Set on a couple acres of farmland in Brackendale, the Revival Festival will feature grassroots music, from bluegrass to reggae, in an intimate setting this weekend.
The small music and cultural arts festival, with a capacity of around 300 people, has a roster of 15 B.C.-based musicians, as well as yoga classes, sustainable food vendors and arts collectives and designers showcasing their work. The festival runs from Friday to Sunday.
The event’s founder, Benjamin Wise, a Vancouver-based actor, bartender and musician, launched the Revival Festival at Squamish Valley Campground last July. This year it has moved to a more secluded location on a patch of private land.
He wants the atmosphere to be synonymous with the name “Revival” – a revival of grassroots music, old friendships and the core values of love and acceptance.
During the day, a communal grill and beer pong will be set up. The acoustic guitars will come out at sunset while festivalgoers get ready to camp out overnight.
“The first years of music festivals are the best, before they become more open to the public. Everyone is really connected, really open” said Francis Hooper, frontman of the Goodwood Atoms, a Vancouver-based indie band with a blend of ethereal folk and electronic-inflected grooves that will perform this weekend. They are giving a preview of their new album, Great White, that is set to release next month, including the single “The End.”
Alongside the Goodwood Atoms will be the likes of Silva Sound, Purple Soul,
Tonye Aganaba, Alex Maher, Imur,
The X Presidents and The Bottom Shelf Bourbon Trio.
“This year, Ben has used his massive network to cultivate a great lineup. It’s the cream of the crop,” said Hooper, who is the brainchild behind the Juniper Room, an underground studio and performance venue in East Vancouver.
Having the festival at a farm in Brackendale will allow the bands to play later into the night, until acoustic guitars are brought out to the campsites to wind down the event.
Omar Khan, a Vancouver-based solo singer and songwriter who sifts through pop, R&B, soul, hip hop and folk, is performing at the festival for the first time. He will be playing songs from his new self-produced album, Filthy Rich, that will be coming out in two parts on June 24 and in mid-July. He will also have an acoustic set.
“The first single, ‘Filthy Rich,’ is about living within your means and finding the richness in the simple things in life. A lot of people in our generation are ‘dirty broke.’ They have no money but still act rich,” he said. Like many other performers and festival goers, Kahn will be camping overnight at the festival.
Wise, who also organized the Revival Festival last year, said the event is self-sustainable and his goal is to not leave a carbon footprint. For more information, see www.therevivalfestival.com.
