Festival brings Music on the Mountain
Kamila Martel and The Ne’erDoWells are one of the groups that will be playing at Music on the Mountain.
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Fort St. James will be home to not one, but two music festivals next summer.
Music on the Mountain will take place at Murray Ridge on August 27 to 29, 2010.
Music on the Mountain was started by a group of partners. Lionel Conant is the Artistic Director for the festival.
“The Cottonwood Music Festival is very important to the community,” Conant said. “It is an important roots festival and this in no way takes away from that. There is a limitations to what we can do in a public park, and there are limitations to what we can do with that particular genre.”
The Music on the Mountain Festival is something a lot of people have been waiting for.
“It has been thought about for a lot of people over the last few years as a younger, more diverse music and arts festival with the flexibility to include all kinds of music including folk, ska, reggae, funk, world music, and rock and roll.”
Thanks to programs such as the Job Opportunity Program Murray Ridge has had a lot of upgrades. The lodge is a beautiful facility that sits empty all summer, and this festival will help to diversify the Ridge and utilize the facility better.
“It is an amazingly beautiful place in the summer and the perfect setting for this kind of thing,” he said. “It has a natural amphitheatre, has power, the lodge and facilities are all there, and it is very easy to regulate and have the beer gardens and have a place for people to go and enjoy a beer.”
Even though alcohol will be available, Music on the Mountain will be geared to be family friendly, with lots for the kids to do as well.
“There will be there will be children’s acts, children’s workshops, and we certainly encourage young families to come out,” Conant said.
There is going to be security to ensure that it is a safe and friendly environment.
“There will be on-site camping and hired security to ensure that nothing gets out of hand and that nobody leaves their vehicles after they have had something to drink,” he said. “There is zero tolerance and we will be providing shuttle service to and from town.”
Although Conant is also involved with the new festival, he is still very committed to the Cottonwood Music Festival.
“I am still chairing Cottonwood which is put on by the Arts Council,” he said. “It continues to be a very important roots festival.”
Will the new festival interfere or conflict with the well-established Cottonwood Music Festival?
“They are two completely different things and they are seven weeks apart,” Conant said. “I don’t want to take away from Cottonwood, I want both to be successful. I want Fort St. James to be a community that develops a reputation of promoting arts and culture.”
Music on the Mountain will have roaming arts, fire spinning, face painting, workshops, jam tents, beer gardens, and great food.
“We have been talking to CNC with the Culinary Arts and hoping to partner with them on the meals at the hill,” he said. “We are planning to have a pig roast one night, bringing in some buffalo for another night, and perhaps even a lobster night. The food is going to be exceptional.”
The festival is encouraging local bands to apply. There are going to be quite a few artists from Toronto, Nova Scotia, lots from BC and as far away as Australia.
“We are hoping to work with local pubs to help showcase some of the potential local talent that will be playing there,” Conant said.
Some of the artists who are scheduled to appear are Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Heavy Weather (from Vanderhoof), Fred Eaglesmith, Mamaguroove, Jessica Heine, Plaid Tongued Devils, Aurora Jane from Australia, just to name a few.
The festival is already creating a huge buzz amongst the arts community.
“I am getting many submissions from amazing performers who want to play here but we can’t have them all,” he said. “It goes to show the acts that are coming and the buzz that is being generated by this festival in the arts community.”
If that is not enough, Conant added this little tidbit.
“I am working on one final surprise before it is all done,” he said.
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