BY JAMES FW THOMPSON
It’s almost Thanksgiving! That means a day off, lots of food (notably, a delicious turkey surrounded by the usual equally delicious “fixins”) and, the annual Cape Breton underground music tradition: Gobblefest!
This year’s Gobblefest brings us three all-ages events and three bar/18+ events with 25 bands and artists from here to Halifax!
For those of you unfamiliar with the turkey with the mohawk and what Gobblefest is all about, Adam LeMoine, station manager of Caper Radio, explains.
“Gobblefest is a long running weekend music festival that’s been going on for well over 20 years now. When I first started going in probably 2004, it became one of the most anticipated events of the year for me right beside Stoked for the Holidays. Lots of people live away. During Thanksgiving, people come home for the weekend and we get to see our local music scene, new and old, gather together and just enjoy the insane amount of talent we have here.”
I’ve been attending Gobblefest for… slightly longer, and I must agree: it’s a great place to see people you haven’t seen in a while (they’re at school, or living away, or have just been avoiding you—but Thanksgiving washes whatever you’ve done clean away!). Plus, each time I’ve gone, I’ve discovered some new artist/musician (at least new to me) that I love to this very day. I had never even heard of the group that would become my all time fave until I saw them at Gobblefest. Good times.
If enjoying music you love (or will love soon) and seeing people you love (or like, or have been avoiding but totally deserve a second chance), then there’s also this: it supports your favourite local independent (better) radio station, Caper Radio! If you’re unfamiliar with Caper Radio, well, here’s Adam again.
“Caper Radio is an extremely important part of our local music scene and our community as a whole. It’s not often that commercial stations around here will play local musicians. We tend to serve as a stepping stone for so many bands not only in Cape Breton, but in the East Coast of Canada, to hit the airwaves and get exposure. We pride ourselves in being the only alternative music station in Sydney. Our goal is to keep our music scene alive because without local music, we would be nothing.”
I’m a big fan of this guy. He says all the things that I want to say!
If you’re not sold on Gobblefest this year yet, here’s some highlights and vitals of the schedule:
Friday, October 6:
5:30 – Smart Shop Place on Charlotte St $5 – ALL AGES with Gabrielle Papillon (New album out now)
10:30 – Governors Pub $10 with Fire Valley Fire (new album out now), Outtacontroller (Halifax)
Saturday, October 7th:
3pm – Undercurrent Sydney (75 Prince St) $5 – ALL AGES Pier 14 (Halifax), Dazor (Halifax)
10:30pm – Upstairs Club $10 – Alright Already (Halifax), Jessie Brown (Halifax/Album Release)
Sunday, October 8th:
4pm at Atomic Records (Free, Donations Accepted) ALL AGES with Dazor (Halifax), Jester
11pm – Allure $5 – two DJ sets
Throw in some Ricochet, a bit of Robot Orbison, maybe some High Tide, with a little Born to Die in Berlin, some Tamarack with just a touch of shameless self-promotion, and a bunch more local talent and you literally have something for everyone! Unless you don’t like music or something… but then I guess there’s also camaraderie and nice atmosphere. If you don’t like that stuff… well, then I guess there’s fixins for you at home.
See you this weekend! Gobble gobble.
