It rained, it poured, it was incessant; fashion fits were eschewed for makeshift ponchos and slick rain jackets, muddy boots and big smiles. As attendees dodged growing puddles between the stages and felt the skies open up on upturned faces, the show went on. Tarpies did their best to save their spots in front of a drenched main stage and the diverse artists of the 46th edition of CFMF rang out their proud tunes into the crisp Calgary nights. RANGE was on the sodden grounds and these are the top five artists we saw this year, bringing together old favourites with hyped new sounds. Honourable mentions go to Begonia (pictured above), Dengue Fever, Elisapie, and all the great side stage collabs that unfolded — most notably the Native Tongues session, which featured Ventanas who unleashed a flamenco fuelled celebration and reclamation of Indigenous cultures and languages alongside Digging Roots and Winnipeg’s moody rocker Tinge.

Sierra Ferrell — Thursday @ Main Stage

After Sierra Ferrell’s Calgary debut two years ago at CFMF, her show this year was likely the most hotly anticipated set of the weekend. She delivered a spellbinding, transcendental set to open up this year’s folk proceedings, holding a whimsical court of a stage bedazzled in mushroom growths – every bit the Americana bluegrass queen. It is a testament to her magnetic power as an artist how she elevates the traditional sounds of her home state of West Virginia’s music, alchemizing them into something that feels fresh and exciting. All the hits: “In Dreams,” “American Dreaming,” the rousing “Fox Hunt” — Ferrell fiddled her way across her catalog with aplomb, setting the bar high for the rest of the weekend.

BADBADNOTGOOD — Friday @ National Stage 4 

Of course, it was raining for BADBADNOTGOOD’s set on Friday night, but it was all the better for it. The psych/jazz/hip hop fusion group returned to the Calgary Folk Fest’s stages for a moody, brooding, vibey set heavy on the atmospherics. No stage lights needed here: they were lit solely by abstract projections and the occasional burst of stormy clouds, soaking the standing room-only crowd at National Stage 4 with their relentlessly cool grooves. They invited Katie Tupper on stage to perform their collab, “Original Thoughts,” but otherwise, the largely instrumental set created an immersive world for an audience that was more than willing to dance the night away.

Blue Moon Marquee — Saturday @ National Stage 4

Blue Moon Marquee’s fine jazz/blues standards age perfectly. The Juno Award winners were in resplendent form on Saturday evening while also in a rare formation, bringing with them a drummer and saxophonist in addition to their usual keys player. This freed multi-instrumentalist Jasmine Colette to focus mostly on the upright bass, opening up their jump and jive blues to play to a looser metronome. A.W. Cardinal was imposing at the front, cutting a figure against the growing dusk, his gravel growls and howls a clarion call into the night. Scream, holler and howl with them all you want, Blue Moon Marquee are here to stay.

Nick Shoulders — Saturday @ National Stage 4

This Arkansas folk artist’s star is on such a rising trajectory, it felt special to catch him on a bit of a smaller stage this year — certainly, it won’t be long until he’s playing in front of endless crowds of adoring fans hanging onto every word. With his heart in his hand, a percussion set at his feet and a battered guitar slung over his shoulder, he held the standard high for authentic, deep-rooted folk and country traditions. He is “painfully, generationally” from Arkansas, he quipped, and everything he learned came from his family musical traditions. As he rollicked with an off-the-cuff ease through his tight forty-five, he wove personal stories into political songs, blending together a set that felt incisive and poignant.

LA LOM — Sunday @ Main Stage

The Los Angeles League of Musicians were one of my most anticipated sets of the weekend and the blistering trio put forward an instrumental set of Latin and cumbia-inspired psychedelia that felt mesmerizing. Sure, it could have been sunny and hot to match the rhythmic heat on stage; sure, LA LOM would be absolutely incredible in a dank, cramped club late into the night, a dance party fit to welcome the rising sun on the other side of the set. But under overcast skies, they rumbled and tumbled their romantic boleros and spacey chichas with unerring ease, a pan-Latino smorgasbord that left us all more than satiated.