Mariposa returns Jul 8, 9 and 10, initial line-up includes Lennon Stella, Kathleen Edwards, and Mavis Staples

By Will McGuirk

The Great Dame of Folk Festivals will be stepping out this year after sitting out the past two. The festival was first held in 1961 thus last year would have been the 60th anniversary. Those celebrations will carry over of course, and as the initial line-up announced reveals, its going to be some celebration.

Lennon Stella leads the line-up but its Mariposa so there’s no headliners as such, and not when you have such others in the line-up as the iconic Mavis Staples as well as Kathleen Edwards, The Weather Station, Serena Ryder, Allison Russell, Lido Pimienta and Tami Neilson., plus Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, plus JP Saxe. And there are more TBA!

Food and Artisan opportunities are available until Feb 7 here
Food Vendor information and applications available here
Artisan Vendor information and applications available here

Volunteer Registration Open Now!
More info and registration link available here

and Tickets are available here.

2019 River & Sky line-up announced; U.S. Girls. Fucked Up, Hollerado headlining

By Will McGuirk

River & Sky is not your average woodsy get-together. Nope the music/camping festival held at Fishers’ Paradise, Field, ON, July 18 to 21 2019, is an adventure trek into music, an alt-hike to get higher, a wilderness sleep-over with morning saunas, its glam-rock glamping, Camp Do The Right Thing, its feed and be fed, live and let thrive, and this year the soundtrack to your enviro-sustaining outing is just as progressive as the festival, with prog-punkers Fucked Up, the prog-discotech of U.S. Girls, the prog-pop of the Fast Romantics - get the picture, then get the tickets.

The R&S is one of the best, its enlightening and northern and cosmic, and after ten years, just got wonderfully weird, bringing in a broad list of bands reaching deep into their own community and as far out into the world as is possible for a small indie self-made north Ontario festival to go. And it seems such as thing can go far out.

In a press release director Peter Zwarich says celebrating inclusivity and acceptance is the goal and to that end world music is coming to the banks of the Sturgeon River.

“ We’re excited to feature Altin Gün, an Amsterdam-based band playing Turkish folk with a 1970s psychedelic-funk twist, Mdou Moctor, and his Tuareg band from Niger, who has been called the ‘Hendrix of the Sahara,’ the Austin duo Little Mazarn, with ethereal banjo and vocals by Lindsey Verrill, and New York City’s Gladys Lazer, the project of Tel Aviv-born drummer Gal Lazer,” he says. “We want everyone to soak in some nature and summertime vibes and feel at home at R&S.”

Regionally-related acts include Tommy & the Commies, Dirty Princes, Oli Palkovits, Slow Eaters, all from Sudbury, our pal Annie Sumi with ties to North Bay, and Lisa Marie Naponse of Atikameksheng Anishinawbek.

For a small festival with a sustainability goal, travelling by car and parking, are issues to be dealt with. To that end organisers have partnered with Temagami Outfitting Company to offer packaged canoe trips to Fishers’ Paradise.  Pine Falls Lodge will be the starting point for the Murray Creek Route.

What better way to arrive to a party in the North than in Voyageur style.

Here’s the details y’all need to know.

5-Day Advance Pass:
Get there a full day ahead of the festival’s official start: Arrive July 17 and stay until end of day July 21. $230 (includes HST and processing fees)

4-Day Advance Passes:
Arrive July 18 and stay until July 21. $210 (includes HST and processing fees)

3-Day Advance Passes:
Arrive July 19 and stay until the evening, July 21. $160 (includes HST and processing fees).

Full Day Passes (advance): Friday $75, Saturday $75, Sunday $30. Night Passes (advance): $55 (Thursday; Friday; Saturday)

Children 16 years and younger with their families get in for free.Dogs welcome on leashes. Must be spayed or neutered. Sauna and Swimming – yes, but always at your own risk. No Beer tent: BYOB at your campsite. Camping available in field and forest area on the property. Cost of camping (in a tent) included in the price. Trailers/RVs will pay a fee, depending on the size. .

Guelph's The Lifers release 'Front Door" and ask you to enter their world

Always partial to all things Guelph here at SlowCity.ca - in some ways it all began in Guelph so when The Lifers (Liv and Anita Cazzola) came across our electronic stoop well we opened the front door and you should open your front door to these sisters who are, oddly given the events of the last day or so,  a little Cranberries sauce poured over the raucous gang vox of the Strumbellas. Their single "Front Door" of their album, Honey Suite, due in May, is an exploration of what home means so we asked them of course what home is.

Anita:  "Home can hold many definitions for me - it can be a physical space or an emotional state.  For a while I thought that a space was made “home” if I had been there for a long time, if I had specific routines in place, and I if had particular objects in the space with me (a certain mug, blanket, artwork, chair, etc).  While this still remains true, I think “home” is so much more based in who is around you and how they make you feel - comforted, cared for, safe, important, supported.  I also think of home as a space (or relationship) of reciprocal kindness.  It is as much what the space/relationship does for you as what you do in turn to sustain it."  

Q: In what ways has been at "home" in Guelph informed and influenced your music?

Anita: "Guelph is a very special place. There is such a wonderful community of people who support and care about art, music, sustainability, culture, community, and general well-being.  It is really important to be surrounded by other creators to feed off each other’s energy.  Guelph’s Hillside Festival has had a huge influence on our musical lives, both in the musical discoveries that we make each year and the care they put into their social and environmental impact.  Liv and I have been attending the festival for years now, and each summer we walk away with a stronger drive to keep making music and be kind to others."  

Liv: "After having lived in a couple other cities, coming back to Guelph always feels like a giant hug - the kind where all your muscles release, and even under the gentle pressure you feel you can breathe more deeply. Having my family close by does this for me, as does the community of musical mentors and peers we have nestled ourselves into."

Q: The PR says 'Rooted in female empowerment and environmental activism" - what does this look like in your everyday life?

Liv: "As a musician, a lot of our activities directly relate to our position as feminists and environmental activists. When choosing who to work with, our vision of equality is always a consideration; it is part of our mandate to actively support female/non-binary folks in the music industry. When choosing the materials we work with, sustainability is our number one priority (for example, with our band merch, we print on second-hand t-shirts and other recycled materials, and create items that support sustainable lifestyles). The trickiest barrier for us right now is that we cannot afford a tour vehicle that is considerably eco-friendly.
Seemingly little actions, thoughts and comments make a big difference. I question my everyday decisions, to see if there's any change I could make to lead by example. I listen deeply to people's experiences. I actively support people and organizations who I feel match my environmental and feminist beliefs, and I don't take part in purchases or activities that go against them. When it comes to creating change, we can't overlook the small stuff!"

Q: I get the sense that place and the maintenance of place is central to your art? If you agree, why do you think it is?

Anita: "It definitely is.  I think the ‘maintenance of place’ piece is the most central at the moment.  As much as the idea of personal space and ‘home’ is subject in our writing, it relates to a greater perspective of living in and maintaining our natural environment - the common ground for all inhabitants of the earth - our communal space.  The maintenance of this place is vital - now more than ever."

Photo by Alex Lam

Feel It Still - Birds of Bellwoods cover Portugal The Man

The Birds of Bellwoods are the hardest working kats I know - when they break it will be overnight but earned. They have been playing the Old Lady Shwa for sometime and I dig their deep woodsy sound, their harmonies, their ethic and that they use Oh Dear in their lyrics. Kalle Mattson does it too. Always happy to share what these dudes are up to so here's their latest, a cover of PTM... dig it.