PREVIEW
Seven Music Fest
Saturday, July 7, Gates at 1 p.m.
Seven Hills
11 Mission Ave.
Tickets: VIP Pass $119, Day Pass $79, Children five to 12 years $19, Under five free
Tickets – Check. Food – Check. Booze and beverages – Check. Lots of room to lay on the grass listening to music – Check.
The 4th annual Seven Music Fest has all the makings of a typical summer beach holiday. Except travellers head to St. Albert’s Seven Hills, a gentle bowl-shaped hill that easily accommodates 3,000 or more music fans.
After a dull winter and a stormy spring, the main goal is to unplug, listen to music, bask in the sun and count clouds.
In only four years, it has developed a specific template. It’s held at the start of summer; it has a casual family identity, and it is headlined by a couple of international acts backed by a strong western contingent of performers.
Another standout feature is producer Barry Bailey’s ongoing efforts to develop partnerships with charities and service groups (LoSeCa, SAIF, Arts and Heritage Foundation, St. Albert Food Bank, and Dogs with Wings), that might profit from the festival.
With the festival’s rising popularity and the music industry’s increased sophistication, for the first time this year, Bailey is importing two out-of-country headliners: American singer-songwriter-actress Elle King and English musician Banners (a.k.a. Michael Joseph Nelson).
The lineup also features a cross-section of talent including Delhi 2 Dublin, The Wet Secrets, Altameda, Kane Incognito and Martin Kerr. Openers are Shay Esposito and Rebecca Lappa.
Elle King
Country, Soul, Rock and Blues
Elle King, born Tanner Elle Schneider, is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider and former model London King. She started playing guitar at age 13 and immersed herself in the music of Otis Redding, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and AC/DC.
By 2014, King released Ex’s & Oh’s which served as lead single for her debut album and was subsequently nominated for two Grammy Awards.
In 2016, her single Good Girls was featured on the Ghostbusters soundtrack. That year the gritty vocalist teamed up with country singer Dirks Bentley for the song, Different Girls, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s 2016 Country Airplay Chart.
Rumour has it King is preparing to release a new album. However she signed with Mary Hilliard Harrington’s Red Light Management in May. With the switch, the Gazette was unable to confirm.
“She has two Grammy nominations and some radio hits. I haven’t personally seen her perform live, but I hear she puts on a heck of a show. She’s very versatile and her music just sells itself. She can go from banjo picking to pure rock to a country duet,” said Bailey.
Banners
Modern pop-rock
There’s a touch of the ethereal in Banners pop-rock stylings, a vibe he came by naturally singing in Liverpool’s Cathedral Choir from the age of seven to 15.
As a contemporary artist, he’s putting that disciplined vocal training to good use. His haunting croon has received a warm critical reception on both sides of the Atlantic.
He released a self-titled album on January 2016 and a sophomore project, Empires on Fire, in November 2017. By April 2018, he appeared live on American Idol singing two sets with contestants Ron Bultongez and Alyssa Raghu.
But Banners is not coasting and isn’t taking his recent success for granted. If anything, his choral training taught him to work hard regardless of the outcome.
“He’s been a mentor on American Idol, and if you’re mentoring others you must be doing something right,” Bailey said.
Delhi 2 Dublin
World Music
Musically, Vancouver-based Delhi 2 Dublin is similar to a dynamic trip around the world. Between stops and tracks you could sample a melting pot of Bhangara, Celtic, electronic, funk, reggae, hip hop and whatever else they toss into the mix.
In the past 12 years, the band has released nine albums and there is a new 10-track coming out in the fall. However, singer Sangjay Seran explains that it will roll with a new feel, a new vibe.
“It’s more of a pop sound. We’re calling it subcontinental pop. It’s a pop sound with South Asian influences such as Indian percussion, but it’s still accessible pop,” said Seran.
“We’re taking it forward and building on the blocks of We’re All Desi, (Delhi 2 Dublin’s 2015 album release). That last album had more of a ghetto funk, a bass funk style. It came from the electronic work. This time we’ve stayed away from it. It has acoustic guitars, dohl, tabla, bass, drums and synth.”
Since most band members are children of immigrants, their songs will hinge on social-political commentary.
“When you see us, you see three brown guys and we’re calling it out. We’re no longer making just party tracks. We’re touching on our roots and identity, not from a cultural, but a political point of view.”
The Wet Secrets
Punk Rock
In the past decade, this wild alt rock band has developed a zany musical bedrock. Contrasting beautiful harmonies with swampy bass lines, primal drumming, brassy horns, keys and congas, this dynamic band takes on material from many angles.
“I first saw them a few years ago in a little club in Victoria doing a showcase for Breakout West. They were performing in an old church and in these places you never know what to expect,” said Bailey.
“It turned out to be a little pub and the party was rocking when I got there. Here was this band I’d never heard of, The Wet Secrets, and they were such a powerful presence and having so much fun. It took a couple of years to sort things out, but I’m excited to have them perform here.”
Altameda
Roots-Rock
Altameda has the distinction of being the only band where all members are homegrown talent from St. Albert – Troy Snaterse, Erik Grice, Todd Andrews and Matt Krause.
Their 2016 debut album, Dirty Rain, prompted a lot of tweets and in the last six months, these resourceful road warriors have toured from British Columbia to Ontario spreading the love.
“You get into a routine pretty quickly and adjusting to the road is the hardest thing. But you’re with your friends and the best thing is playing for people every night and seeing different parts of Canada,” said Grice.
In spite of Dirty Rain’s success, it’s now starting to feel old, Grice added.
“When we recorded it we had no expectations. We were all playing in different formations and we had no idea how it would all play out. People responded positively and we got one year of good touring out of it.”
The band has a new untitled album in the can that was written and recorded as a collective. It’s a big stepping stone and they plan to release it in the fall.
“It’s a more cohesive album, but we didn’t spend time hemming and hawing. We recorded it in the studio live and let it flow. As a live band, that’s the best way to capture music.”
Kane Incognito
Folk-rock
Family tragedies sometimes have a way of galvanizing people to create new things. After Keith Cherrington, lead singer in various bands, died of a drug overdose, his younger brother Eric spent a year grieving.
“I travelled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and found a new version of myself. It was basically a continual growth and the best was yet to come,” said Eric Cherrington.
As a drummer, the shyer Eric had always enjoyed performing from the back. It was his brother who was the big, outgoing personality.
“Travelling – it was almost a switch, a chemical reaction. It was surreal stepping into my brother’s shoes. I’d always been drumming, but never orchestrating and now I found myself as the singer-songwriter.”
Kane Incognito’s debut eight-track EP titled Brother, received positive acclaim.
“We’ve honed our sound and how we want to capture it. With Brother, we had a different vibe.”
The foursome will perform a 30-minute set described as a “roller-coaster effect. It will be very upbeat and fun and then move to being slow and powerful.”
Martin Kerr
Folk
A young Martin Kerr used to busk at St. Albert Farmers' Market. Today, the folk troubadour's latest album, Better Than Brand-New, cracked the Top 10 on CBC and CKUA, an impressive feat for an independent artist.
It celebrates family, the rough patches in marriage and how love deepens with time.
“I’ve been married 13 years and I have three kids. I want to be honest about what’s happening in my life. I don’t want to write party songs,” said Kerr.
He added, “Your feelings deepen having children together. I admire my wife in ways I never knew before. She’s brilliant, compassionate and loving with the kids.”
Looking to the future, the folk troubadour is also in production for his sixth album with Australian producer Chris Vallejo, a tech whiz with platinum records hanging on his studio wall.
“I was aware of Chris through Passenger. I saw them headline at the Folk Festival. When it came time for another album, I thought of Chris. I emailed him. It was a shot in the dark and I didn’t think I’d hear back.”
But Vallejo did contact Kerr and they spent time in February writing songs.
“He’s very humble, down-to-earth, intelligent and methodical. He even built his studio from the ground up.”
Kerr will play a 30-minute set on what he calls an “emotional journey.”
Rebecca Lappa and St. Albert’s Shay Esposito will open the festival with a 15-minute set each.
The festival is also collecting non-perishable food items or monetary donations for the St. Albert Food Bank.
Schedule
2:15 p.m. Rebecca Lappa
2:30 p.m. Shay Esposito
2:45 p.m. Martin Kerr
3:30 p.m. Kane Incognito
4:15 p.m. Altameda
5:15 p.m. The Wet Secrets
6:30 p.m. Delhi 2 Dublin
7:45 p.m. Banners
9:15 p.m. Elle King
