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Music Talks festival takes over Memorial Peace Park this weekend

The 2-day live music event is said to have nearly 100 local artists performing

Today, Maple Ridge held the first half of a new two-day music festival that was announced earlier this year.

Music Talks is a festival created in part with a $250,000 grant from the B.C. government that was said to have roughly 100 local artists performing across two different stages set up in Memorial Peace Park.

The festival began at approximately 11 a.m. with a performance from two musicians, who serenaded a small audience near the bandstand with their guitar and violin instrumentals.

At noon, Glow Motive, a two-person band consisting of Anjalica Solomon and Oceaan Pendharkar, took the main stage in front of The ACT.

They performed three original songs to a scattered group of nearby attendees, before leaving the stage and later being replaced by Katzie members who gave a short speech followed by one of their traditional songs.

“These events are helping bring together the community,” said Solomon. “I mean, I’ve never even been to Maple Ridge before this and I’ve lived in Vancouver my whole life.”

Solomon and Pendharkar went on to explain that the trip into Maple Ridge was a long one, but was necessary in order to promote themselves as much as possible ahead of their upcoming spring release of singles, which they say they’ve been working on since the start of the pandemic.

The list of other artists included in the festival has yet to be announced, but previous coverage from The News revealed that HB Wild and Che Aimee Dorval are expected to perform at some point.

READ MORE: New music festival this weekend in Maple Ridge

Glow Motive also revealed that Vancouver-based singer and pianist Tamami Maitland would be performing at the festival as well.

Helping to keep this festival running smoothly was a large collection of volunteers, many of which were members of Hope for Freedom Society, a faith-based recovery program operating throughout the Tri-Cities and the rest of Metro Vancouver.

Two of these volunteers, Jamii Gilbert and Duncan McColl, said that festivals like Music Talks are good for creating a sense of community after COVID-19.

“I look forward to getting out and giving back to the community that has given me so much,” said McColl.

“It feels good to be a part of something like this,” agreed Gilbert.

Gilbert and McColl revealed that all 27 members of their local branch of Hope for Freedom were involved in the festival as volunteers, working both days in four-hour shifts.

Attending the event is free, and visitors are able to enjoy a selection of food trucks, artisan vendors, and prize giveaways in addition to the selection of live music. The festival is scheduled to operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 10-11) and will include a job fair inside of The ACT that will feature music, film, and entertainment industry job opportunities.

RELATED: Classic rock festival will be back in Maple Ridge next year


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Brandon Tucker

About the Author: Brandon Tucker

I have been a journalist since 2013, with much of my career spent covering sports and entertainment stories in Alberta.
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