Vancouver might draw the likes of pop stars such as Britney Spears but street for street, neighbourhood for neighbourhood, Squamish can out-dance and out-party our cosmopolitan cousin.
Squamish will have a chance to do just that at the first annual Dancing Bear Music Festival, Sunday (April 26) from noon to 9 p.m. at Quest University. The festival is organized by students and features over eight bands including performances from local musicians.
"We wanted to put on an event for students to celebrate the end of the school year and to bring the community up to the campus," said organizer Caleb Tomlinson.
The outdoor festival features The Paperboys, The Fugitives, Brand New Waves, Fish and Bird, Kunaka Marimba, Karmetik Collective, Hayfa Makes Music and local talent.
The Fugitives, one of the headlining acts, promises to get audience members tapping their toes. The band is a combination of multi-talented Vancouver artists Mark Berube, Barbara Adler and Brendan McLeod. Their music has been classified under many guises - slam folk, folk hop and spoken word cabaret.
"We are a normal folk band with a heavy element of storytelling to a lot of our songs, and sometimes we throw in some straight-up poetry in the middle of a set," said McLeod.
McLeod said the band started as a storytelling collective that evolved into a music group. He said getting gigs as storytellers was tough but as a band it's a bit easier.
"The music became part of what we do and a good way to sneak storytelling into bars," McLeod said.
The Fugitives have taken their storytelling cabaret around the world and McLeod said Squamish can expect something special.
"Maybe we will write a dancing bear song if something inspires us on Vancouver Island next week," McLeod said. "We try and be as interactive as possible with a lot of back and forth banter during our performances."
The Paperboys lead singer Tom Landa said their act includes something for every member of the audience. After all, their music is hard to describe. He said it's like Guinness with a tequila chaser while listening to an American Jukebox - or a place where Irish, Mexican and Roots music collide.
"I think there is something for just about everyone, if you know what I mean," said Landa. "We are looking forward to playing up in Squamish because it's a beautiful time of year."
In the meantime organizers are putting the final touches a music festival that Tomlinson hopes will become annual event.
"This is a family event with face painting and a lot of events for kids as well as a beer garden for the adults," Tomlinson said. "We are bringing together a diverse mix of bands for a community celebration."
Tickets are $20 and can be bought at the door, or in advance at The Zephyr Cafe and Onatah coffee. Kids under 12 get in free. For more information check out www.myspace.com/dancingbearmusicfestival.
