David Byrne, Belle and Sebastian, Steve Earle among CityFolk 2018 stars
The 25th anniversary edition of Ottawa's folk festival will feature the likes of David Byrne, Steve Earle and Belle and Sebastian, CityFolk has announced.
The event returns to Lansdowne Park this year, running Sept. 12-16.
The festival's executive director Mark Monahan told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Wednesday Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman, is an iconic performer who's been on his wish list for a while.
Monahan said Byrne hinted to him last year he may be willing to play the 2018 festival.
"He's doing an amazing visual show, a very stark stage, no one is plugged in, [everyone] is in white," Monahan said.
"People are saying they've never seen such a clean stage."
To help celebrate the festival's past — it was called the Ottawa Folk Festival before Mark Monahan's Bluesfest organization took over in 2011 and re-branded it CityFolk in 2014 — old photographs will be displayed, along with other festival memorabilia.
"I think people look at CityFolk as kind of a chill festival after being through the summer and Bluesfest and all those things," Monahan said.
"Lansdowne [Park] is a great vibe … a lot of people walk to the festival. It's just a different feeling to it, a laid-back style that most people cite as the reason they go."
CityFolk's free program Marvest, featuring local acts, will also return to venues along Bank Street.
That lineup is set to be announced this summer.
CityFolk lineup to date
Wednesday, Sept. 12:
- Steve Earle & The Dukes.
- Tedeschi Trucks Band.
- Kaleo.
Thursday, Sept. 13
- David Byrne
- Trampled By Turtles
- Tune-Yards
- Andy Shauf
Friday, Sept. 14
- Allan Rayman
- Nick Murphy (Chet Faker)
- Flint Eastwood
- Humble Pie
- William Prince
Saturday, Sept. 15
- Hozier
- Belle and Sebastian
- Michael McDonald
- Lindi Ortega
- Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Whitney Rose
- Ben Caplan
- Skydiggers
- Gene Clark Tribute
Sunday, Sept. 16
- Janis Ian
- The Decemberists
- Whitehorse
- Colter Wall
- Terra Lightfoot
- Chris Smither
- MonkeyJunk (from Ottawa)
- Mt. Joy
More artists are expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.
