The Living Roots Music Festival will be the first Fredericton music festival to take place in living rooms and on small stages throughout the city.
By Matt Carter
Eddie Young is an inspiration. After more than a year spent hosting live music performances in the comfort of his family’s living room, welcoming a who’s who of traveling entertainers, Young took on what seemed like an insurmountable task – promoting live music in the city’s uptown. Somehow he has managed to make it happen. He now books regular performances at both Grimross Brewery on Bishop’s Drive and Ringo’s Bar & Grill on Smythe Street, creating a new tradition of live music in an area of the city that hasn’t had regular music events of this scale in over a decade.
And now, Young has added a new project to his calendar. The Living Roots Music Festival will be the first Fredericton music festival to take place in living rooms and on small stages throughout the city.
“I used to be a fan of big concerts and I do still like the odd one, but I find myself gravitating to songs and hearing the stories behind them,” said Young. “I feel there is no better way to enjoy this experience than at a house concert or small room. I find you can better feel the emotion of a song in that setting and it really connects the artist with a listening audience.”
The festival is a continuation of Young’s initial inspiration to start hosting and promoting acoustic performances.
“The Living Roots Music Festival is really about bringing the community together and pairing up local acts with touring acts in alternative spaces,” he said. “I feel there is a real lack of venues in the city for these kinds of acts. Right now I have six venues – three houses and three local businesses. I am still seeking a couple small spaces in the downtown area like cafés.”
This year’s lineup includes performances by Zachary Lucky, The Backyard Devils, Eastcoast Love Story, The Sticky Bandits, Wayne Hansen, Thomas McCallum, Hum & Hollow, Lester Slade, Ryan Hillier, Drake Adams, Collin Fowlie, Rag ‘n Bone, Dylan Menzie and Courtney Smith with a few others still to be announced.
The festival will see multiple shows happening on Thursday and Friday evening and throughout the day on Saturday before the event’s finale featuring The Backyard Devils and Eastcoast Love Story at Wilser’s Room. And to help the many music lovers who prefer to wrap up their evening at a reasonable hour, each performance included in this year’s event is planned to end before midnight.
Headlining this year’s event will be Saskatchewan musician Zachary Lucky.
“Zachary will be performing Thursday and Friday night. He is a folk and country artist with a lot of great songs. I have been talking with him for a couple years now trying to get him here. I am very excited to be able to do this.”
Early Bird passes are on sale now for $30. Passes go up to $40 starting April 1, 2016. Passes are available for purchase through Event Bright or in person at Grimross Brewing Co. Full details are available online.
The Living Roots Music Festival | May 26-28, 2016 | Various venues throughout Fredericton | More Information