The Seattle/ Maui Duo Brought Songs of Hope and Love to a Sun Soaked Crowd.
The 52nd NW Folklife Festival took place on the grounds of the Seattle Center this memorial day weekend bringing record crowds thanks in part to four glorious days of sunny weather. The annual festival brings artists, musicians and crafters from around the world and showcases the region’s top talent. NW Folklife is an independent, non-profit arts organization that prides itself on inclusion, diversity, anti-hate, and honoring its ancestral land and indigenous peoples. Every year the festival choses a theme and this year was titled “Lagom” meaning “not too much, not too little, just right”. Which pretty much sums up the entire Folklife experience.
Within the festival, there are several stages on the lawn and inside adjacent buildings surrounding the center. This year the festival launched an app to help guests better guide themselves to their favorite artists or events. Each day was filled with a variety of performances ranging in genres from Celtic to country and African to bluegrass, there was something for everyone. Each night every stage featured a headlining act and this year I was super excited to see one of them.
Wolfchild, the singer-songwriting duo made of brothers, Gabriel Wolfchild and Elion TruthHeart.
The Seattle-based folk rock band identifies their music as Cinematic Folk which is pretty fitting once you hear their music. The brothers have been performing in the Pacific Northwest for a number of years and are well known in the local festival circuit. Wolfchild is multifaceted with Elion playing several instruments such as drums, percussion, and flute and Gabriel who performs on numerous guitars. On several occasions, Wolfchild has included other musicians to join them onstage. Saturday’s performance included several local musicians backing the brothers who also provided additional vocals.
During the pandemic, the brothers moved to Maui to help take care of their father’s farm after his passing. (Something Gabriel mentioned to the crowd before a dedication to his late father.) Turning their grief into art, Wolfchild created a full-length album: “The Earth as Seen from the Moon” which was later released on 2/22/22.
Wolfchild performed several songs off the album, including my favorite “New York” (a song about Gabriel’s grandfather). Wolfchild also released another full-length album titled “Strawberry Skies” and performed the single as well. Fans who knew the words already sang along, while others swayed with their arms in the hot air. Even though the tent and area outside the stage was packed with viewers it did not stop people from joining hands to dance or hug. There was a certain energy the brothers were emanating from the stage that transformed the crowd from a quiet observance to a contemporary dance class. It was beautiful to watch its development and see neighbors and friends sharing a special moment.
Before their performance, Wolfchild mentioned how special it was to be back performing in Seattle and the feeling was mutual. It was definitely my favorite musical act of this year’s festival. You can find Wolfchild’s latest album on their website as well as other stops on their tour.
Other highlights from the weekend were: Reggie Garrett and the SnakeOil Peddlers
and the 206 Zulu hip hop dance battle.
More information on NW Folklife can be found on their website.
Thank you to all those involved who work, volunteer and organize this culturally exciting event every year for the Seattle community.
