Recording: Andrew Whiteman and friends

Artist: Andrew Whiteman with Dave Bidini and Brendan Canning

Song: The Wagoner's Lad [trad. arr. Buell Kazee]

Recorded at Christie Pits Park ("Bloor Ossington Folk Festival"), September 20, 2014.

Andrew Whiteman with Dave Bidini and Brendan Canning - The Wagoner's Lad

Once again, the Bloor Ossington Folk Festival stayed true to its roots as a low-key and local celebration. By enfolding itself into the contours of Christie Pits, BOFF still feels casual and approachable, even with some heavy hitters in its lineup. As so often happens at outdoor events, weather forced organizers to make some adjustments on the fly, but even having to move the headliners into the beer tent served to reinforce the intimate vibes. There's room to grow, but overall the organizers are getting things right.

New to BOFF this year were a couple "workshops" in the style of a more traditional folk-fest, putting like-minded musicians together to jam on stage, figuring out parts for each other's songs on the fly. With festival MC Dave Bidini on tap, this grouping might have turned into a gabfest, but eventually some music broke out, including this old folk song from Harry Smith's Anthology led by AroarA's Andrew Whiteman.