Interview: Burly Calling Thrilled with BSOMF Showcase
At this weekend’s Sound of Music Festival (SOMF) in Burlington, ON, an additional element of local flavour has been added to the
Bring Me the Author
event: independent bands, from the city, who are beginning to make noise within other city limits.
On Friday night (June 13) at Spencer Smith Park, the Hyundai-sponsored stage will host The Killin’ Time Band (7pm-7:30pm), The Dirty Jeans (7:45pm-8:15pm), Bring Me the Author (8:30pm-9:00pm), and The Penske File (9:15pm-9:45pm), as part of a showcase partnership with Burlington’s other popular music festival, the very indie Burly Calling.
“I know for us, as a bunch of guys growing up in Burlington, and for me personally, there are a lot of family memories that come from attending the festival,” says Bring Me the Author vocalist Craig Ireland. “It’s an honour and privilege for us to participate. We are all very excited for that night.”
For seven years, Burly Calling – founded and operated by Benjamin Rispin and Brad Hails – have presented a growing array of bands at various bars across the city. In 2013, six venues participated over a four-night stretch, housing area talent, but also the likes of Montreal’s The Planet Smashers and Toronto’s Cancer Bats…to name a few.
While in discussion with Riffyou.com, Rispin reveals that over the last couple of years Burly Calling and the much larger SOMF (which usually attracts 200,000+ people) began forming a relationship. As this year’s festival entered into its planning stages, Rispin went for coffee with Dave Miller, Executive Director, Sound of Music Festival, to discuss a possible Burly Calling tie-in.
What was eventually decided upon was a Burly Calling showcase. Rispin would soon present SOMF with a list of 10 Burlington bands that he felt would best serve the stage. From there, SOMF officials – who Rispin says that he has seen at Burly Calling events and regards as local music supporters – whittled down the list to the four bands noted above.
“These are great [bands] that we should be bringing attention to,” says Rispin. “The Sound of Music has not only been completely supportive, but they are in full support of the Burlington scene and trying to propel these younger bands into a bigger spectrum – they want to see these bands get more attention too.”
The timing of this one-night showcase is hugely important. Last year, there was much social media and on-the-street backlash from throngs of Burlington musicians who felt as if SOMF was ignoring local talent. Rispin, who is a Burlington musician that has played the festival multiple times in the past, still doesn’t understand last year’s uproar, and opted to not partake in it.
“I don’t think that [SOMF] didn’t support local music. The controversy was made up by the people who weren’t playing,” explains Rispin
The Dirty Jeans
“I don’t want to sound like a jerk…but maybe your band isn’t on anybody’s radar yet. Just because you put your band on Facebook, that doesn’t mean you’re on somebody’s radar. You have to bring out people. If you’re not drawing crowds, why would [the festival] put you on a main stage? It doesn’t make any sense.”
When asked if he felt some musicians felt as if they were entitled to play the event because of their mailing address, Rispin answered affirmatively.
That said, perhaps the most important part of this one night is that it has the potential to grow into something more. Rispin believes that if all goes well this year with the Hyundai stage’s Burly Calling showcase, it could become an ongoing thing.
As for Burly Calling as an organization, while it may already have a huge amount of street cred amongst those in the city’s independent music community, this SOMF opportunity definitely takes things to a whole other, highly-credible, level.
“It legitimizes us more in the city,” concludes Rispin. “People have heard of Burly Calling, but don’t know exactly what it is. It took seven years of Burly Calling for people to understand that it’s a whole bunch of bands playing small pubs. Finally, people get what the hell it is. This [partnership] has propelled us toward a whole other audience. It’s really exciting for us to be involved and it’s cool that they gave us a shot. We’re the little guys, and it’s nice when the little guys and the big guys get along.”
-Adam Grant
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