By Jon Farmer
The Georgian Bay Folk Society has confirmed that James Keelaghan will continue as Artistic Director for the 2016 and 2017 Summerfolk Music and Craft Festivals. Keelaghan's musical career has spanned more than 25 years and a dozen albums, included many performances at Summerfolk, and earned him international acclaim – including a Juno award.
Keelaghan joined the Georgian Bay Folk Society as Artistic Director for the 2011 Summerfolk Festival. Having previously served on the boards of the Calgary Folk Festival and North American Folk Alliance, the transition to first-time Artistic Director was natural for the veteran performer.
"It's a lateral shift, not going up the food chain but going into another aspect of the industry," Keelaghan said over the phone from his home in Perth, Ontario. "I'm not touring as much but that was part of the plan to spend more time at home when our second boy came along".
Keelaghan dedicates most of his energy to making sure the performers can bring their best to the Summerfolk stage but he's quick to point out that it all starts with the volunteers. "If the volunteers are having a good time are proud of their festival, if they go out of their way to make performers comfortable then that's the first place that happens," Keelaghan said. "Second is trying to set up the workshop schedule in such a way that the performers feel there are people on stage they can commune with. No matter how disparate the music is, they need to feel they have something in common," he added.
"What really makes [a folk festival] is the whole idea of camaraderie and that the musicians are also playing together. At your standard music festival most bands come in, play their gig, and leave. A folk festival tends to be more collegial than that, it tends to have the musicians collaborate more and that's a very Canadian thing".
According to Keelaghan, that mix of music and spirit of camaraderie is what sets folk festivals like Summerfolk apart. "That's one of the things that separates us, you get a wide variety of styles that you don't necessarily get at other festivals, everything from the really deeply traditional to stuff that's starting to be more avant guard".
Over four years as Artistic Director Keelaghan has drawn on his experiences at festivals around the world to leave a personal touch on Summerfolk. The Wine Bar, last year's clear span tents, satellite merchandise locations, and subtle shifts in programming were inspired by Australian and European festivals. With two more Summerfolk festivals ahead of him Keelaghan is excited to continue building although he emphasizes that it's a group effort.
"Nothing I do is done in isolation, except for the booking everything else is a consensual process both at the board and the Summerfolk committee. I can bring the most wild idea to the Summerfolk committee and it gets discussed; it doesn't get shut down," he said with admiration. "To see the way that committee works is astounding to me," he added.
Moving forward Keelaghan is focused on providing more audience cover, increasing creative opportunities for children, and ensuring diverse musical programming.
"I've been trying really hard to work towards a rough gender balance in the line-up. Some years you get it, some years you don't but over 3 or 4 years trying to keep it balance and to trying make sure that we always have strong aboriginal presence".
The excitement was clear in Keelaghan's voice as he described favourite festival moments and performances from the last four years. After more than two decades of performing, artistic direction might not have surprised Keelaghan but it clearly delights him.
"It's neat to know that there are things you can do in the community that are more than playing guitar and singing a song. I had always hoped that I'd have a hand – however lightly in making sure that the folk scene won't die out in a generation. Now it's pretty strong in Canada, as led by the festival scene. Folk music was always about making the live experience the most that it could be."
The 41st Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival will run August 19-21, 2016 and the plans are on the drawing board. Keelaghan is currently accepting performer submissions, the Georgian Bay Folk Society is looking for an artist to design the Summerfolk41 promotional materials, and weekend passes are now on sale. Food vendor and artisan applications will open in January. For more information about the Georgian Bay Folk Society and Summerfolk visit www.summerfolk.org. 
