Folk Alliance Canada » Board

Board | Conseil

British Columbia | Colombie-Britannique

Steve Edge steveedge3@mac.com | BC, 2010. Steve is the Executive and Artistic Director of the long standing Rogue Folk Club in Vancouver since founding the organization in 1987. Steve and The Rogue Folk Club were also a founding member of the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance. Since 1985, Steve has hosted and produced the “The Saturday Edge On Folk” (CiTR) radio program. He was the Artistic Director of the Winter Roots Music Festival and is the current Artistic Director of the April in Paris Django Festival. He also led the local Conference Committee for the FA Conference in Vancouver in 2001. In his spare time Steve also contributes to Sing Out!, fRoots and Penguin Eggs. He has been a member of the Juno nominating panel as well as a panel member for the Folk Alliance Showcase Selection Committee.
Linda Tanaka programming@thefestival.bc.ca / BC 2012; BIO INFO COMING SOON.

Prairie-North | Prairies-Nord

Allison Brock widecut@jrtwave.com | AB, 2009; NAFA 2009. During her 25-year career, Allison has worked in radio CHEZ (Ottawa), CKIK (Calgary), and currently hosts “Wide Cut Country” a weekly two hour radio show on Alberta’s noted provincial radio network CKUA, as well as hosting the evening shift on Calgary’s new AAA radio station CIGY. Allison has also worked in promotion, sales and marketing at A&M Records, Sony Music Canada and Virgin Records. (Lenny Kravitz, Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, Rolling Stones) as well as in artist management (Jann Arden).
Tamara Kater tkater@winnipegfolkfestival.ca / MB, 2012 / Vice President; Daughter of an instrument-builder father and a community activist mother, Tamara grew up sorrounded by musicians and people building community organizations. A passionate music enthusiast, Tamara has worked in arts management and community outreach for more than a decade. Within the folk music circle, Tamara has worn that hat of an agent, artist manager ad festival director. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
Tom Coxworth folkroutes@shaw.ca | AB, 2009 ; Tom has been an integral part of the Canadian musical community since the mid 1960’s. Since 1979, he has been associated with the Alberta Folk Festival community starting as an organizer with the exceptional Edmonton, Calgary and Canmore Folk Festivals. He has acted as a consultant for many festivals and has also managed, booked and produced many recording artists and written for numerous folk and roots music publications. He has also worked on several committees for advocacy for Canadian folk music. In 1986, he began producing the ground breaking weekly radio show “In the Tradition” (CJSR). In 1995, he joined the famed CKUA radio network where he still produces and hosts their flagship program “Folk Routes”. He has also devoted extensive time and expertise working with numerous not for profit associations and Boards of Directors. Tom joined Folk Alliance in 1990 and has attended 16 conferences. He is also one of the founders of the organization that evolved into Folk Alliance Canada.
Mitch Podolak mitch@simplyfolk.com / MB, 2012; A follower of Leon Trotsky and Pete Seeger, he has spent his entire adult life building cultural institutions dedicated to spreading, through music; the message that capitalism needs to be replaced by an egalitarian society devoid of exploitation, racism, sexism and war. Early in life Podolak recognized that those movements to which he ascribed, have, as part of their traditions; the creation of songs, of new music; this provided a natural fit for the young Podolak. He started his career and learned his chops at the Bohemian Embassy coffee house in Toronto during the first part of the urban folk revival. The sixties provided the background, music and the on-the-street political experience and in 1974, while slaving away in the documentary dungeons of CBC radio, Podolak recognized an opportunity because of Winnipeg’s Centennial celebrations. Podolak started the Winnipeg Folk Festival, followed a few years later by the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. He has also been involved in a couple of other things. Currently he is Artistic Director of Home Routes, North America’s only real house concert series.
Sara Stasiuk sara@manitobamusic.com / MB, 2012 ; Sara Stasiuk is the Executive Director for Manitoba Music (formerly MARIA), where she began as Program Manager in 2001. Prior to this, Sara worked at Winnipeg’s Paquin Entertainment as Production Manager, as stage manager for both the Winnipeg and Brandon Folk Festivals, and was the Event Manager for the inaugural Prairie Music Awards in 1999. Sara’s personal interest in music has been life-long as a fan and supporter; her professional interest began in 1996 at the University of Manitoba Students’ Union where she held the office of Director of Programming, responsible for the events and concerts at the U of M. Sara currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Western Canadian Music Alliance, and is the Chair of Finance for the Winnipeg Host Committee which spearheaded the 2005 Juno Awards and the 2008 Canadian Country Music Awards. Sara holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree from the UofM, with a major in Finance and is currently working towards her Certified Management Accountant designation.

Atlantic | Atlantique

Bruce Morel mmii@ca.inter.net | NS, 2009. President ; Bruce founded MMII (Music Marketing International Inc) a full service company providing artist management, promoter and booking agency services fifteen years ago. He worked previously in broadcasting as the Vice President of Programming for Newcap Broadcasting in Halifax, as well as the Manager and Program Director for OZ FM in St. John’s Newfoundland. Prior to that, he was a Music Director, morning show host and producer in Montreal. He is a founding father of the ECMA (East Coast Music Awards) and was named their Manager of the Year in 2007. Bruce also produced the first MIANS (Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia) conference. He has been involved in Folk Alliance, Folk Alliance Canada, CARAS, Music Nova Scotia, Music Newfoundland and Music New Brunswick for over three decades.
Rob Oakie roboakie@musicpei.com / PEI, 2012 / Treasurer ; Rob Oakie has been loving and playing music for personal enjoyment for 35 years. His passion for music found another outlet with the Prince Edward Island Music Awards Association (PEIMAA) in 2004 when he joined the association’s Board of Directors and became the President in 2005. He has produced or co-produced many of the awards shows and showcases since then. Rob led the team who lobbied government for support and successfully engineered the transition of the PEIMAA to Music PEI, a fulltime music industry association in 2007. Rob was then hired as the Executive Director of Music PEI, a position he currently holds as well as a member of the National Advisory Board to FACTOR and he also serves as Director/Treasurer of the PEI Cultural Human Resources Sector Council. Music PEI’s goal is to assist Island artists in reaching the world stage with their music.
Brent Mason masonb@nbnet.nb.ca / NB, 2012 ; Brent is a songwriter and performer based on Saint John. He has been nominated for ECMA’s and in 2007 won the Stompin’ Tom Award for “exceptional contribution to the music tradition of the Atlantic region”. Brent also programs the Salty Jam Music Festival, conducts songwriting workshops in provincial high schools and has released 7 albums of his own material. Last year he wrote and hosted a 3 part series for CBC TV called Grave Concerns, which he is currently shopping to the world.

Ontario

Paul Mills paul@themillstream.com / ON, 2012; Paul Mills has been part of the Canadian folk music scene for over thirty years. He has produced over 130 albums working with artists like Stan Rogers, Sharon, Lois and Bram, Tanglefoot and Ron Hynes. He is a founding partner of Borealis Records and operates his own recording studio, “The Millstream”. 2006 saw the release of “The Other Side of the Glass”, Paul’s critically-acclaimed first solo CD. Since then he has been recording and performing in the duo Crabtree&Mills. In addition to his producing and performing activities, Paul is an active contributor to the Canadian folk and roots community serving as President of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.
Shawna Cooper schwagqueen@mac.com / ON 2012 / Secretary ; The owner of Mom Can’t Cook, established in 1990; a company which now specializes in artist and festival merchandise/ marketing, artist management and event production, Shawna was a handmade craft vendor at music festivals across the country for many years. Her music related experience includes concert production and extensive grant writing for both arts organizations and individual artists.Shawna spent 5 years as a board member / artistic and tech liaison of the Hillside Music Festival in Guelph,On. Shawna is committed to promoting audience and market development opportunities for artists by co-running showcases at conferences including but not limited to Folk Alliance and OCFF known as “The Sweet Beaver Suite” and she also enjoys manifesting international touring opportunities for artists.
Ann Forbes forbesandcompany@sympatico.ca | ON, 2009; NAFA 2009 Ann began her professional career in music managing an independent, specialty record store in Toronto, and local independent artists. In her nearly 30 year career, she has worked as a Marketing Manager (Bryan Adams, The Neville Brothers, John Hiatt, Roseanne Cash, Sting, Garth Brooks, Anne Murray, Tom Cochrane, The Rankin Family) for both A&M Records of Canada and Capitol Records – EMI Music Canada. She started her own company in 1997 and has also worked on special projects under contract for both EMI Canada and BMG Music Canada. Ann has worked with artists from all musical genres, jazz, blues, country, alternative, pop, classical and children’s music, but her passion is folk, roots and world music. Ann also worked as an artist manager (Sue Foley) and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the North American Folk Alliance organization, as well as the Riding Mountain Historical Society.

Québec

Gilles Garand garand.gilles@videotron.ca| QC, 2012. Member at Large ; Born in the Villeray neighbourhood of Montreal in 1946, he has worked in the cultural sector since the late 1960s, notably at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Guilde graphique, and as a self-taught sculptor. In the early 1970s, he was involved in research for the book Les Patenteux du Québec. He also founded the band Ruines Babines and played in festivals and events in Quebec, Acadia, and Louisiana, following in the steps of tradition bearers. A musician and activist, he has participated in cultural, community and inter-cultural development since the 1980s.
Since 1993, he has been president of the SPDTQ (Société pour la promotion de la danse traditionnelle québécoise), adding a living heritage festival to Montreal’s cultural agenda: La Grande Rencontre, which will hold its 10th edition June 14-16 2002 at the Maisonneuve Market in Montreal. In this manner, he has played a role in the elaboration and enhancement of a culture of words, movement, and memory, respectful of local and community history. A man of action and an organizer, Gilles Garand believes that FAC could answers the needs of trad, folk, and world cultural sectors, by bringing together men and women who, on a daily basis, work towards greater recognition of culture as an essential element of Canadian economic and social development.
Bob Wilson bob@livetourartists.com / QC, 2012 / Member at Large ; Bob comes to Live Tour Artists from an extensive background in communications and media where he’s served as a journalist, a consultant and producer on both radio and television. In addition, he has published several articles His extensive background and knowledge in the folk and roots scene has seen him as an artist manager with a network of contacts from booking and promoting his represented clients.