Every year hundreds of people flock to a private piece of property in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan (yes, Saskatchewan actually does have forests) to celebrate Canadian music at the Ness Creek Music Festival.
The festival is a weekend-long adventure that sees fans camping in all kinds of weather, encountering new (and sometimes scary) wildlife and field-dancing to a musical lineup that features some big names in Canadian music, such as Elliott Brood and The Wooden Sky. But Ness Creek strives to celebrate homegrown talent and by mandate at least half of the artists performing must be from Saskatchewan, which means the weekend ends up sounding a little bit like a love letter to the province other Canadians forget about – and it’s rad.
Mixtape caught up with Saskatoon band Gunner & Smith to find out what it’s like to play a festival like Ness Creek. Here’s what front-man Geoff Smith had to say:
Q: How do you prepare for a gig like Ness Creek?
GS: We had to prepare a little bit differently for Ness this year because our bass player was having a baby and couldn’t make the festival. So aside from working in a bass player we had to prepare for a duo set on the main stage and a full band set on the afterhours stage. Lots of the artists will play a few times during the weekend on the main stage, at a workshop with a few other artists, at the afterhours tent, or even for the volunteers behind the stage. So it helps to be adaptable.
Q: What’s it like to perform at an outdoor festival like Ness Creek?
GS: Wild… We played the afterhours stage at about 2:30am on Saturday Night and it was raining pretty hard, but there was still a huge crowd dancing and having a great time out in the rain. We were worried the weather would drive most people away, but the elements didn’t stop them and that made it one of the most fun and most memorable shows we’ve ever played.
Q: I know it’s hard to pick just one moment, but what is your absolute favourite moment that happened for you at Ness Creek and why?
It is pretty tough to choose. There is so much that happens in one weekend at Ness, but among the most memorable moments for me was chatting around the fire backstage with friend I had met from Australia while listening to Shooting Guns. It was a great reminder that even though the music brings everyone out to a festival like Ness the people you spend it with make the weekend really memorable. That and seeing Petunia and the Vipers play Mercy on the main stage Saturday night. That was incredible.
Q: For the more national audience, how would you describe Ness Creek and what would you say to convince them to come out next year?
GS: There’s a lot of reasons for visiting Ness. You get great music and tons of other stuff. Vendors, drum circles, sing-alongs, nature walks and a bunch of other stuff. The grounds are in a beautiful forest near a creek and a lake. I think the real reason people love Ness though has more to do with the attitude of the people who run it and attend the festival. They are overwhelmingly positive. People are friendly and open. I think that’s why people go back year after year, its hard to find a place like that anywhere and I think people love to escape to a place like that even if its just for the weekend.
Q: Any tips on surviving the festival – camping and all?
GS: Mosquito spray is not enough! If you want to hangout at your campsite or cook your own food invest in a Mosquito repelling coil or candle of some type. It makes hanging out at your campsite much more relaxing. Other things to keep in mind is that there are bears in the area, so when the organizers tell you to keep food stored in you vehicles actually listen to them.
Photos: Mattbradenphoto