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!