By Amanda Hu
<The Gauntlet had a chance to sit down with Sarah Slean during the 2007 Calgary Folk Music Festival.
Gauntlet: Who did you enjoy seeing the most at the festival?
Sarah Slean: I’d have to say seeing Oh Susanna again. I love her songs, I love her voice. She and I started touring together in 1999, so it’s so cool to see her again.
G: How did you approach the workshops?
SS: Oh, there’s really no approach. You just kind of go and play.
G: What was your favourite part about the workshops you did today?
SS: I really loved Henry Butler, which was a great surprise. What a player. It’s good to see Hawksley [Workman] always. He’s like a brother.
G: You started a round of Adelweiss near the end of that workshop.
SS: Yeah, that was a bit of a train-wreck.
G: How does this festival compare to other festivals you’ve played in?
SS: It’s very similar. I haven’t done a lot of festival work, especially in the last five years. I’ve been almost exclusively touring. I love it because the audiences are so receptive. They’re just so open-minded. They’ll listen to a bluegrass band and then someone like me and then an indie-rock band, then a country songwriter and love it all. So, I love that a lot. I also love seeing old friends. Everyone is usually so busy and it’s a good time to catch up.
G: So is it a very different experience performing for people who aren’t exclusively here to see your style of music?
SS: Oh, absolutely. You always get that nice feeling of being a bit of an underdog where you have to win some people over.