Let’s jump right in and kick this off with the boldest of bold statements; Ness Creek 2014 was hands down the best music festival I have ever had the opportunity to attend!! And I have a long list to hold it up against having been to quite a few over the years, both as a host and producer for the EWest series and as a fan of all things music!
From the energy, to the music, the extreme wilderness, the community of people running the event, and finally to the thousands of genuinely happy people greeting every single passerby with “Happy Ness!”, the atmosphere of the Ness Creek Music Festival is unlike anything you have ever experienced. (Unless you’ve been there of course, in which case YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!)
Arriving into Ness Creek (Photo by Melissa Henderson)
What began in 1991 as a two day festival featuring 7 bands and 200 attendees, has steadily grown over the years. One of the first things I noticed when we arrived, was how much the festival has grown since the last time EWest Music had been in attendance, TEN YEARS AGO! This year, the festival boasted over 30 Main Stage performances, a workshop stage, an Eco-Village, Community Kicthen, Drum and Dance Circle, an after hours venue and over 4,000 HAPPY FESTIVAL GOERS! In fact, tickets sold out prior to the gates even opening!
The 2014 Ness Creek Main Stage (Photo by Daryl Uhrin)
Our past experiences at Ness Creek have resulted in many interviews with fan-favourite bands… perhaps you’ve heard of The Sadies? Check out our vintage interview with them!
Over the duration of this year’s festival we had the opportunity to meet so many interesting musicians and caught up with several artists on camera. EWest Music’s correspondent Shelby Lechman was an absolute champ and not only wound up chatting with a few of the Main Stage headliners, but managed to squeeze a little magic from Lindi Ortega, nabbed a bilingual EWest Music plug from Indigo Joseph, and chatted with the guys from Deep Dark Woods about their upcoming show with Blue Rodeo.
Shelby Lechman interviewing Lindi Ortega (Photo by Daryl Uhrin)
Shelby Lechman interviewing Indigo Joseph (Photo by Daryl Uhrin)
Shelby Lechman interviewing Deep Dark Woods (Photo by Daryl Uhrin)
Sounds like a successful weekend does it not? Not only were the performances some of the best I have experienced, but there’s just something about an outdoor festival in the middle of nowhere that sets astir something in you that leaves you needing to revisit the atmosphere of the festival time and again.
But wait, there’s more! We capped off our weekend chatting with first time Ness Creek-ers The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, which was my absolute highlight of the festival. And let me tell you, do these guys ever know how to put on a show!
Melissa Henderson interviewing The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer (Photo by Daryl Uhrin)
The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer performing during the 2014 Ness Creek Music Festival (Photo by Daryl Uhrin)
Being the only one of it’s kind, The Ness Creek Music Festival is fantastic music combined with community, ecology, and the arts, all nestled in the boreal forests of northern Saskatchewan. My sincere thanks go out to the Ness Creek coordinators, most notably Emma and Deb, whose assistance ensured our festival experience was a complete success.
Where else will you find compostable cornstarch forks, bears roaming the outskirts, and world renowned musicians performing to over 4,000 incredibly happy people? Only at Ness.
Counting down the days until next year’s festival! Happy Ness everyone!
Be sure to tune into Shaw and ewestmusic.com this fall to catch the all new thirteen episodes in EWest Music’s fourth season, featuring the aforementioned artists from the 2014 Ness Creek Music Festival, and also including never-before-seen interviews with Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Nazareth and many, many more!
-Melissa
Lovin’ Life One Day at a Time
Melissa Henderson
Much like a scent can evoke an emotional response or memory, upon hearing any song off Michael Jackson's Dangerous album, I am instantly transported 23 years in the past and I find myself driving through the Black Forest with my family off on an adventure!
Throughout life's journey I have been developing into this current version of myself, and have noticed that above all my taste in music has best reflected who I feel I am.
Listen in on my life soundtrack and you will find a range of genres from Punk to Metal to Christian to Disney, easily summing up who I am as Loud, Happy and Animated!
"My greatest gift to you
is a dance floor
free from insecurity"
-Alexisonfire
