My experience at Folk Alliance International

Featuring the following friends of our shop and amazing artists who play Furch and Stonebridge guitars: Dave Gunning, Emma Cloney of The New Customs, Braden Phelan of Tragedy Ann, and Madison Galloway

As a record-breaking winter storm bore down on Montreal, the FAI Conference Notice Board blew up with reports of cancelled flights. Hundreds of artists and industry members coming from all over Canada, the US, Australia, Europe and elsewhere were stuck on the wrong side of the storm.

Luckily, I had bought a train ticket well ahead of time, opting to avoid the punishing parking of downtown Montreal. The commuters probably had no idea why every second person on the train was carrying an acoustic guitar, but for those in the business of folk music, this is one of the cornerstone events of the year.

Folk Alliance International, the world’s biggest folk music conference, broke from five straight years in Kansas City, Missouri to come to Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel in 2019, fifty years after John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded the iconic song “Give Peace a Chance” there. Last weekend, thousands of artists, festival buyers, industry reps and educators gathered for four long days and nights of music, workshops and lots of schmoozing.

When it comes to getting as many of the best instrumentalists and songwriters from North America and the world under one roof, this event has no comparison. As a music fan, it’s hard not to be excited and overwhelmed by the packed schedule of official and private showcases. As a touring musician, one of the main attractions of FAI for artists is the chance to actually see all our ‘poster neighbours’ – the people who are always a few stops ahead or behind us on the road, hitting all the same venues but just missing each other – all in one place.

I’d like to say that the delays and cancellations caused by the snowstorm contributed to the positive atmosphere of the main floor on Thursday morning – everyone relieved to have made it to Montreal – but I don’t think that was it. More likely, this was just a group of people in their element, many of whom are old hats at this type of conference. In my case, this was my first FAI and I was feeling anxious about it, well aware of the reputation for very late nights of non-stop music in four floors worth of hotel rooms, with crowds of people rushing from room to room to cross as many new and favourite artists off their list as possible. “Relaxed” is not the vibe I expected to find at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, but I was glad to find it.

The first acts I caught were fellow Furch artists Jenn Grant and Dave Gunning doing back to back official showcases in the Gordon Lightfoot Room, sponsored by Canadian Music East Coast Style. I leaned on the frame of one of the two large double doors, right next to the soundboard (best seat in the house), grateful that I had checked my guitar into the lockup because I don’t think there would have been the space for it. Both performers had the packed room of at least 200 people laughing and singing to new and old songs – and it’s humbling to know someone who can control a room like that still gets nervous ahead of FAI.

Only a small fraction of artists at the conference have the opportunity to play an official showcase. The vast majority of the music takes place late in the evening across four hotel floors worth of private showcases, most of them in small single rooms. Depending who you ask, this is the best or worst part about FAI: hallways crowded with musicians hugging their instruments after midnight, waiting their turn to play a 15-minute slot in a privately hosted hotel room, each with its own theme and competing for the attention of passersby. Most of the showcases I wanted to see I couldn’t get into, happening in rooms that could barely fit 15 people.

But the hallways themselves provided plenty of entertainment, with impromptu jams popping up in any available cavity. And it was in these halls during these hours that I got to see the most friends and well-wishers, including plenty of other Furch artists like Noah Derksen, Grey Gritt, Max Marshall and Richard Garvey. That said, four nights of this can be an intimidating prospect for many people.

As Emma Cloney puts it, you’ve got to know what you’re here for, and everyone I spoke to had their own clearly defined goals and intentions. For most, this revolved around either an upcoming album release, which they’re trying to get into as many hands as possible, or a new touring market where they’re trying to make connections with artists, presenters and agents. Madison Galloway is planning her first cross-Canada tour, Tragedy Ann is setting their sights on Europe and the U.S., The New Customs are producing their second full-length album, and Dave Gunning gave me a copy of his brand new CD “Up Against the Sky” which is officially releasing on March 8^th.

For me, it was easy. I was here to talk about Furch. I sought out artists who shared my taste in guitars so that we could compare models and be shamelessly nerdy about it. But in talking about these instruments, I was fascinated to hear how they proliferate. I bought my guitar after talking to a tour bus driver who single handedly sold half a dozen guitars to bluegrass players, and most Furch players I’ve spoken to have had a similar experience: they were converted by the enthusiasm of other players.