‘Message of the times’: Tongue on the Post festival blends story-telling and folk music in Medicine Hat

It’s centered around the folk genre and takes place in the middle of winter, a rarity for a music festival of its size.

Rob Pape, executive director of the Medicine Hat Folk Music Club, said that the significance of the folk genre for the festival is that it serves as a message of the times.

“The folk genre is all-encompassing. That’s the beauty about a folk music club,” he said.

“It’s really about the message of the times. People putting their thoughts and words to music that really relate to what’s going on in the times around us.”

Netty Mac is a chairperson in the MHFMC and performer at this year’s TOP festival.

She said that the main draw of the festival is the sense of community it gives.

Netty Mac said that Medalta is a “pillar of the community” in Medicine Hat. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

“What we do is we provide that opportunity for diversity,” she said.

“We have folks from all different kinds of backgrounds and ages and demographics that come to the festival,” she added.

“Because it’s in the winter as well, it’s an opportunity to get out of the house and not be stir-crazy.”

Mac said that, at this time of year, there are rarely events that are of this size and also family-oriented.

She said that there is a very large music scene here with amazing talent everywhere.

She has been stunned at how the city’s community embraces original and live music, namely during a previous festival.

“I noticed that there were a lot of people here and it was packed. And then when the artists were performing, no one was talking,” she said.

“Everyone was listening intently to the point where the lyric that they would be singing, the audience would react to it, either laugh or go, ‘Oh’, or clap. They listened.”

Pape said artists are very appreciative of the opportunity in the city, and that every artist involved in the festival has a unique story to tell.

“I think it’s all relevant to each other — artists. And every artist brings that unique element with them,” he said.

“Our headlining event this year, two of the three headlining acts are award winning Canadian indigenous artists and we’re very proud of that.”

The TOP folk music festival will be happening from Jan. 20 to 26.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

‘Message of the times’: Tongue on the Post festival blends story-telling and folk music in Medicine Hat

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