Above the river, under the sky

July is a busy month for summer festivals in the city — the success of Northern Lights Festival Boréal’s 40th anniversary at the new Grace Hartman Amphitheater was proof no other festival in the city seemed quite as busy or quite as productive.

Take that energy out of the city limits and you have the successes of the River and Sky Music and Camping Festival’s third year. The young festival, which showcased its talents July 15-17, stepped up with an essential lineup of Canada’s most successful, engaging and energetic indie bands.

With acts ranging in style from Diamond Ring to Hooded Fang, from The Statues to The Gertrudes, there was a generous spectrum of musical genres for the audience to groove to, down by the river, no less.
Peter Zwarich, the festival’s founder and artistic director, said the experience of having camping alongside music is part of an “escape” the festival offers.

“Escape is really the key word,” Zwarich said. “Life can be a grind at times. When I’m in the city, I use live music to escape. When I get the chance to leave the city, camping and canoeing are the escape.”
There is a phenomenon that occurs when good friends band together for a shared experience of music and camping.

That enhanced experience is a result of the community. And in turn, the community acts together—whether it’s to ensure the grounds have been tidied after the show, or the stage has been raised beforehand; there is “a call to action” that is more visceral than audible.

“(The goal) of River and Sky is to celebrate nature and music together in an effort to promote sustainability,” Zwarich said.

“Both the music scene and the sustainability movement have preexisting communities — River and Sky attempts to bring these two communities together. I think it works. Music can fuel the action.”
Zwarich emphasized without the passion of the community of music lovers, this festival may not have enjoyed the success of its third year.

“Energy reciprocates,” he said. “We work very hard to pull off (River and Sky) each year.” Visit River and Sky Music and Camping Festival’s website for past acts or for volunteer information. The festival is held the third week of July.

If you missed the coming together of sustainability and sound at the River and Sky festival, check out Picnic Fest. The fourth annual festival, run by local music promoter Clayton Drake, takes place at Victory Park, in association with Myths and Mirrors Community Arts Organization, from Aug. 27-28.

The lineup at Picnic Fest includes dd/mm/yyyy — an experimental rock band from Toronto; Zorch, from Austin, Texas; Forest City Lovers, a “quiet-loud” band based in Toronto and TITAN, a “sledgey, riffy” metal band from Toronto. Locals include Strange Attractor, Bunnies in Berlin, The Subterreaneans, the Lightmares, and Lo-Animal, previously known as Mule Skinner.

There will be an open stage from 12 to 2 p.m. Tickets to the festival can be picked up at Cosmic Dave’s Record Emporium. Advance weekend passes are $30, and daily tickets are $20 at the gate.

For more information about Picnic Fest 2011, search Myths and Mirrors Presents PicnicFest ‘11 on Facebook.

- Posted by Vivian Scinto