Interstellar Rodeo, which features festivals in both Edmonton and Winnipeg, is organized by Six Shooter Records. The label features musical acts from a variety of genres including roots, blues, rockabilly, as well as acts that defy musical categorization. A popular feature of the festival is the pairings of the main acts with wines that a professional sommelier feels reflect the sound of the specific artists. In fact, volunteers combed the audience with drink trays to entice wine lovers (although beer and ciders were also available).
In addition to the music, there were a number of food trucks offering food from the typical hot dogs to more fine fare like tacos wrapped in green onion cakes and braised lamp on lemon potatoes. The arts and crafts artisan area was under one big tent this year instead of out in the open, featuring jewelry, locally-designed clothing, artwork, and more. New this year as well was a graffiti wall with a local artist encouraging others to contribute to the creation being made along one of the fences.
While the weather did not always cooperate over the weekend, the audience proved to be resilient and most stuck it out through the periods of rain and even a few thunderstorms. This year, the Edmonton festival featured a number of esoteric acts that were lesser-known to the audience. However, the festival is very much a journey of musical discovery and there were definitely some surprises. Here is a look at just a few of the acts that graced the stage of the Hawrelark Park amphitheatre.
