Beavercreek Park, Kerry, MB |  August 23-25
Big names: n/a
Local talent: Dust Adam Dust, Kayla Luky
$25 advance at Music Trader
(full festival and camping for the weekend)
$30 at the gate
Free parking
shineonfestivalofmusicandart.com

Held in the heart of the Sandilands Forest, the Shine On Festival of Music and Art has been going strong since 2005 as a laid-back yet experimental music festival. It’s got more than music though, there’s also acroyoga, belly dancing and massage circles. Another cool thing that this writer has never seen at a festival is a dance floor (because when there’s music you wanna dance, but you don’t wanna step on bugs and rocks and ew and ouch).

Here’s a quick pick list of the top five acts to look for at this made in Manitoba festival:

Dust Adam Dust
Featuring members of Chorus of Thieves, The Dead Letters, Mahogany Frog and Feed the Birds, this is the perfect act for a festival setting, as it blends brilliant pop hooks and harmonies with the most twisted psychedelic rock this side of Burning Man. Check out dustadamdust.bandcamp.com to hear the band’s 2011 LP and a brand new, 16 minute demo.

Kayla Luky
Grandview’s shiniest star, this singer/songwriter worked with members of The Deep Dark Woods, Fire & Smoke and The Bravest Ghost on her most recent disc, 2011’s The Time it Takes, which Stylus Magazine called “a crisp, twangy prairie affair.”

Mahogany Frog
Psych rock is alive and well in Winnipeg thanks to Mahogany Frog’s warped instrumental world. One can only imagine what type of weirdness will happen when these guys put on a show in the woods.

Until Red
Brandon’s favourite handsome young men can also play a lick or two, with the Brandon Sun calling them “a testament to the amazing young musical talent emerging from the garages and basements of this city.” The pop/rock quartet has already logged time at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Canada Day in Riding Mountain National Park, and Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa, so you know the radio ready tunes are a good time at a festival.

Keiran West & His Buffalo Band
A staple of the Rose n Bee Pub, Keiran West’s debut EP will be coming soon from I’m Trying Records. If you’re familiar at all with Zoppa, Little House or Naysa then you’ll wanna check out these buffalo buddies - the band consists of members of those gangs and a few other kids to round things out.

Part of the series: Summer Festival Guide 2013

Published in Volume 67, Number 27 of The Uniter (July 17, 2013)