INDIGENOUS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: Hampton Park, 224 Hampton Rd.
When: July 26-27
Admission: Free
A popular park in the Tillicum area, which is home to both the Gorge Soccer Association and Hampton Little League, will be home this weekend to a burgeoning music festival that is preparing to take the next step.
Jason Jones, a community programmer with the district of Saanich and the lead for many of the municipality’s music-related events, said the idea for the Indigenous Music Festival was brought to him four years ago by Dennis Johnston, who does sound and stage production for a variety of cultural events in the city, and rapper Brian Sampson of local hip-hop trio Paint the Town Red.
“The idea was to have members of the Indigenous community choose the artists,” Jones said of the Hampton Park event, now in its fourth year. “Brian and Dennis both agreed they are not administrative guys, they want to find the musicians and be part of that process. I was happy to help.”
The first attempt was a one-day, eight-hour event in 2021. The former IYAKT Music Festival was held in Saanich at Beckwith Park and Braefoot Park, before relocating to Hampton Park in 2023. Jones and Co. opted for a two-day format last year, which is when they noticed the crowds were getting bigger. “When we split it into two days, it worked way better,” Jones said.
“It has done really well as a two-day event — eight hours was a long time to be in the park. We saw our numbers climb last year.”
Johnston and Sampson have also broadened their artistic reach, and now look at showcasing Indigenous artists from across Vancouver Island. This year’s eclectic festival includes performances by A.N.S.W.E.R Drum Group, OTR (Off the Reservation), Gary Petterson, Paint the Town Red, and Myc Sharratt, a line-up whose genres range from folk to funk.
“We didn’t want to bring the same people back over and over again,” Johnston said.
A machinist, fabricator, welder, logger, and fisherman, by his own admission, Johnston built the stage on which the artists perform, partly out of necessity. “There was a need for one in this town,” he said. When he added soundman to his resume, his unique skillset made him invaluable resource for the festival.
“Now, I’m building my own speakers.”
Jones believes the Indigenous Music Festival, which this year includes an improved artisan market and more food vendors, strikes a unique balance, and appeals to people from a variety of cultures. “It’s not just for the Indigenous community, it’s for everybody to come and support Indigenous artists.”
The artistic directors of the festival occasionally get in on the action, too. Sampson’s group, Paint the Town Red, is a strong draw locally and remains one of the city’s top hip-hop outfits. Johnston, a saxophonist, is also performing at the festival, with his band OTR. He’s booking artists which push the movement forward, and he never loses sight of the ultimate goal — raising the profile of Indigenous artists in the community.
“I’m just trying to showcase our people,” he said.
Johnston, who grew up in Alert Bay, said the majority of events aimed at the Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island are entered around traditional dance and other cultural aspects, with Indigenous music often getting left out of the loop. This gave him the idea for the festival.
“When it comes to the music side, there was nothing for us. There are a lot of good musicians who are popping up, but they have nowhere to go.”
Previous performers include Auntie Katie & The Uncles of Funk and Garret T. Willie, who are established artists. Willie has since become too expensive for the festival, which is bound to be a recurring problem, Johnston said. Performance fees will always be the festival’s biggest obstacle, he added. “We need to get the artists before they get famous.”
Johnston has a vision for the festival that could push its appeal beyond the borders of Vancouver Island. His dream headliner would be Kashtin, the Juno-nominated Innu folk duo who hit it big in the early 1990s; if Johnston can find away to do so, he’ll make a bid for the acclaimed group to headline next year.
Despite the support of Saanich, he’s hoping to avoid funding being the big issue. Johnston said he’s planning to form a non-profit society through which he would produce the festival, with the intent of celebrating First Nations culture in and around Greater Victoria to a more substantial degree.
He vows to keep the events free to attend. Any profit the Indigenous Music Festival makes in the future, will be invested into the Indigenous community. “Any money we make, I want to donate it to kids or somewhere it’s needed,” Johnston said.
“I think we need need to do that, instead of just take, take, take. We need to give more. That’s our culture — it’s about giving. To me, that’s normal.”
