Last Saturday turned out to be a crazy day. To be honest, it all started Friday night.

Friday:
Friday was a plum crazy day. I spent the day with my mom and sister running around town like chickens with our heads cut off. We were trying to get items that I needed for "shower" games; games were my responsibility for my cousin's wedding shower. We finally got back to my mom's at 10:30PM after an exhausting 2.5 hour grocery shopping stint at Superstore -- don't even get me started on how it can take anyone that long to grocery shop -- it's a sore point with me and I've realized I'm a different type of shopper than other members of my family... names are really not necessary.... So we got home and a series of events unfolded:

• My brother ran downstairs towards the laundry room with a bottle of liquid Fleecy fabric softener, proceeded to trip down our basement stairs (impressive really that he wasn't hurt), Fleecy flew through the air and hit the side wall of the stairwell, bottle broke open and liquid Fleecy flew through the air covering walls, stairs, floor. Let's just say that the verdict is still out on whether liquid Fleecy can be removed from carpet and that I've learned that you can have too "fresh" a smell.
• At the same time, my sister is unloading the dishwasher and proceeds to break a Pyrex cooking dish -- glass flies everywhere.
• My mother starts yelling at my sister because she had dressed her son in pj's that are too big for him (sleeves and pant legs are way too long)... my sister in a huff proceeds towards her son in the hallway where she steps on his long pant legs, effectively tripping him, he goes flying (as far as he can with pinned pant legs) and proceeds to face plant on the floor HARD and starts screaming...

I was sitting on a chair at the kitchen table taking in all of these events. GAWD! Glad to be home. That said, it was now 11PM and we had a shower card to design (because we don't do things the easy way, like shop at Hallmark). Tess and I had to create 3 shower games and we had to make a Penis cake for Shannon's wedding stagette the next day.

What you need to know about this picture is that
both my cousin and her finance are red heads.

Enter Saturday:
Saturday night we went to the Rider Game. Oh, what a game it was. We were sitting on the 45 yard line under the overhang and this turned out to be the best possible place to be sitting. It was storming. Rain, thunder, lightening and a really good football game! It could only get better when the power goes out at Taylor Field, right? YES! Especially when you are dry! Here's a few pictures and a short video clip to give you an idea of what the night looked like.

This is the view from our seats.

This is how hard the rain was coming down...

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Later that night:
The game delay took about an extra hour - so I rushed home to meet my sister and pick up the cake and then we raced to my cousin's stagette. We stayed only long enough to deliver her presents as it was so late... She seemed to really enjoy her gifts.

Onto Sunday:
The wedding shower was a very nice affair -- English Garden theme. The games went well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I think several members of the family felt immense relief that it went well and was over. I was also happy because I could relax -- it was a busy weekend!

Here's Shannon with a mouth full of gum:

guess she doesn't know Jason very well, after all...

I love shower games
They are EVIL!!

Here's the bride-to-be with her mom, grandma & sister

Finally, we are at Day 3 -- by far, the most solid line-up:

6:00pm - 6:45pm - CUFF THE DUKE
My favourite of the night. I totally became a Cuff the Duke mega-fan after seeing them live. FANTASTIC!! I saw a comment made about them on the web that went like this, 'You are either a Cuff the Duke fan or just haven't heard of them....' So true! I give them a hearty Most-Special-K stamp of approval. If you are one of the 'just haven't heard of thems', get you butt in gear and check them out.

7:00pm - 7:45pm - AMY MILLAN
I saw Amy Millan open for Ron Sexsmith in May. Within the acoustically sound Massey Hall, she was fabulous. However, she sounded a touch muted/fuzzy here and though it was good, I wouldn't say she was great.

8:00pm - 8:45pm - RACHEL VAN ZANTEN
Fresh new talent!! This lady can wail on the guitar!! My brother Tim thought she was the best of the night!

9:00pm - 9:45pm - BLACK UMFOLOSI
This was a world renowned acapella troupe from Zimbabwe. They were very good and the crowd seemed to love them. I thought they were out of place in a "folk" line-up. Neil and I went to the Beer Gardens during their set... enough said, I think.

10:00pm - 11:30pm - BLUE RODEO
Blue Rodeo needs no introduction -- I've seen the 4-5 times and they are always solid. I thought the sound wasn't the greatest for the first few songs... but it got better as the show went on. Best song of the night was my absolute favourite -- Lost Together, which I didn't record.

11:30pm - 11:45pm - FESTIVAL FINALE
Chills and I mean CHILLS went up my spine when all the performers from the weekend joined Blue Rodeo on stage for the last few songs. What a fabulous way to end a folk festival -- with a Canadian Folk Classic -- enjoy!

Ahh, my birthday! I turned the ripe old age of 31 this evening!! As it was my birthday, I was delayed as I went out for supper to La Bodega. As a result, I missed all but the last 2 acts.

This was the line-up:
6:00pm - 6:45pm - MIHIRANGI
6:45pm - 7:30pm - MOTHER MOTHER
7:30pm - 8:45pm - IRIS DEMENT
9:00pm - 10:15pm - BRUCE COCKBURN
10:30pm - 11:45pm - MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD

Tim and Jason raved about the Mother Mother set -- wish I'd gotten there a little earlier. As it was, I arrived for Bruce Cockburn. My mom and dad being hippie's -- I grew up listening to "the Bruce" so I was pleasantly surprised that I recognised a fair number of tunes. While I'd probably never pay to go see him again, he put on a good show. Here's a clip of a very familiar tune.

Next up, Michael Franti & Spearhead. If I could use one word to describe the set, I'd say "energy!" They came out with a bang! The sound cut out twice in the first song and it took a long time to get the sound system back up each time. Lesser bands would have struggled to fill the void, I have to give Michael Franti credit -- he kept the crowd going through the set-backs and once the sound came back, put on a fantastic show. While he clearly had reggae influences, I thought he truly shined when turned down the pace and performed his acoustic songs. Have a listen:

I am way behind in updating my blog and much has happened. I need to go back a week and review the Regina Folk Festival. Overall, I highly enjoyed the weekend.

Friday's Line-up:

7:00pm-7:45 SARAH SLEAN
8:00pm - 8:45pm THE HYLOZOISTS
8:45pm - 9:45pm LOS DE ABAJO
9:45pm - 10:45pm BUCK 65
10:45pm - 11:45pm CITY AND COLOUR

What can I say about Sarah Slean -- she is simply fabulous. If you get a chance to see her live, you should go - breathtaking! By far the best of the night.

Here is a video clip from her set (yes, it's sideways -- no, I'm not fixing it, I don't seem to have access to software that will fix it here....)

The Hylozoists were okay -- an instrumental group that prominently features the Vibraphone. While I can appreciate the musical skill, they were too mellow and quite boring to watch for 45 minutes.

Buck 65 is just not my cup of tea. Personally, I thought it laughable.

Last but not least, City and Colour was cancelled due to inclement weather. We stayed till the bitter end, until the show was officially cancelled and we were thoroughly soaked. Have a look!

***Videos should now be working!***

At long last, Tim and I finally got to see B.A.R.K.

B.A.R.K. is Tim's favourite band. I'll admit, I quite enjoy them myself. They were simply wonderful live. The show started out with a newcomer I'd never heard of, Romi Mayes. She was quite good (amazing voice) -- though perhaps more country than I prefer (a touch on the twangy side)... still a very nice opening set.

B.A.R.K. came out and had some initial sound issues but once they were fixed up the show went off without a hitch. We saw them at the Broadway in Saskatoon which is an old movie theatre they've converted into a concert hall. The show was almost sold out but we ended up in the 6th row or so and had fantastic seats.

Overall, I'd see them again gladly.

Here is a couple highlights:

This one starts out sideways -- I'll fix it later -- need to find some video editing software...

To cap the night off, we got a picture with the band (I took the photos so I'm not in them) and autographs.