Victoria is known for its connection to the queenB次元官网网址檚 country, but at home many locals arenB次元官网网址檛 aware of our international reputation in a community borne from Caribbean culture.

Next to the cherry red double decker tour buses winding through local roadways, two brightly-painted Ska Fest vans hint at VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 bond with ska B次元官网网址� the precursor to rocksteady and reggae that originated in Jamaica in the 1950s and influence on popular music today.

July 10 to 14, the Victoria B.C. Ska Society presents the 13th annual Ska Festival B次元官网网址� an event that forged ties between lovers of the genre in Victoria with their counterparts around the world in Latin America, Europe and the U.S.

B次元官网网址淚t has really connected us with a lot of people and brought us close to cultures outside of our own,B次元官网网址� said Dane Roberts, founder of the festival and artistic director of the Victoria B.C. Ska Society, who has picked up basic Spanish skills through his role. B次元官网网址淭his music is giving us connections with all these cultures abroad.B次元官网网址�

Roberts, a Mount Douglas secondary school grad, orchestrated the first Ska Festival for his final work term project as a student of leisure studies administration at Dalhousie University in Halifax. It began during the height of third wave ska and put Victoria on the map as a hub for artists of the genre. The societyB次元官网网址檚 efforts were buoyed by the rise of social networking via Myspace.

B次元官网网址淚t was huge. All of a sudden it exposed us to other bands from other countries that had the same passion and taste for the music and we were surprised how many of them were interested in coming here despite the fact that we werenB次元官网网址檛 a big budget festival.B次元官网网址�

Venetian Califfo de Luxe was one of the first international acts to support the event. That same year bands also came from Germany and Jamaica. Musicians continued to join the festival from the United States, Mexico, Columbia and Europe, often for little reward outside of a place to stay, and the experience.

Local five-piece fave Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra started covering festival headliners Toots and the Maytals and were given an early break by Roberts, who scheduled them to play a Ska Fest after party in 2006. Now touring on the eve of a full-length studio album release this fall, Tequila Mockingbird returns to join the lineup along with the legends.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of support from the festival and from (Roberts) as a person to the local music scene. And you get a lot of diverse groups from Victoria playing alongside the worldB次元官网网址檚 best ska bands,B次元官网网址� said Peter Mynett, vocalist and stand up bass player for the band. B次元官网网址淰ictoria has really seen us grow up.B次元官网网址�

Support for the festival has come from all levels, from a reinstated B.C. gaming grant to the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, which in 2010 flew Roberts to Columbia to participate in the Invest and Inspire music conference, where he met musicians that later made the Ska Fest lineup.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 about sharing. People want to share their culture, their message, their experience,B次元官网网址� Roberts said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know of any ska scene thatB次元官网网址檚 as strong as ours anywhere throughout Canada. It is quite a phenomenon.B次元官网网址�

Last year Ska Fest drew 10,000 people to a mix of all ages, free and ticketed club shows across town. With headliners that also include Katchafire, The Pietasters, Leroy B次元官网网址淗eptoneB次元官网网址� Sibbles and Adham Shaikh on the bill, as well as three free shows downtown, workshops and art from The Rocksteady Collective, that number is likely to grow.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not the biggest festival, but itB次元官网网址檚 big enough for us and itB次元官网网址檚 fun,B次元官网网址� Roberts added.

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