This year’s festival may have been muddy and wet due to rainball but the music and artistry was razor sharp.
Traditional dancer James Jones and DJ Shub collaborated on stage to Shub’s fusion of powwow singing and electronic beats, a genre he pioneered known as powwow step. Jones (in Fancy Regalia) and fellow dancer Marika Sila gave a stunning visual performance to Shub’s focused DJing. Jones and Sila founded the Red Path Movement, a lifestyle committed to living a life of sobriety, respect, friendship, love, and empowerment. “It is a journey committed to healing our past, and moving towards reaching our highest potential,” their website says.
“RedPath performances and empowerment programs powerfully blend Indigenous culture and modern flow arts, using it to connect with and inspire spectators around the world.”
DJ Shub is a Mohawk DJ and music producer and member of the Six Nations of the Grand River. He has won awards as a former member of A Tribe Called Red, a DJ, and solo pursuits.
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Alaina and her brother Chris Chapman of Mamaguroove got the crowd ramped up on Friday night at the Robson Valley Music Festival. Mamaguroove was reunited after what seems like ages to great effect. The crowd responded in kind. See our festival coverage P8-9. /ANDRU MCCRACKENLily Lear playing with colleagues in the mud
A dad from Northern Alberta cuddles competing kids, his festival experience mostly involved chasing after a naked 3 year old boy. The boy loved it.
Sarah Wheeler played an acoustic show in natural light in the intimate Earthship stage (perched” halfway up a mountain, it seemed).
Circle photos centre: Violet Crowley got the younger kids scrambling for bubbles.
Deb & Rod Reimer putting in volunteer hours among the many devoted volunteers who make the festival happen
Below: My Son the Hurricane rocked the festival’s main stage on Friday night. Five horns, a bass guitar and drums and a tonne of line dancing kept the brave fans warm in frosty weather.
How does a guitarist stand out in a band with five horns? Chris Sippos gets them to be quiet and then he rips.
Photos: Andru McCracken, Laura Keil and Arthur Tanga.
