SappyFest is an annual independent arts and music festival held in
Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville is a former town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It held town status prior to 2023 and is now part of the town of Tantramar, New Brunswick, Tantramar.
Sackville is home to Mount Allison University, a primarily undergraduate libe ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Started by Paul Henderson, Jon Claytor, and musician Julie Doiron as an extension of Sappy Records, the festival launched 2006.
The festival is produced by Sappy Records in partnership with OK.Quoi?! Contemporary Arts Festival, Struts Gallery, and the Faucet Media Arts Centre. SappyFest draws musicians and audience members alike from across the continent. Many Sackville residents volunteer their time to SappyFest, either by billeting visitors, working security, taking tickets, or taking on a slew of other tasks. Steven Lambke served as Creative Director of Sappyfest, from 2017 to 2021. Andrea Vincent is the current Creative Director of Sappyfest, succeeding Steve Lambke in February 2022.
Miracle Fortress
Miracle Fortress is a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. The band's studio work is primarily a solo, project of songwriter Graham Van Pelt, who is accompanied by the rest of the band during live shows.
Band history
Van Pelt, a m ...
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers are an American folk rock/country rock band from New York.Bumgardner, Ed, 8 November 2007'Music Notes: Felice Brothers are earthy, their music visceralRelish Now!''.
History
Originally from Palenville in the Catskill Mo ...
, Holy Fuck, and Gentleman Reg. On Sunday, Halifax band Sloan performed unannounced at the mainstage tent. The setlist included their album '' Twice Removed'' in its entirety, a first for the band.
2011
The lineup for the Sappyfest in 2011 included Rich Aucoin,
Grimes
Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...
Arcade Fire
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, performing under the decoy name Shark Attack.
2012
Headliners included
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
In 2013, the festival ran a conference on presenting small music festivals in rural contexts, called "Why Nowhere?". The music line-up that year included the Joel Plaskett Emergency, Chad VanGaalen,
SappyFest X was temporarily relocated to York Street due to a major reconstruction of its usual home on Bridge Street. Performers included
Angel Olsen
Angel Olsen (born Angelina Marie Carroll; January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
To date, Olsen has released six studio albums: ''Half Way Home'' (2012), ''Burn Your F ...
Shotgun Jimmie
Jimmie Kilpatrick, formerly known as Shotgun Jimmie is the stage name of Jim Kilpatrick, a Canadians, Canadian singer-songwriter.Jennifer Castle
Century Egg
Century eggs (), also known as alkalized or preserved eggs, are a Chinese dish made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the pr ...
Lido Pimienta
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Jeremy Dutcher
Jeremy Dutcher is a classically trained Canadian Indigenous tenor, composer, musicologist, performer and activist, who previously lived in Toronto, Ontario and currently lives in Montréal, Québec. He became widely known for his first album '' W ...
SappyFest 14 was held August 2–4, 2019. This years lineup included: Alumette,
Aquakultre
Aquakultre is a Canadian soul and R&B musical project from Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose core member is singer and rapper Lance Sampson. Formed in 2015, they are most noted for their album ''Legacy'', which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Po ...
, Apollo Ghosts, Barnacle, Cruising & Searing, Deliluh, Diamondtown, Fet.Nat, Flour, Gianna Lauren, Haviah Mighty, Janowskii, José Contreras, Joyfultalk, Juice Girls, Julie Aubé, Julie Doiron, Lal, Lillia, Liz Brain X Doug, Lo Siento, Mauno, Motherhood, Nyssa, Positive Body Language, Papal Visit,
Shotgun Jimmie
Jimmie Kilpatrick, formerly known as Shotgun Jimmie is the stage name of Jim Kilpatrick, a Canadians, Canadian singer-songwriter.Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Snotty Nose Rez Kids are a First Nations hip hop duo composed of Haisla rappers Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce. They are originally from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. Their 2017 album '' The Average Savage'' was shortl ...
For SappyFest 15, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, a scheduled
livestream
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming media, streaming of video or Digital audio, audio in real-time communication, real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature ...
was held instead of in-person live performances. Titled "SappyFest: Near And Far", it was held on July 29 - Aug 1, 2020. The 2020 lineup included: Ariel Sharratt and Mathias Kom, Bart Vautour, Colleen Collins, Emma Healey, Egyptian Cotton Arkestra, Geordie Miller, Hélène Barbier, Jennah Barry, Jon McKiel, Julie Doiron, Kate Miller, Kawama Kasutu, Klarkam Weinwurm, Kwento, Lavender Bruises, Laura Watson, Marilyn Lerch,
Lido Pimienta
Lido Pimienta (born 1986) is a Colombian Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence after her 2016 album, '' La Papessa'', won the 2017 Polaris Music Prize.Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Sue Goyette, USSE, and Wares.
2021
SappyFest 16, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, scheduled a livestream performance titled "SappyFest: Infinite Variety", instead of in-person performances, and broadcast live from Struts Gallery, on July 30–31, 2021. The 2021 lineup included Amy Siegel, Ariel Sharratt & Mathias Kom, Erin Bardua, Black Dimes, Brandon Hicks, Brian Neilson, Bucky Buckler, Caged Animals, Century Egg, Chris Meaney, Cluttered, Elm & Ampersand, G.L.A.M. Bats, Marilyn Lerch & Geordie Miller, Izzy Francolini & Desdemona Shaw, Jerry Ropson, Jeska Grue, John Kilpatrick, Jon McKiel, Julie Doiron, Klarka Weinwurm, Laura Watson, Lucy Koshan, Marissa Sean Cruz, Olivia McNair, Phil Mercier, Rachel M Thornton, Rebecca Blankert, Sarah Wendt & Pascal Dufaux, Theo Crocker, Wandarian, Tori Weldon and Wolf Castle.
2022
SappyFest 17 is scheduled to take place during July 29–31, 2022. The festival is currently looking for submissions.
References
;Citations
*Weston, Greg. Times and Transcript. Early tourism numbers promising; Season shows early signs of growth as NBers stay close to home. (Moncton) Wed Jun 17, 2009. Page: A9