Calgary Folk Fest’s Opening Night with Elisapie, Sierra Ferrell, and more

Sierra Ferrell. Photo by Dianne Miranda (@lya.shoots)

Olive Klug

If you’re on TikTok, chances are you’ve come across Olive Klug, or at least their song “Raining in June.” The Portland-born singer-songwriter delivered a warm and heartfelt serenade, making the perfect welcome to both the first day and the festival. 

Throughout their set, Klug encouraged the audience’s participation by asking the question “Who here has a strange brain?” as they sing “Train of Thought” from their newest album Lost Dog, to even dancing with the crowd. 

Midway through the set, Klug welcomed Jaron Freeman-Fox, an incredible fiddle player whom they met during the Mariposa Folk Festival, for a three-song stretch which includes a yet-to-be-released track slated to drop next week. Freeman-Fox was an incredible addition to the already powerhouse of Klug’s band. 

There is something so honest and raw about Klug’s music — whether they’re singing about the paradoxes of what it means to be human, coming together as a community and uplifting one another to make positive changes, to finding the magic in the everyday. They have an incredible ability to open up this space for self-reflection, joy and a quiet belonging to simply exist. It’s a spirit that echoes the very heart of the festival. 

And if you were among the few who hadn’t yet stumbled into Klug’s orbit before their set, consider yourself officially initiated: welcome to the Klug Bugs. — Dianne Miranda

Elisapie

he beauty of Calgary Folk Music Festival lies within the fact that it brings people together. This is exactly what Elisapie accomplished during her set at the ATB Main Stage. She talks of how her 2023 album Iniktitut started as a project of seemingly ten covers of classic pop and rock songs like “Time After Time” and “Dreams” but grew to be something that people are able to emotionally connect with. 

From the moment Elisapie entered the stage during the first opening notes of her set, there was an undeniable shift in the crowd. One can feel how special and intentional each song was. Her performance demanded everyone’s attention with very little begging as she commanded the stage effortlessly with her powerful voice and stage presence. 

As Elisapie danced and took up the space of the entire stage, it was clear that these covers are not simply reinterpretations, but rather reclamations and reconnection. Each song unfolded like a story filled with nostalgia, emotions transcending all else. 

After her set, the crowd left with a sense of gratitude for having shared time and space, and acknowledging our shared humanity. — Dianne Miranda

Empanadas Ilegales

After interviewing Empanadas Ilegales ahead of their Calgary Folk Festival set, I knew it would be a sin for me to miss out on seeing them play live. Their passion for Cumbia won me over during our conversation, so I had high hopes for the show, and I was not disappointed. Playing the National stage, the band’s energy was infectious, and that radiated through the crowd. As the set progressed, more people abandoned their tarps to get up and dance. The highlight was watching Jocelyn Waugh, the band’s trumpeter, and Andrea Chamorro, the band’s maracas extraordinaire, just have the time of their lives with their instruments. I was in awe the entire time watching those two play. If there was one thing I learned about Calgarians during Calgary Folk Fest, it’s that Calgary lives for Cumbia. — Gabrielle Cadiang

Sierra Ferrell

The first night of the 45th Calgary Folk Music Festival closed with the magic that seems to fill Prince’s Island Park every July (and alluded to by Klug hours before). Sierra Ferrell took the audience of the ATB Main Stage to this other world of Petal Music, mushrooms and flowers, cowboys and of course, the legendary creature herself. 

As the crowd obediently listened quietly with only faint murmurs of excited anticipation, Ferrell, with her pink puffy dress and flower crown, stepped on the stage with such a presence that she needs no introduction — she’s the perfect headliner for Thursday night. 

Ferrell hypnotized the crowd with her crystalline yet mighty, delicate yet commanding voice that weaved through the air like a spell, much like how she floated between genres of country, jazz, bluegrass and swing to showcase a display of the incredible range of her performance that night, playing both originals from her albums Trail of Flowers and Long Time Coming, covers like Dolly Parton’s “Here I Am,” and more. 

The crowd was slowly released from Ferrell’s enchantment as the night came to an end with the band’s final notes of fiddle, guitar and bass but the spell she casted left a lingering feeling that will surely carry through the rest of the festival.
— Dianne Miranda

Photos by Dianne Miranda (@lya.shoots)