SappyFest: A Weekend of Comradery
By Jillianne Hamilton
(07/24/09)
Well, it's that time of year again, kids. Sackville, NB once again plays host to SappyFest (July 31-August 2), a music festival for the indie kids who live on vinyl recordings and button-up plaid.
Moncton native and Sackville musician Julie Doiron said Sackville is a great location for the event because of its small size and artsy culture.
“Sackville has a really good arts scene in general," she said. “As a result, we get a lot of visiting artists coming and going and you get to hang out with them.”
The different stages and venues are close together, Doiron said, so it's really convenient. Plus, the town's atmosphere makes for a really positive experience.
“You get all the joys of being in a small town– it’s very relaxed and mellow– but you also get a lot of people coming in from very urban centres.”
In 1990, Doiron started
Sappy Records, the record company that hosts
SappyFest annually. This year is its fourth. So, the event will likely be a busy one for Doiron.
"I’ll be playing four different shows," she said.
Doiron will be playing tracks from her new album,
I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day, released earlier this year.
“And then some older goodies,” she added.
Doiron will also be performing with
Calm Down It's Monday and reuniting with grunge outfit
Eric's Trip. She said she enjoys playing with the band again.
"It’s really fun because
Eric’s Trip are the people I started with. I think it’s really great to be able to do that," she said.
Doiron listed off several bands she's excited about that are scheduled:
100 Dollars,
Wintersleep,
Destroyer,
Calvin Johnson,
Attack In Black,
The Baird Brothers and many more impressive names.
“I’m excited about the whole lineup. There’s some that have been there every year, kinda like alumni. Like
Baby Eagle,
Woolly Leaves and
Snailhouse... and
Old Man Luedecke is particularly awesome," she said. “We’re really lucky to have him in these parts.”
The festival attracts musicians from all over Canada, not just the east coast.
“Some of the people who are coming that I’m excited about are from far away," Doiron added. "(
Ladyhawk is) from Vancouver and you couldn’t really get any farther within Canada.”
Event organizer Paul Henderson described the event as, "a folk festival for indie rockers, a wedding reception with no vows, the festival you've always wanted to be at."
Henderson said ticket sales are going better than ever- and fast.
"Get them while you can, we will sell out this year as we have limited capacity."
According to Henderson,
SappyFest simply possesses a special something.
"Heart, charm and a good attitude," he said. "Our own ineptitudes keep everything on a comfortably low-key, non-corporate level."
(Images courtesy of the SappyFest website and the Julie Doiron Facebook page.)
Related links:
+ SappyFest
+ SappyFest '09 Lineup
+ Julie Doiron (website)
+ Julie Doiron (MySpace)
+ Calm Down It's Monday (MySpace)
+ Eric's Trip (MySpace)
+ Town of Sackville
Go back to Intervenus Interviews.
Go back to Reading Material.
* * * * *
Jillianne Hamilton is a writer, blogger and a lover of indie music, funny movies, artsy things and the color red. She is studying Journalism at
Holland College, had an internship at the
Truro Daily News
and blogs for various college and pop culture websites. To contact Jill, visit her
website.
