Community celebrates women in music
On Oct. 12 and 13, a new music festival was born in Guelph. The Holy Smokes Music Festival is a creative space geared specifically towards providing representation for women and non-binary individuals. The festival was founded by Alanna Gurr and Charlotte Moore — two female artists who recognized that women are often underrepresented in Guelph’s performance scene and decided that it was time for this to change. Not only were the performers at the festival predominantly women, but so too were the tech crews, and the owners of the venues which hosted the event.
The venues for the festival varied greatly — from clothing stores such as Kennedy Park and Outpost Vintage, to a coffee shop, The Common. What the majority of these spots had in common was that they are relatively small venues, which are not designed for a traditional music festival, but which perfectly accomplished the task of providing a cozy, community-centred vibe for the weekend’s events. In fact, the beauty of having the events take place across the downtown core, was that it turned Guelph into a veritable scavenger hunt of musical festivities. As people spent a leisurely weekend day shopping and enjoying the crisp fall weather, the Holy Smokes Music Festival provided the perfect opportunity to grab a hot drink and step inside somewhere warm and welcoming.
Festivalgoers ranged from families with young children — who were clearly confused and delighted at spontaneously finding people playing music in a clothing store — to 20-somethings and middle-aged couples. While the majority of those involved with putting on the festival were female, there were many men who attended. It is resoundingly clear that a feminist music festival can be enjoyed by just about anyone.
There should certainly be no question as to why the Holy Smokes Music Festival was a hit, as the performers themselves were spectacular. I had the pleasure of attending two shows at Kennedy Park on Saturday, which featured Annie Sumi, followed by Savannah Taylor. These two performers had vastly different music styles, yet each was wonderful in her own way. Sumi has a light, folk tone, and her songs bring to mind strong associations with nature. She described one song as being inspired by a dream in which she “was falling into the darkness in a beautiful way.” This to me was a perfect example of the unique imagery used in her songs.
Taylor, in contrast, has a style which the festival’s website describes as a mixture of “neo-soul, boom-bap, and R&B.” Her voice is deep and full, and her personality and stage presence are unmistakably engaging. Partway through her set, Taylor apologized in advance for “getting lost in the music.” This apology was entirely unnecessary, as her ability to commit herself fully and emotionally to a song was the best part about Savannah Taylor’s performance.
When new events are introduced to a community, it can be hard to tell whether they will survive to become a lasting tradition — the Holy Smokes festival is off to a promising start. I certainly hope that it will be around for many years to come.
Feature photo by Karen K. Tran/The Ontarion