Jamie Bowman Special to Black Press

No one does it like Cumberland Wild.

Fresh musical ideas, pushing boundaries, making it intimate, keeping it uncrowded, flamboyant. All that it is.

Try female-forward hip-hop. Or an Indigenous drag queen comedienne, hosting and MCing the Saturday line-up.

B次元官网网址淪ocial justice is important to us,B次元官网网址� says Wild co-producer Avigdor Schulman. B次元官网网址淪o weB次元官网网址檙e showcasing artists who donB次元官网网址檛 fall into mainstream stereotypes, and those less considered.B次元官网网址�

Schulman is also well aware of the music industryB次元官网网址檚 notoriety for being far too full of B次元官网网址渁ll-male, heterosexual performers and crew.B次元官网网址� So, to tip the scale back toward gender equity, the Wild chose to make its whole Saturday program full of B次元官网网址渘on-binary and female-forwardB次元官网网址� acts.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a point of pride for Schulman that Kinnie Starr, Indigenous Juno-awarded artist and producer, recently wrote him a letter about the festivalB次元官网网址檚 choices. B次元官网网址淪he said she was amazed that weB次元官网网址檇 hired Indigenous, international, rainbow artists.B次元官网网址�

In choosing performers, Schulman says their music B次元官网网址渉as to be something that turns my ear.B次元官网网址�

But itB次元官网网址檚 more than that. They are clearly a reflection of the organizersB次元官网网址� own values, to reject the standard, the ordinary, the tried-and-true, racism, sexism, gender roles and all such narrow thinking. Instead, itB次元官网网址檚 love and positivity wrapped in creative genius.

When Ella Lamoureux takes to the Wild stage, it will be the first time any local festival has featured an Indigenous drag queen.

B次元官网网址淚t could ruffle a few feathers, but let them be ruffled,B次元官网网址� said Schulman.

Likewise, Cartel Madras is an act also known to push boundaries. Hip-hop sisters originally from India, pushing back against gender expectations, they are far from the ordinary.

B次元官网网址淲e want to acknowledge the inequities in the system, to showcase artists who speak to that,B次元官网网址� Schulman says. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 have to talk about their social values, they will.B次元官网网址�

How does that square with Cumberland WildB次元官网网址檚 rep as highly family-friendly, with a huge kidsB次元官网网址� area and a bouncy-castle zone?

B次元官网网址淧arents will explain to their children how everyone is different, and thatB次元官网网址檚 OK. In fact, itB次元官网网址檚 healthy for kids to know that,B次元官网网址� Schulman says. B次元官网网址淲e were one of the first to cater to and speak to that.B次元官网网址�

This yearB次元官网网址檚 version of Cumberland Wild is a more boutique, intimate festival. So, instead of selling thousands of tickets, this year the stage area will be limited to 600 ticket holders. Instead of drawing festival-goers from all over the region, the Wild organizers have been focused on the Comox Valley, particularly Cumberland, a village of only 4,500, but renowned for its attention to music culture.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not looking for people coming from Vancouver and Victoria. We really like to have an event tuned to this community.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淟ive PA is one of my favourite genres now,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎rtists who compose all the parts of their music, record them and then invite live musicians to play with them. This year (at CW), thatB次元官网网址檚 Manic Focus.B次元官网网址�

The musical menu features a different flavour line for each of the two days, plus the all-night B次元官网网址榮ilentB次元官网网址� (read rented headphones) disco. As such, Cumberland Wild this year is three concerts in one weekend. Music fans can buy all three or drop in for one or two.

Schulman and co-producer Ben Howells blend their connections and talents.

B次元官网网址淏enB次元官网网址檚 strength is with the electronic world B次元官网网址� he has a wealth of knowledge about EDM B次元官网网址� and I have more of a roster of live bands. Agents and artists approach Ben on the electronic side and the live acts approach me.B次元官网网址�

All the tech effects

Cumberland Village Works festivals were the first in the Comox Valley to introduce large production screens, projectors, and lasers, and Cumberland Wild is no exception.

B次元官网网址淭hat was all coming from EDM,B次元官网网址� says Schulman. B次元官网网址淚t appeals to us as producers.B次元官网网址�

Over the years, the organizers have paid particular attention to excellence in sound quality, especially the bottom end.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e hired sound companies who specialize in being very bass-heavy. Now we have a line of subs along the front of the stage.B次元官网网址�

RSC Sound, which also did the CVW Pachena Bay festival July 14-15, B次元官网网址渁re amazing,B次元官网网址� he says.

With a festival filled with both live acts and DJs, B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 easier to have a bass system accommodate acoustic or live acts, than it is the other way around.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭his is the only festival I know that is made up of three distinct concerts,B次元官网网址� said Schulman. B次元官网网址淔or example a lot of people might get a ticket to just Saturday or just Sunday or just the all-night silent disco. WeB次元官网网址檝e curated each to be its own show and style.B次元官网网址�

Cumberland a perfect fit

The art and cultural scene in Cumberland are why Schuman and Howell have chosen to continue hosting festivals there, he says.

B次元官网网址淐umberland is a youth-based demographic. Young families move here because of the festivals, the music and the mountain biking. Cumberland Wild is in the middle of the village. Arts and culture bring more people here than any other community on Vancouver Island.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he younger people who moved here a decade ago now have children, so the festival has responded by morphing to more of a family event.B次元官网网址�

Cumberland Wild was the first festival on Vancouver Island, in 2018, to have an all-ages site-wide liquor licence.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a family vibe and it mitigates drinking because when you have your five-year-old beside you, youB次元官网网址檙e going to be more responsible about your drinking,B次元官网网址� he says.

Since then, more local events have secured site-wide licences, such as Woodstove Festival, Foggy Mountain Fall Fair and Filberg Festival.

Schulman says that not only has the Wild embraced Cumberland, but B次元官网网址渢he community also embraces the festival. Artists stay in the hostel, people go to the restaurants in town, and we get a lot of sponsorships from local businesses. The Cumberland Brewing Company sponsors the CW bar, the Waverley, Biblio Taco and Riders Pizza provide meals for the performing artists, and the Waverley puts the artists upstairs in their guest rooms.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really about community engagement here. WeB次元官网网址檝e been adopted by the community.B次元官网网址�

Saturday night, the festival goes silent B次元官网网址� at least for anyone not equipped with headphones streaming CW DJs.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so unique that we have 600 to 800 people, all with headsets on, and all you can hear of them is the dancing of their feet,B次元官网网址� Schulman says. B次元官网网址淭he neighbours of the festival are very appreciative of that.B次元官网网址�

While the organizers have tried out different styles over the years, itB次元官网网址檚 been B次元官网网址渁n evolution to what we have now. We havenB次元官网网址檛 changed focus; weB次元官网网址檝e refined. The young and the young-at-heart crowd.B次元官网网址�

Tickets and more information are available at c.