Stir Cheat Sheet: 3 must-see acts at the Mission Folk Music Festival this weekend

South Korean prog-rock-folk, a hit of Haitian sunshine, and homegrown bluegrass

By Janet Smith

MISSION FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL is known for its impeccable curation, bringing together global sounds that defy genre and introducing addictive new discoveries to die-hard folkies.

This year’s 35th annual event is no different, with music drawing on everything from the Deep South to the Caribbean and traditional Korean—all taking over beautiful Fraser River Heritage Park from July 21 to 23. Artisan markets, food stalls, and more keep the festivities going all weekend long under the sun.

Here are three of the wildly diverse highlights from the evening mainstage programming.

#1

Dongyang Gozupa

July 22

Take South Korea’s traditional gugak (national folk songs) and mix them with prog rock, experimental music, and heavy metal, and you get the sounds of this brilliantly uncategorizable but badass band. Virtuoso Eunhwa Yun plays the Korean dulcimer called the yanggeum against the sounds of driving bass and pounding drums. Expect music that somehow hits a one-of-a-kind sweet spot between head-banging and serenely dreamlike. Nothing less than hullyunghan.

Wesli. Photo by Josue Bertolino

#2

Wesli

July 22

Haitian-Canadian Wesli’s music is a blast of positive-vibe Caribbean sunshine, spicing the traditional music of his home country—think Petro, Congo, Rada, Nago, and Rara rhythms—with reggae, Afro beat, and French reggaeton. His hit “Le Soleil Descend” is as smooth and laid-back as it gets—exactly the kind of thing you want to hear at a summer festival. The man born Wesley Louissaint can also play a mean guitar: famously, the now Montreal-based artist built his first such instrument at the age of eight, care of an old oil can and nylon fishing line in Port-au-Prince. Expect to get up and dance like it’s Haitian Carnival.

Kentucky Eileen

#3

Kentucky Eileen

July 21

They may be named for the Bluegrass State, but this seriously fun foursome actually hails from Kelowna, B.C. You’d never know it to hear them, though, as they rock authentic old-timey harmonies and switch easily between guitars, mandolin, fiddle, uke, harmonica, and banjo. The sound is Nashville roadhouse meets bluegrass hoedown, and expect their live show to get the audience hopping—and occasionally singing to some of their brilliantly reimagined covers (a twanged-out Tragically Hip, anyone? See below).

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