In an era where bigger is so often considered better, the Robson Valley Music Festival continues to buck the trend.
With only 1,000 tickets for sale, the music festival has managed to remain true to its roots over the past 13 years while still providing one of the best musical weekends around.
Headlining this year’s event on Saturday night is Edmonton’s Boogie Patrol, one of Western Canada’s premier acts known for its high energy shows blending blues and rock’n soul with a dose of funk.
“It’s hard to pin down one person I’m excited about because I get excited about everybody that’s going to be here,” said Shara Gustafson, the festival’s coordinator.
“We try to be as diverse as possible and keep it on the epic scale of awesome.”
One of those bands on the “epic scale” includes the Moulettes, a progressive art rock band that combines elements of rock, folk and pop and has enthralled crowds at Glastonbury, Bestival and the Calgary Folk Festival, in recent years.
“I’m pretty stoked to have those guys here. They were the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s favourite act last summer and they played all the big festivals in Canada last year so I’m pretty honoured to have them come to our tiny little festival this year,” said Gustafson.
“They’re just a crazy force of nature.”
Another act that you won’t want to miss is two-time Juno Award nominated singer-songwriter, Alysha Brilla. The Indian-Tanzanian Canadian artist just released her third self-produced album and is currently charting in the top three of the CBC Top 20 Countdown.
Other acts that shouldn’t be overlooked include, Pharis and Jason Romero, Fin de Fiesta Flamenco, Gabriel Palatchi Trio and Sweet Alibi.
“The list just goes on and on,” said Gustafson.
Beyond the music there will also be several visual art installations nearby and workshops to attend. There will also be a photo booth to check out with costumes to try on.
A couple of the installations include a “life-pod” and a giant woman made out of steel by Karl Mattson, a self-taught, multimedia artist from Dawson Creek.
“I can’t even explain how cool they are. You just have to see them,” said Gustafson.
This year a private security company is also being brought in keep a lid on some of the heavy partying that has taken place in previous years.
Gustafson said she hopes the security will relieve some of the pressure on volunteers and remind folks that it’s a family friendly event.
“It’s truly only a small handful of people that get out of control, but we don’t even want to have to deal with that,” said Gustafson. “It’s a family event and we want everybody to enjoy themselves.”
For more information visit www.robsonvalleymusicfestivalbc.com. Weekend passes are $160. A percentage of the presale ticket revenue will be donated to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts caused by the B.C. wildfires.
Paul Clarke
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