Sooke new music pageant will make home for locals

The Sooke Music and Art Festival masterfully walks the line involving drawing more substantial and greater lineups and being accurate to its regional roots.

“It begun out on a bit of a whim,” explained Peter Jonassen, who introduced the very first competition in 2016. “I was hunting out back of what utilized to be Mulligan’s again in the working day and assumed, ‘We can do a competition here’ and the upcoming matter you know we have been. I have been concerned since the starting, assisted by a really able crew.”

Although the to start with pageant was a a person-day affair that highlighted 10 functions, this year’s event consists of an opening get together followed by two days and evenings with 26 performances showcasing a broad vary of musical kinds.

Some of the headliners at this year’s absolutely free, family-welcoming celebration incorporate Los Angeles-primarily based Pink Mountain Tops, Roots Round Up, which has a devoted following in Metro Vancouver, Zenon, moreover Lucy Lambert, a vocalist, accordion and violin participant from Vancouver.

“She’s amazing,” Jonassen mentioned about Zenon, the award-profitable different rhythm and blues singer, songwriter and musician from Calgary.

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“We’ve generally absent out of our way to boost neighborhood talent since the starting,” claimed Jonassen, who’s performed in most of the festivals in the previous. “I hope to get the possibility to perform once again, time allowing.”

This year’s festival carries on the custom of which includes a strong regional presence, with Sooke bands Shale, The Faultline Band, the Gord Phillips Band and Kuba Oms, a Latin Grammy winner from Victoria, all getting a turn on phase.

The festival kicks off in design and style with an opening party at the Sooke Local community Hall on Friday, Sept. 1 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Tickets to the bash, which incorporates stay performances, are $10.

The festival moves to John Phillips Memorial Park on Saturday, Sept. 2 and Sunday, Sept. 3, from noon to 10 p.m., with no charge for admission.

To acquire tickets to the opening celebration, a search at the total lineup or more on the performers, stop by sookemusicfestival.ca.

‘“We support Sooke-centered organizations these kinds of as food stuff and beverage business people and we’re generally on the lookout for sponsorship from like-minded companies and people today,” Jonassen said. “And we even now do will need volunteers to assist us pull off Sooke’s funnest function,” Jonassen claimed.

If you would like to get involved, email [email protected] or [email protected].