Funny coincidence: when I was e-mailing with Regina Folk Festival artistic director Sandra Butel prior to our chat this week, she mentioned that she’s always looking for recommendations for artists to book. Dutifully, I sent over a list of a few different acts I thought the RFF could bring in. Among them was Timber Timbre, who, as it turns, were already on the lineup.

You could call that a bit of groupthink among arty types in Regina’s small scene; I think it’s more that Timber Timbre are a logical choice to play the RFF in 2012. They’re currently in a bit of a moment. Their oddball folk was perfectly exhibited on the Arts and Crafts-released album Creep on Creepin’ on, and it earned them a spot on the Polaris Prize shortlist in 2011.

Butel is a fan of the band, but, like with a lot of the artists, that isn’t the only factor she’s considering. While she says she likes all the bands she books for the RFF — to varying degrees, of course — she also has to focus on the audience and how they might react.

To that end, while she’s building the schedule each year, she’s looking for what people might want to see at the festival. In the case of Timber Timbre, some Facebook affirmation made it clear to Butel that she should bring them to the RFF.

“I listen to other people,” says Butel. “A big part of my job is pulling together what’s hot. I can’t know everything; I’m a certain age and a certain type of person, so I know what people like me like to listen to. I need to know what people like that like to listen to. I need a wider range of details.”