by David Sklar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
(AJNews) – Mike Felber made his unforgettable Edmonton Folk Festival debut on the Saturday night main stage as part of the Leif Vollebekk band which rocked Gallagher Park with a performance of Purple Rain that had the whole crowd on their feet, singing, with arms swaying in the air, totally immersed in the show.
Folk Fest was a bucket-list gig for Mike and it was magical.
For the Edmonton-born performer, music has never belonged to just one genre or one community. Over a career spanning decades, he has moved comfortably between Jewish folk music, indie rock, jam bands, Inuit music and Canada’s folk scene, building connections wherever the music takes him.
Speaking on the Chai There! podcast, Felber reflected on a career shaped as much by community as by performance, one that began with childhood friendships and summers at Camp BB (now called Camp BB-Riback) in Pine Lake.
Felber credits camp with introducing him to musicians who would influence both his taste and his future career. Alongside friends from Edmonton’s Jewish community, he discovered artists like R.E.M., The Grateful Dead and Phish, whose improvisational style continues to shape his playing today.
“It was at such a point in my life where that music became the nucleus of my influence,” he recalled.
Those early friendships eventually evolved into Highway 2, an Edmonton-based jam band formed with fellow BBYO members Jared Shore and Brian Horwitz. Although the band eventually disbanded, it launched Felber into a professional music career that has taken him across North America and Europe.
One of the defining figures in that journey has been Montreal musician Josh Dolgin, better known as SoCalled. After meeting, the two began collaborating on a variety of eclectic projects, including Gephilte, a klezmer jam band that blends traditional Jewish music with the improvisational spirit of jam bands.
“It’s an outlet to get weirder with klezmer,” Felber said of the project, which explores lesser-known Jewish compositions while embracing musical experimentation.
That collaboration also introduced him to Ethel Raim, one of the foremost interpreters of traditional Yiddish folk music. Felber recently recorded and performed with the 80-year-old singer at the National Yiddish Book Center in Massachusetts, bringing together centuries-old Yiddish songs with contemporary reggae and funk-inspired arrangements.
“It really felt like I was working with royalty,” he said of the experience.
While Jewish music has remained an important part of his career, Felber has also spent more than 15 years performing and managing acclaimed Inuit singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer. Together they have toured northern communities across Canada and are preparing for a cultural exchange tour in Greenland.
Felber says one of the most rewarding parts of the partnership has been helping amplify Deer’s voice as both an artist and role model.
“It feels good to help her grow her platform so that her voice gets heard more and more,” he said.
Today, Felber continues to perform with acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk while balancing his many other musical projects. This summer, he returned home to Edmonton for another milestone: performing on the main stage at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
For someone whose musical journey began around campfires at Camp BB, the moment felt especially meaningful.
“I never thought I’d be doing this when I was growing up in Edmonton,” Felber said. “It’s a huge bucket-list gig.”
The Edmonton Folk Festival runs August 6-9 at Gallagher Park.
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