After months of anticipation the first Wapiti Music Festival will be announcing the line-up tomorrow (Friday).
Wapiti Festival board member and owner of Freyja, Chantel Souliere, said she hopes the festival will help new bands get discovered.
“Our idea was that we want bands that are about to break out. We want to showcase the up-and-comers,” she said.
“We looked at all the music festivals in the area and south of the border. We wanted to see what was trending.”
Souliere said that they looked to CBC Radio 3, which showcases Canadian music, and they also looked to local bands for ideas about who should be part of the festival.
“We went to bands like Shred Kelly to see who they are touring with and who they are listening to,” she said.
The Wapiti Music Festival will be unveiling their line-up on Friday night at The Central in Fernie.
“We’re bringing in Calgary-based musician Michael Bernard Fitzgerald and he’s bringing along a six piece band. He’s really well known to Fernie music lovers and will help get the party started,” said Souliere.
Souliere has been part of the team working on the Wapiti Festival since September 2010.
“I think everyone in town has been complaining that Fernie doesn’t have a music festival,” she said.
Souliere said that Fernie City Council member Kevin McIsaac really got the ball rolling and invited a small group of key community members to help create the festival.
The Wapiti Festival board also includes Matt Brazeau, owner of the Brickhouse, Paul Michael, music festival enthusiast and local physician, Troy Cook, artist and front man for Bubba Tres, and Pierre Dupont, owner of Le Grand Fromage.
The first annual Wapiti Music Festival is August 19 to 20 at the Annex Park.
“It’s a full-time job on the side, and it’s volunteer,” she said. “But I feel compelled to give my time to the project.”
Souliere said that the Wapiti team needs volunteers to help with all aspects of the festival.
“Choosing the bands and figuring out the concept took up a lot of time, but we still have flight plans to organize and the marketing is really going to get rolling now,” she said.
If you’d like to get involved with Wapiti visit their website at ferniemusic.com or stop by Freyja.
Tickets for the Wapiti line-up release party are $20 and are available at Midges Mags.