From summer camp to Gallagher Park
EDMONTON — Mike Felber, an Edmonton-born multi-instrumentalist with deep ties to the city’s Jewish and wider music communities, took the Edmonton Folk Festival stage as part of the Leif Vollebekk band on Saturday night, helping close the night with a crowd-rousing rendition of "Purple Rain." For a performer whose career has spanned Jewish folk, indie rock, jam bands, Inuit music and Canadian folk, the Gallagher Park appearance marked a significant moment on home soil.
Felber credits formative summers at Camp BB (now Camp BB-Riback) in Pine Lake with planting the seeds of his musical identity and community connections. Those friendships and early influences propelled him into Edmonton bands and collaborations that would carry him across North America and Europe.
Community as a career foundation
Camp BB’s social network proved crucial, not simply as a source of childhood memories but as a practical springboard into performance. Felber says the camp introduced him to fellow musicians who shaped his tastes and techniques, exposing him to artists such as R.E.M., The Grateful Dead and Phish — acts whose improvisational approach still surfaces in his playing.
"It was at such a point in my life where that music became the nucleus of my influence,"
Those early collaborations matured into Highway 2, an Edmonton-based jam band formed with fellow BBYO members Jared Shore and Brian Horwitz. While Highway 2 eventually disbanded, it launched careers and networks that sustained Felber through years of touring and studio work.
Genre-blending and long-term partnerships
A defining partnership for Felber came after he hooked up with Montreal musician Josh Dolgin, known professionally as SoCalled. That collaboration gave rise to projects including Gephilte, a klezmer-jam hybrid that reimagines traditional Jewish material through improvisation and experimental arrangements. Felber describes Gephilte as a space to take risks and bring unconventional textures to heritage music.
"It's an outlet to get weirder with klezmer,"
The approach is illustrative of Felber’s broader career: comfortable moving between defined genres while prioritizing community-building and collaboration. That ethos helped secure him the memorable Folk Fest slot and introduced Edmonton audiences to a performer who embodies both local roots and eclectic reach.
Why this matters to Edmonton
Felber’s Folk Fest appearance highlights two things important to Edmonton’s cultural scene: the continuing influence of local arts institutions—like Camp BB and youth groups such as BBYO—on professional pathways, and the role of national festivals in showcasing homegrown talent. For the city’s music ecosystem, artists who bridge traditional and contemporary forms help expand audience tastes while keeping cultural practices alive.
- Local development: Camp BB and BBYO connections played a tangible role in Felber’s musical trajectory.
- Festival impact: Folk Fest offers Edmonton artists a high-profile platform to reach large, diverse audiences.
- Genre innovation: Projects like Gephilte demonstrate how traditional repertoires can be revitalized through improvisation and cross-genre collaboration.
| Milestone | Significance |
|---|---|
| Camp BB summers | Introduced Felber to peers and musical influences |
| Highway 2 | Early Edmonton-based jam band that launched professional career |
| Gephilte | Klezmer-jam project blending tradition with experimentation |
| Edmonton Folk Festival, Gallagher Park | Notable homecoming performance with Leif Vollebekk band |
As Edmonton’s live-music calendar remains busy throughout the summer, Felber’s journey is a reminder that local scenes still feed national and international stages. For audiences and aspiring musicians here, his path underscores the value of summer programs, community networks and creative partnerships in building durable musical careers.
