First Nations acts big at stormy Interstellar Rodeo
Most of the people who attend Interstellar Rodeo are not fair-weather fans.
They know that Mother Nature may not be on their side. Indeed, this year the festival almost lived up to the dreaded “Friday night curse” – as some call it – hearkening back to an earlier year when the Friday night had to be cancelled altogether due to bad weather.
On the first of three days of the 2018 Interstellar Rodeo at Hawrelak Park Friday night, a torrential thunderstorm forced the festival to start almost an hour late – and two more storms paused the music over the course of the night. While the crowd was thinner than previous Friday nights at Interstellar Rodeo, the diehards prevailed.
Notable for this year’s festival is the emphasis on First Nations artists, making up about one-third of the 2018 line-up.
By the time A Tribe Called Red (above) came on stage around 8 pm, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds. The beats of the DJs fusing electronica and hip hop with pow-wow sounds resonated throughout the amphitheatre. When the dancers – both in traditional regalia and hip hop attire – joined the stage, the excitement of screaming fans rose above the music. A Tribe Called Red is definitely one of those acts that has to be experienced live to be fully appreciated.
Interlude act Celeigh Cardinal (right) has been gaining an audience in Edmonton with her energetic sound that encompasses roots-rock and blues. She performed a solid set with her trio while the stage was set for Feist, the final act of the evening. Cardinal is Métis and originally from Peace Country.
“Indigenous representation of artists at large festivals something that I never grew up seeing and is something that we need more of across Canada,” she said backstage before the show. “I think it’s amazing that Interstellar went out of their way to do this. It’s definitely a rarity in Canada.”
In addition to the music itself, there are a couple of other First Nations connections at the festival. This year, Interstellar Rodeo made a special design collaboration with local artist Jason Carter of the Little Red River Cree Nation, who has designed an exclusive, limited edition 2018 festival t-shirt. Carter is a celebrated sculptor-painter-illustrator whose work has been shown at the Royal Alberta Museum, Art Gallery of Alberta and elsewhere. As well, the collaborative display 150 Acts encourages people to express how they will work towards reconciliation.
Friday night started with Jesse Jams (right), a young songwriter who’s performed with several members from the Wet Secrets. Unfortunately, Jams’ set, which was already late, was cut short after only two songs due to the second storm of the evening.
Jesse’s performance was part of the community partnership between Interstellar Rodeo and iHuman. iHuman is a non-profit organization based in the inner city that employs an arts-based approach to serve and support marginalized youth in the community. Interstellar producer and Six Shooter Records president Shauna De Cartier said the connection is personal because of Lyle Bell – of the Wet Secrets, which is signed to Six Shooter Records – and his work with local youth there, including Jesse Jams. Bell and Jams wrote a song together, called I’m Drawing a Blank. “My daughters and I rock out to this particular tune on a regular basis,” De Cartier said. There is also an on-site iHuman Studio focusing on the visual art and dance components of the organization, like graffiti and beading workshops and break-dancing demos.
Reuben and the Dark with no electricity – literally performing in the dark
Meanwhile on the music stage, Reuben and the Dark had a number of major fans in the audience. Several people said they were here mostly for this Calgary indie folk band, whose music – much like the band’s name – is moody, dark, and deals with themes of life and death. However, again Mother Nature decided to try to upstage the performers on stage, and the electricity had to be turned off. Lead singer Rueben Bullock refused to stop, however, and led the band – and the audience – in a completely unplugged song.
Feist had a good number of fans as well, with people arriving just in time for her set (or perhaps it had something to do with the weather clearing up). Her attitude-filled indie rock-pop vocal and guitar stylings were well-received. Still, numerous festival-goers started to leave just a short way into her set – probably not the ones who were late arrivals, but those who had stuck out most of the evening in some very harsh conditions.
After three thunderstorms, no judgement should be bestowed upon them.
The focus on Indigenous artists will continue with throughout the weekend, include emerging Edmonton (by way of the Yukon) singer-songwriter Jay Gilday; and Riit, a throat singer from Pangnirtung in Nunavut. The packed – and stacked – schedule for Saturday and Sunday also features an eclectic line up such as The Deep Dark Woods, The Mavericks, July Talk, and Courtney Barnett, closing Sunday night. Hopefully, the weather will be kinder.
