Live music wins the day.
Original-music band Chris Kelly and Nicole Gibson have come out on top in the contest to take the last spot on the Cumberland Wild festival roster.
They won over the top five acts chosen by online voters in the contest to play the Aug.18-19 event.
The winner was selected by a music industry panel.
Cumberland dj DylPrickle (aka Dylan Moore) topped the top-five in fan votes, but the panel felt the live music aspect carried more weight.
“Dylan put in a monumental effort,” said Wild co-producer Ben Howells. “In the end, the panel selected an original-music act, which more accurately fit the Cumberland Wild signature.”
Kelly and Gibson started out in Montreal, but now call Vancouver home. They now play as a five-piece band, which allows them to create a more dynamic live sound.
They describe their music as “pop rock with an edge.”
“They definitely have a lyrical edge and a strong stage presence, plus a male/female balance,” added fellow Wild co-producer Avigdor Schulman.
Other acts garnering enough votes to make the top-five cut were DylPrickle, Cassandra Maze, Afrobar, and Ryan Gazzola.
The Wild lineup also includes Five Alarm Funk, Elliott Brood, Jesse Roper, Defunk, The Freestylers, Bend Sinister, Moontricks, Cheshire Music, The Pack AD, Kitty and the Rooster, Astrocolor, The Imprints, Stephen Lewis and The BIG Band of FUN, Mt. Eliah, Cozy, DJ Murge, The Cumberland Brothers and more.
Gibson said the band worked hard to win the spot and the five are now stoked to play Cumberland Wild.
“We really love B.C. and how passionate people are about supporting local live music,” she said. “I grew up on Bowen Island, so we have a really big soft spot for smaller communities. We love the sense of community and support and the strong appreciation of art that comes from these communities.
The band has “a small but very loyal fan base,” so they utilized Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and YouTube to get the word out about how much they wanted to play Cumberland Wild.
“We made a video for social media, where we just got really real about how much it would mean to us and how much it would help us to be able to play this festival in terms of experience and exposure. I think people connected with that as we were just really honest.”
Juried food trucks will also be at the festival, plus hand-crafted clothes, jewellery, local beer and more.
Tickets and details at CumberlandWild.com
