LAURA KIDD: FEELING THE HUG OF THUNDER AT CITY FOLK FEST

Photo by Kamara Morozuk

After a cold and rainy summer, the sun came out to play for a couple of weeks this month. And just in time for the City Folk Festival. My twin sister Lisa (Soup) and I have been fans of Jack Johnson since the Bubble Toes days and we still play Banana Pancakes every time we make pancakes. When we saw that he was touring Ottawa along with some of our other faves like Ruth B and Broken Social Scene, we were sold!

One thing you may not know about me is music is a big part of my life. I listen to music while I meditate, get ready for work, at work, in the car, the gym, pretty much everywhere I possibly can. I also get bored pretty easily and am constantly checking out new sounds. Spotify is really good for suggesting new artists and releases. Ruth B is hands down one of my favourite new artists. Her music is raw, soothing, and so relatable. She take a simple approach and lets her music speak for itself. She only has one album out but I know every song. And so did the three year old who stood beside me. It was adorable.

A few hours before her concert, I entered a Twitter contest to meet her after the show. I always had a feeling I'd meet her one day. We we're so excited to find out that we won and got to meet the woman I'd been listening to all of 2017. She was as sweet and down-to-earth in person as she is in the earbuds.

Look at Ruth B!!! Photo courtesy of City Folk Staff.

Seeing Jack Johnson was surreal and it was a really special concert to share with Lisa. His lyrics are simple yet powerful and it was just the sweetest experience. We go way back with Broken Social Scene since we're obsessed with the band's members that also make up parts of Metric, Stars, and Feist. BSS has their own unique sound and their new album Hug of Thunder is incredible. They always put their heart into each show and we certainly felt the hug of the thunder.

Despite the rush of going straight form work to the festival, I managed to capture one of my outfits of the week for this post with special thanks to Lisa and also local photographer Kamara Morozuk, who spotted us! I love her enthusiasm and it was so nice of her to snap some pics, especially of us together, which doesn't happen often!

In my previous post I mentioned that I would show you what I purchased at Luna Boutique in Picton, Ontario. Well, here it is! I fell instantly in love with this unique dress that totally pulled on my inner-hippie-yogi heart strings. It's so versatile too. It was perfect for a music festival but I also wear it to work, to teach yoga, and to see friends. It has so much rustic character and I love the light blue colour.

City Folk left me with the warm and fuzzies, a fresh dose of inspiration, and even more appreciation for this city I call home.