So The Winnipeg Folk Festival added Lucinda Williams, which is cool, I guess, but if that’s the last of the “big” names to be announced, all I can do is yawn. Now, don’t get me wrong, I live for the Winnipeg Folk Festival and would go even if there wasn’t anybody new to see, but thinking back on the many, many great artists who I’ve had the great fortune to discover there, I have to believe that there’s more out there than what we’re seeing this year.

I know that our AD works hard, and it’s easy to program a festival from the comfort of your couch, so, for your unrealistic pleasure, here’s a short list of the many artists who would all be MUCH cooler than just about anything at this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival (except Chuck Prophet, whom you can see in some dude’s living room, which will be much cooler than the festival, anyway…)

Where are they: (aka why the hell not?)
The Lowest of the Low (not at ANY Canadian Folk Festivals? Time for a new booking agent!)
NQ Arbuckle (playing Trout Forest)
Drive-By Truckers
Rodney Crowell
Sunparlour Players
The Beauties
Patty Griffin
The Damnwells
James McMurtry
Christina Martin
Brandi Carlile (playing Edmonton)
Middle Brother (or even just Deer Tick would do)
The Head & The Heart (playing Calgary)
Gurf Morlix & the Blaze Foley tribute/movie
Paul Kelly
Robbie Fulks
Jesse Malin
Madison Violet
The Wooden Sky
The Tallest Man on Earth
Shannon Lyon
Matthew Ryan
Mumford & Sons
Shannon McNally
Band of Horses
Hatcher-Briggs
Wintersleep
Griffin House
Brian MacMillan
Lynn Miles
Jack Marks
Jeremy Messersmith
Kim Richey
Jon Dee Graham
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
Bill Chambers
Ponderosa
Ray Lamontagne
Dave McCann (for Jaine)
Ryan Adams
Dave Alvin
Bobby Bare Jr.
Lucero
Barney Bentall & The Grand Cariboo Opry (how cool would that be?)
Bobby Long
Bon Iver
Sarah Borges
Buck 65
Peter Case
The Cave Singers
Cory Chisel
Joshua Cockerill
Rose Cousins
Will Kimbrough/Daddy
The Decemberists
Radney Foster
Jeffrey Foucault
Eilen Jewell
Chris Knight
Old 97’s
Old Crow Medicine Show
Ox
Phosphorescent
Richmond Fontaine
Romantica
Bob Schneider
Langhorne Slim
Slobberbone
Frank Turner
Washboard Hank

Welcome back any time:
Elliott BROOD
The Sadies
Del Barber
Jimmy LaFave
Lyle Lovett
Oh Susanna
David Francey
Nick Lowe
Nathan
Jesse DeNatale
Buddy Miller
Alejandro Escovedo
Calexico
CR Avery
Guy Clark (playing Edmonton)
Todd Snider
The Gourds (yeah, right!)
The Handsome Family
Skydiggers
Jim White

Still wishing, still hoping:
Tom Waits
Gillian Welch (playing Vancouver)
Robbie Robertson
Bruce Springsteen (for Stu)
Leonard Cohen
Kris Kristofferson
Paul Westerberg

And, just to prove that I’m some idiot making unrealistic requests from the comfort of my living room, I present: Only in my dreams – can’t wait for the big Folk Fest in the sky:
Willie P Bennett
John Bottomley
Townes Van Zandt
Johnny Cash
Gram Parsons
Blaze Foley
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Billy Cowsill
Paul Quarrington
Lee Hazlewood

It could be worse, we could have to sit through:
Neil Young solo, playing Le Noise crap
Bob Dylan
Crash Test Dummies

What’s on your wish list? Got any thoughts on my insane ramblings? Please leave a comment!