The earth beneath Dunster rumbled with the stomping feet of enthusiastic festival goers last weekend.
Whether it was British Columbia’s Rachelle van Zanten rippin’ on her slide guitar or New Zealand’s Mihirangi beat boxing and making tracks with a loop pedal, the dance floor was packed for three days straight. It’s that kind of energy the Robson Valley Music Festival is known for, and yet again lived up to its billing.
This was the festival’s ninth year taking place on Shara Gustafson and Seth Macdonald’s front lawn. As well as being the head organizers, the couple shared their diverse musical talents, performing as Samson’s Delilah, their acoustic reggae-inspired duo, and closing out Saturday night with their band, Mamaguroove.
Also taking the stage over the weekend was Vancouver’s The Boom Booms, a six-piece indie band that surprised the crowd with a high-energy rendition of Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”; Australia’s Ash Grunwald, a blues guitar player, who got everyone dancing with a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”; and the Formidable Vegetable Sound System, an Australian electroswing “ecological edutainment” band, with upbeat songs about permaculture.
With such an eclectic lineup of high-energy performers, even the rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of festival goers, many of whom came prepared with ponchos and rain boots.
Nicole Veerman
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