A new sound is coming to the performance stage at BerryFest in downtown Abbotsford this year.
The 38th annual event runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 6 in the streets of Montrose and Essendene avenues in the historic downtown core.
The festival will see an unprecedented amount of musical talent on the stage, featuring acts a listener would typically otherwise have to travel to see in a paid venue or at a major folk festival.
The styles of music will be primarily bluegrass, traditional jazz, and folk.
The day will culminate at 8 p.m. with a headlining performance by Laura Gibson, a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter from Portland, Ore.
Vancouver bluegrass band Viper Central will perform at 11 a.m., after the morning’s opening ceremonies.
Formed in 2007, they are veterans of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Mission Folk Festival. They have had multiple performances at Guilt & Co and Wise Hall & Lounge in Vancouver.
The three-piece Murfitt & Main, also regulars of the Vancouver bluegrass scene, will be performing at 3 p.m.
At 4 p.m., Vancouver-based Milk Crate Bandits will showcase their 1920s New Orleans jazz.
Laura Gibson plays a solo set at 8 p.m. Her performances are characterized by her warm and unassuming stage presence, her entertaining stories, and her honest and moving songwriting.
In 2008, Gibson was the inspiration for – and the first person to play – NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert Series, a web series of intimate performances which has featured both unknown up-and-comers and well-known acts such as Weezer, Adele, and Death Cab for Cutie.
The Portland-based artist recently returned from living in New York, where she completed a master of fine arts in fiction writing at Hunter College. Gibson’s sixth and latest album, Goners, is out now on Barsuk and City Slang Records.
The remaining BerryFest performers are all Abbotsford-based, including shoegaze/power pop band The Sylvia Platters, DJ Simon Bridgefoot, and acoustic folk trio Thistle Dew.
Also performing are traditional jazz ensemble Farquhar/Roberts Big 4, Tragically Hip tribute band Roadside Attraction, and singer/songwriter Jada Klein.
BerryFest 2019 Stage Schedule
➤ 11 a.m.: Viper Central
➤ noon: Abbotsford Dance Center
➤ 12:30 p.m.: Jada Klein
➤ 1:30 p.m.: Dynamic Dance
➤ 2 p.m.: Murfitt & Main
➤ 3 p.m.: Milk Crate Bandits
➤ 4 p.m.: Farquhar/Roberts Big 4
➤ 6 p.m.: Thistle Dew
➤ 6 p.m.: Roadside Attraction
➤ 7 p.m.: The Sylvia Platters
➤ 8 p.m.: Laura Gibson
➤ 9 p.m.: Simon Bridgefoot DJ
