The second day of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival was a great one (aside from the fact that I lost my jacket, boohoo)!
Our first stop was the Big Rock Beer gardens of course, where we met up with Bryn, last year’s Grasshoppin’ Contest Winner! It was so nice to chat with her about our experiences and join forces in convincing people to enter for next year! Which you can do by clicking here!

After the beer gardens, we went to the hill to check out Gord Downie & the Country of Miracles. Our friends had a great spot on the hill and were generous enough to share their tarp with us.

After Gord Downie played, it was time for Ben Harper. He was supposed to be playing with his band the Relentless7, but unfortunately a band member was seriously ill and unable to perform, so instead Harper played an acoustic set of songs from throughout his entire musical career.
Prior to the concert, I had read some negative reviews of Ben’s work with Relentless7, saying that it was more loud & rocky than fans had come to expect from the normally chill Ben. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of rock n roll than Ben’s trademark chill funk, so I was kind of curious to see Relentless7. However, I’m sure I was in the minority and that many of his long-standing fans were actually more satisfied by his “greatest hits” set than they would have been had he played with the band.

Tonight we’re most excited to see Tanya Tagaq, an Inuit throat singer who has worked with the likes of Bjork and Kronos Quartet.
If anybody finds a black leather jacket at the festival, let me know! Ha!
Jenna

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If you want to live vicariously through Parker and Jenna this summer, follow Big Rock Brewery on Twitter or visit the Grasshoppin’ Contest Facebook Page.

But, if you want to BE Parker and Jenna next summer, enter the Grasshoppin’ Contest!