Well I’ve booked my vacay - and it is going to be a summer of roadtrips with destination number one music festivals. For those in the D-Rock environs consider The Bent Family Summer Solstice celebration June 24 to 25 2017 at the R-Farm in Newcastle, ON. It’s a strong line-up of locals and a look at where the quote unquote scene is right now. Already penned in are The Micronite Filters, Hairy Holler, Lush Buffalo, Crown Lands, Jeremiah Taylor X, Trish Robb, Tijuana Jesus, the Do Good Badlies, Jake Henley, Mayfly’s Landing and Dizzy . . . so far.
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Mayfly’s Landing will also be at Mariposa July 7, 8, 9, just north of Durham Region in Orillia. I have attended the Grand Dame of festivals many times and it always delivers - this year it will deliver one of its more eclectic line-ups with the New Pornographers, the Barenaked Ladies, Bruce Cockburn, Matt Andersen, Whitehorse and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Last Waltz as well as the Great Lake Swimmers, Jay Aymar and 2017 Contemporary Roots Album Juno winner William Prince. Mariposa takes place on the shores of Lake Couchiching, it’s a beautiful location and of course there’s camping at the Pete Seeger Memorial Campground, both a quiet area and a campfire sing-a-long area, all close by.
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Hillside in Guelph also offers camping as well as the opportunity to spend three days on an island in the Royal City’s provincial park with such folk as Billy Bragg, Coeur De Pirate, Sarah Harmer, the Jerry Cans, Lise Le Blanc, Lindi Ortega, Lowest of the Low, Rae Spoon, Weaves and WHOOP-Szo. William Prince is also at Hillside and for those keeping track of the D-Rock there’s the aforementioned Ortega, plus Chastity and we are adopting Jaunt too. The Fest takes place July 14 - 16. I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended annually for the past nine, ten years and I have had just too many fond memories to ever pass it over. It’s the centre of my summer and I hope it will become such for my children too.
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River and Sky just east of North Bay is the other must-go for me every summer. I go as often as I can, and not just for the music which is alway fine but also for the vibe. Its small, friendly, private, right beside a bend in the Sturgeon River with a long sandy beach and the cool vibes of the boreal forest. Each year I see it grow in small sustainable ways, with the help and support of its local family. This year Weaves, PUP, Wintersleep, Hooded Fang, Partner, New Swears, the Weather Station and Timber Timbre are all scheduled with more to be announced. And I am pretty excited to hear Timber Timbre among the spruce and moonlit star sky of the north. Who knows… maybe the Windigo will be drawn out.
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Whatever you choose, roadtrip or staycation make it a festival where you can camp over. It affords you the space and time to spend time with the music, spend time meeting old friends and making new ones and time to contemplate what it all means, out in the open air of a summer night.