Musicians have the remainder of this month to apply for the Cariboo region's most unique and ambitious cultural event.
Bands, duos, soloists, hybrids, fusions, fractions, menageries, any imaginable configuration of melody-maker is welcome at the ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art. This year's event happens Aug. 3-6 in the historic and picturesque hamlet just a few beats south of Prince George at the gateway to Barkerville. The time to offer your musical services is now.
"From gospel to reggae, bluegrass to hip-hop, soul to classical, we want the best of the broadest spectrum of talent in 2018," said a statement by the organizers.
For an indication of the diversity ArtsWells achieves each year, consider some of the performers at last year's event. Grandpa Groove, Oh Susanna, The Party On High Street, Tariq, Morag Northey, and Hatchey The Mouthpeace typify just some of the mixtures and amalgams. They had Rae Spoon, The Pack A.D.,and Carole Pope on the same stage at the same time, for goodnessakes!
The year before, it was the unlikely combination of West My Friend, Scarlett Jane, Miss Quincy & The Showdown, Madeline Tasquin, Geoff Berner, Bend Sinister, Coco Love Alcorn and many more.
Every year, it's the same unpredictability and abundance.
That doesn't even include the equal variations of artists in the visual, literary, film and theatre components that dovetail with the music. It is a festival of all things art. They are even open to forms of art they haven't even thought of, and those concepts are welcome to apply as well.
All those other kinds of arts have until March 31 to fill out the online application forms. Musicians have an earlier deadline. The last day of January is also the last day for music acts to get their names in the running.
Prince George and the northern region always factor heavily into the 100-plus acts who get to perform at ArtsWells. Last year, homegrown acts like Britt A.M., Doug Koyama, Frontal Lobotomy, Kym Gouchie, Marcel Gagnon, Power Duo, Saltwater Hank, Scott Dunbar, Sssnap, William Kuklis and many others of local connection were on the ArtsWells marquee. It is a festival with a positive sense of regional self esteem.
There are about 210 days remaining until the music plays and the colours twirl in Wells. For more information about getting involved as an artist, follow the links at www.artswells.com.
