below is a gallery of some of my favourite snaps shot over the course of the weekend, and full galleries can be viewed over at Exclaim!.

Want to know more about the 38th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival? Check out the official Exclaim! reviews HERE!

Lakou Mizik - DAY 1

Lakou Mizik - Day 1

Brandi Carlile - DAY 2

Rhiannon Giddens - DAY 2

Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens - DAY 2

La Santa Cecilia - DAY 3

Valerie June - DAY 3

Leon Bridges - DAY 3

Shovels & Rope - DAY 4

SHOVELS & ROPE - DAY 4

City & Colour - DAY 4

St.Paul & the Broken Bones - DAY 4

Canada's Finest Band Together to Support Fort McMurray at Fire Relief Concert - June 29, 2016

Dana Zuk July 5, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR LIVE NATION ALBERTA & VANDALA MAGAZINE

Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium was packed with 32, 000 screaming fans on Wednesday, June 29th, as some of Canada's finest musicians came together to put on a relief concert for those effected by the horrors that ensued, due to the largest wildfire that our province has ever seen in the northern Alberta city of Fort McMurray.

At the beginning of May, the blaze forced the biggest fire evacuation in our province's history, displacing roughly 88, 000 people, and destroying thousands of homes and business in the process, as it engulfed approximately 1.5 million acres of land in uncontrollable flames. It was not reported until TODAY - July 5th 2016 - that the fire has finally been declared under control. For more information on the Fort McMurray wildfire, visit the Wikipedia page for the fire HERE.

Despite the chaos that unsettled so many lives, the people of Alberta, and many across Canada, began to show unimaginable hospitality to those who had no choice but to flee the inferno. Families making their homes available for other families, crews of people rescuing pets who were left behind, and even local businesses offering free meals and clothing to those who had lost everything. 54 million dollars was donated to the Canadian Red Cross by the citizens of Canada and many across the world, along with many other donations from various charities and organizations.

It wasn't much longer after the evacuation that the Fire Aid concert was announced. The news of Ft. Mac had spread rapidly across the nation, and hit home for many Albertan and Canadian musicians, so many were jumping at the chance to help rally people together to support those in need. The concert was also being broadcast to a local sporting field in the Wood Buffalo community, so those who were able to return to their homes in Fort McMurray could still enjoy the concert.

Headlined by Canadian superstars, Nickelback, the Fire Aid featured a handful of artists of all genres such as: Blue Rodeo, City & Colour, Barney Bentall, Corb Lund, Randy Bachman & The Sadies, Dean Brody, The Rankin Family, Dallas Smith, Alan Doyle & The Beautiful Gypsies, Ian Tyson, Brett Kissel, High Valley, Dear Rouge, Harlequin and Dustin Bentall. Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium quickly filled up as the afternoon progressed, lucky that the weather was on our side, as thundershowers were estimated for the evening - Regardless, I don't think any amount of rain could have put a damper on this gig. With Vancouver's own, Nickelback, ending the night on a high note, the vibe within the stadium was beyond words. Smiling faces, and people embracing was a pleasant sight, but the overall sense of support and community that was shown to each and everyone of the audience members. As a concert photographer, I always wish to see things of that nature with each concert I shoot... Well, my wish was granted I couldn't feel more honored to have been a part of this once in a life time experience.

NICKELBACK

DUSTIN BENTALL

HARLEQUIN

DEAR ROUGE

HIGH VALLEY

BRETT KISSEL

ALAN DOYLE

DALLAS SMITH

THE RANKING FAMILY

THE RANKIN FAMILY

DEAN BRODY

RANDY BACHMAN

CORB LUND

BARNEY BENTALL

CITY & COLOUR

BLUE RODEO

BLUE RODEO & GUESTS

NICKELBACK

City & Colour Brings Acoustic Mastery to Rexall Place - June 10, 2016

Dana Zuk June 12, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM!.CA

Gracing the City of Champions on Friday night was Canadian acoustic phenomenon, City & Colour. Accompanied by the talented fellow acoustic jammer Shakey Graves, from Austin TX, they collectively brought Edmonton to their knees with the purity and beauty contained within their songs. City and Colour founder, and Alexisonfire guitarist Dallas Green poetically glided into his set with the familiar guitar ambience of "Woman" pouring through the monitors.

The band continued on through an 18-song set, featuring a number of fan favourite tracks such as: "If I Should Go Before You," "Hello, I'm in Delaware" and "Lover Come Back," which left eager concertgoers in awe and some in tears, all the while, with smiles adorned on their faces.

C&C included a tribute cover to send his best wishes and kind regards to Gord Downie, frontman of fellow Canadians the Tragically Hip, as he played a beautiful rendition of the Hip's "Bobcaygeon." The audience roared as the familiar melody soaked through the monitors, so gracefully paired with Green's heavenly voice. Following up with "The Girl," which featured Green on his own for part of the song, and having his whole band chime in to deliver the song's pounding outro. Lastly, performing an encore with fan favourites "Fragile Bird" and "Sorrow Man", Dallas Green and his band unified to send their gratitude to Edmonton for a rockin' Friday night show.

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Want to know more about the 38th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival? Check out the official Exclaim! reviews HERE!