Music fans in the region got a long-delayed taste of the Live from the Rock folk festival over the weekend.
The Heavy Rotation event brought together eight folk acts to perform to small crowds at the Red Rock Marina and Mount Baldy Ski Area on Saturday and Sunday, with artists rotating between the two venues over the two days.
The outdoor event created a mini-festival atmosphere, with food trucks and familiar favourites up on stage, including Rodney Brown, Olivia Korkola, Greenbank, and Gibson, Martin & I.
Live from the Rock festival chair Laura Foulds said it was a way for the institution to dip its toes back into the waters after cancelling its signature folk fest two years running.
The festival organized “social sessions” concerts that streamed online last year, but Foulds said there was a desire to recapture the live magic in some form this time.
“I think there’s a bit of fatigue in terms of Skypes or live-streams,” she said. “It was a good solution, but we really wanted to try to do something in person. Because that’s really the heart and soul of our festival – it isn’t just the music… it’s an experience of getting to be on site and [connecting] socially, even if we’re socially distant right now.”
Craig Smyth and Jimmy Breslin of Greenbank said they jumped at the chance to support Live from the Rock, which was the first festival they got the chance to play.
It’s one of a handful of shows the band played over the summer, along with a limited-attendance version of Live from the Waterfront and the Live from the Bedrock event.
And even if those concerts don’t fully capture the pre-pandemic magic, the pair said it’s essential for musicians to keep finding opportunities to play and connect with audiences.
“It’s a lifeline,” said Breslin. “You see the light at the end of the tunnel with things like this.”
“The old takeaway absence makes the heart grow fonder… Taking that step away for a while – a forced step – it makes those times when we can get together that much more special.”
With 2022 marking the 20th anniversary of Live from the Rock, Foulds said organizers are hoping to return to an in-person event.
