Festival season 2023 is here, and DOMINIONATED Contributor Matt Hertendy kicks off our coverage with who and what he’s looking forward to at Lawnya Vawnya 13.
For those of us in the more Eastern parts of the country, getting to St. John’s, Newfoundland is easier than it would seem. You may find a good deal on a flight from any major airport or rally your best friends and make a road trip from eastern Quebec, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia. If there is any time to do this, it would be June 7 to 10, when the Lawnya Vawnya Festival kicks off its thirteenth edition, adding some fantastic music and events to your itinerary of whale-watching and looking at those colourful houses.
Can’t Miss Headliners
Aquakulture, who appeared in our 2022 Favourite Fifty, will bring the party to Lawnya Vawnya 13 with the boisterous and infectious tunes from his latest album, Don’t Trip and more. Aquakulture is an east coast music icon, and we can’t wait to experience his big sound firsthand.
Bria brings her noir alt-country vibes behind the releases of Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 & 2. I was disappointed to have missed Bria last fall at Festival de musique émergente and am very excited to be able to catch the Orville Peck collaborator this time around.
Other terrific headlining acts we will surely catch include Regularfantasy, Bonnie Trash and dream-pop auteur Cecile Believe.
Hidden Gems
One of my favourite parts of travelling out of Toronto for a music festival is reporting back on terrific local or regional acts. Malawi-born, Newfoundland-based RnB songstress Thandi Marie’s debut track “Brand New” is a smooth and sophisticated track one would never believe it to be a debut. Thandi Marie should be on all of our radars.
HRT’s latest release is their live album LIVE/DREG, which for lack of better words, “goes hard”. If this is any indication of what we are in for, the Montreal-based transgender EBM duo’s show will be a glorious riot.
Other exciting regional must-sees include the whip-smart Greta and the Goldfish, the fuzzy and buzz Crossed Wires and the hauntingly soulful folk of Nico Paulo.
“DOMINIONATEDcore” at Lawnya Vawnya 13
We would be remiss to mention some acts that have appeared on our blog over the past few years. Talents such as Cedric Noel, Vince the Messenger and Wampums, the latter of which will also, when not rocking out, be teaching a workshop in First Nations Drumstick Making.
I could go on forever about the additional programming, including a talk by The Skin We’re In author Desmond Cole and a free online screening of Buffy St. Marie: Carry it On – but I will do that in my festival dispatches you can catch throughout the festival.
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