As previously announced, SKOOKUM festival is bringing music to Vancouver’s Stanley Park September 7-9, 2018. Headlined by The Killers, Florence + The Machine, Metric, Mother Mother and others on four stages with over 50 performances, live and multimedia art installations; with food, BC wine, craft beer and other events throughout the weekend.
Last month, Music BC and SKOOKUM festival organizers invited submissions from British Columbia-based music artists to be chosen to join the line up of prestigious artists.
Due to the overwhelming number and quality of submissions three musical acts have been chosen to perform at SKOOKUM Festival 2018.
“The response far surpassed expectations,” said Lindsay MacPherson, Program Manager of Music BC. “A total of 371 individual artists and bands submitted to perform at SKOOKUM. They demonstrated the immense level of talent that exists in this province and made the final decision, a very difficult one.”
The three diverse local artists coming to the stage at SKOOKUM are:
A prolific creative force, Haley Blais’ sometimes self-deprecating, yet always self-loving relatability earned her a massive online following, racking in million views on her Youtube channel. Starting out as a solo folk artist in 2016, audience demand pulled her offline and into the real world, with the release of her debut EP Late Bloomer and a successful tour. Drawing comparisons to heavy-hitters like Feist, The Cranberries and Cat Power, Blais’ new EP “Let Yourself Go” shows the artist continuing to grow with a fully formed indie pop sound and backing band. The lead single “Small Foreign Faction” has already taken the internet by storm, collecting critical acclaim and bolstering over 300,000 streams within weeks of release.
Australian born, Vancouver-based singer Andrew Phelan writes close to the chest, and this heartfelt approach to songwriting quickly ledhim cut a path in the Canadian music scene as the charming front man of Vancouver Folk band The River and The Road. The River and The Road were nominated for 2015 best breakthrough album of the year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards for their sophomore release Headlights, released in May. Since then, Andrew has continued performing solo and with a trio in Australia and Canada. The 2018 EP titled “Everything Rattles When I Breathe” is scheduled for release this Summer.
Missy D is a Vancouver-based bilingual female emcee, hailing from the thousands of hills of Rwanda, the Drogba city of Cote d’lvoire and the Victoria Falls of Zimbabwe. She represents a blend of African cultures in her life-force and in her music. She loves to blend old school and new school Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B. Missy D is a blend of your mother’s favorite groovy tunes and your family rap jams, some call it “Rap & Soul”. She recently released her debut album “When Music Hits You Feel No Pain”. Missy D embraces diversity in instrumentals, music, and most of all people!
For those who don’t want to wait until September, Mother Mother are playing an intimate show at The Imperial on Main Street, this Thursday May 31st. Part of SKOOKUM After Dark series, the show celebrates the 10th anniversary of their acclaimed album O My Heart.
For details about SKOOKUM passes and more information visit skookumfestival.com