Carla's Playlist Playground: Beyond Mainstream

As a disabled interdisciplinary artist and writer from a small town north of Regina, I had been attending the RFF for years when my health condition made me realize that our festival was not fully accessible for my friends from the disability community. I joined the board in 2018 with that in mind, and it has been an honour and a pleasure to work with the RFF team with this in mind.

When I was about 35, it occurred to me that the radio playlists were why I knew so much music by male musicians. I decided to start looking around the room and listening to everyone who I had missed on mainstream radio.

“Time Bomb” - Charlotte Cornfield
Megan Nash recommended her album a while ago & I have become obsessed!

“Yours & Mine” - Lucy Dacus
I have such a crush on her style, particularly the varying form of her songs that just flow with the story. Just fearless.

“Sisters” - A Tribe Called Red with Northern Voice
I haven't listened to a lot of electronic dis. But when RFF brought A Tribe Called Red to 2019's fest, I was hooked and entranced to dance that night into oblivion.

“Do Whatever the Heck You Want” - Rae Spoon
I saw Rae Spoon at one of the RFF concerts in the Club at the Exchange and it was so validating to see a queer person singing about the freedom of not fitting in, and being rewarded by that identity. It was what I needed to hear at that point in my life.

“Stars Over Dakota” - Terra Lightfoot
She blew me away at a small RFF concert. Have you seen her play? I mean, singer, songwriter, sick guitar player and one explosion of a stage presence!

“Blank Maps” - Cold Specks
She is a Canadian artist who astounds me with new sound exploration on each album.