Every year throughout Canada there are tons of music festivals, most of them profit-based ventures for the production companies that organize them. But once in a while someone comes along and breaks the mold, putting profit aside and, instead, focuses on music, community, and sustainability. This is exactly what Victoria-based Radio Contact Productions has done with Tall Tree Music Festival.
“It started out as a way to bring people out to Port Renfrew, as a way to showcase what Renfrew has to offer,” says Radio Contact’s Mike Roma. It quickly developed into a lot more than that.
Now in its third year, Tall Tree has grown into a three-day festival featuring 67 artists, more than double the first year. Aside from having more artists, Tall Tree is at the same site Radio Contact used last year, allowing them to build on the solid foundation laid down the year before. While being able to use the same site is handy, it doesn’t mean that there’s any less work preparing for the festival, as they must build a community on the side of a mountain for three days.
“There is no less amount of work, it just means that the work that you’re putting in from the year before is already there,” explains Roma. “Every year it evolves. It has a natural evolution. By that I mean that people make the festival happen. Every year there are different people that come out and there is different music that happens.”
All that hard work has paid off. Now established as a premier music festival on Vancouver Island, Tall Tree will be showcasing amazing talent integrated with a keen sense of ethical community and environmental standards. As a not-for-profit event, proceeds will be going to the Tall Tree Festival Society, in support of local charities.
“Proceeds are going towards the Ancient Forest Alliance,” says Roma. “We’ve raised money to help protect avatar growth Avatar Grove, and have reached that goal. Now we’re raising money with the intention of building a boardwalk through that section of old growth forest up in Renfrew. Partial proceeds are also going to help develop the rec center in Port Renfrew.”
While vast amounts of effort have gone into protecting the values of Tall Tree Music Festival, just as much work has gone into selecting artists. Tall Tree will be demonstrating immense diversity in musical styles, with performances ranging from DJs to surf rock.
“Our model has always been that anything that is good and done at a professional level merits exposure. A nice thing about Renfrew is that there is no cell-phone reception up there; there are no other events to take away from your captive audience. I think that given the time, if you’re exposed to anything that’s good, you’re going to like it,” says Roma.
Tall Tree isn’t just great for the audience; it’s a huge hit with the artists performing at it. At Tall Tree, unlike other festivals, the audience and artists are as one, camping and hanging out together for the duration of the festival.
“It completely breaks down the barrier between the artist and the audience because they just throw you all together,” says Tall Tree vet and Victoria musician Steph Macpherson.
One thing that can be counted on at Tall Tree is a great selection of local music. Luckily, Vancouver Island exudes musical talent and the people behind Tall Tree have done a fantastic job harnessing it.
“There are not many places in the country that have as many great bands that have come out of it, specifically with their own sound, including DJs. There are so many great artists here that, by default, are naturally going to be a part of it,” says Roma.
In the spirit of growth, Tall Tree will be featuring many new artists this year, such as Sweatshop Union, who plan on sharing a few new songs from their soon-to-be-released album.
“While normal concerts fall into a routine, we love playing at festivals. They are like a vacation for us, plus we also get to go up and do our thing,” says Colin McCue (a.k.a. Dusty Melodica) of Sweatshop Union.
Tall Tree Music Festival takes place on Browns Mountian in Port Renfrew on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Being a west coast event, attendees should be prepared for all types of weather, as the show will go on rain or shine.
Tall Tree Music Festival
June 21-23
Port Renfrew, $130-$160
talltreemusicfestival.com