A new, low-key Revelstoke-style music festival has been announced for September 17 at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

Ember Music Festival will be small, locally focused festival that celebrates the transition from summer to fall. It will be held at RMR’s natural amphitheatre Revelation Meadows, next to Revelation Lodge.

“It’s really pretty, you get better views of the sunsets, just being up a little higher,” RMR’s marketing manager Nico Leenders said.

“Ember Music Festival is really themed around the idea that these are the dying days of summer — we’re trying to create a local vibe.”

The event announcement follows the cancellation of the Axis Mundi Festival at the start of this year. Their fall festival Harvest suffered an onslaught of bad weather throughout the event week. It culminated in rain at the main evening show at the meadows, which turned the venue into a giant mud pit. Financial losses from the festival caused the second instalment in the spring 2016 to be cancelled. Axis Mundi was backed by the Revelstoke Accommodation Association and others, and aimed to bring visitors to Revelstoke during the spring and fall shoulder seasons.

Although Ember will also be held captive to the weather conditions on the day, more gravel has been installed at the venue and Leenders said it will turn out differently.

“We still think there is an opportunity there and we expect it will be beautiful and sunny,” Leenders said.

If not, the event can be moved indoors.

Band Bend Sinister will headline the Ember Music Festival in Revelstoke. Photo: publicity shot

Ember’s band line-up has Vancouver-based Bend Sinister as headliner. Other bands are The Royal Foundry, Scenic Route to Alaska and Revelstoke favourite Devon Coyote.

The music festival will be family friendly and alcohol will be available in a beer garden. There will be food and craft vendors, which the resort is currently calling out for those interested to get involved.

Early bird tickets are $24 adults and $19 for kids and seniors. They go up a week before the event on September 11 to $29 for adults and $21 for kids and senior.

“The whole idea is we want to get people in early, and have something in cool to do in the fall,” Leenders said. “We’re trying to get a bit more a festival atmosphere.”

The event runs from 2–8 p.m. with guests transported via the Revelation Gondola.

Line-Up

Headliner – Bend Sinister

Successful rock ‘n’ Roll band from Vancouver has been going strong since 2001. Their latest acclaimed album Animals has reached top 75 on the CMJ charts, top 10 on the Canadian Earshot charts, and number 1 on CBC 3.

The Royal Foundry

What started as a folk duo quickly evolved, with international exposure of All We Have (watch below), they knew they were onto something special and went into a full throttle alt-pop quartet.

Their latest “Running Away” has been featured on TSN, NPR, BBC and CBC and reached #23 on the Canadian Alt-Rock Charts.

Scenic Route to Alaska

The easygoing Edmonton-based trio, comprised of Trevor Mann on lead vocals and guitar, drummer Shea Connor, and bassist Murray Wood, effortlessly weaves catchy vocals and memorable melodies through rich arrangements.

It’s a coveted combination within the crowded sphere of indie rock – and one that’s rarely the product of anything but time, talent, and heaps of hard work.

In early 2016, the band entered Monarch Studios in Vancouver with Howard Redekopp (Tegan & Sara, The New Pornographers) to cut the 11 tracks comprising Long Walk Home, their latest LP.

Devon Coyote

Known well around Revelstoke, Devon Coyote encompasses a vast musical project that has grown to be a snarling, pure and powerful sound.

With the sincere songwriting and melodic guitars of Devon Bjarnason, the smooth and sultry bass lines of D’Arcy Booth, and the raw, animalistic drumming of Rod Anderson, this group has crossed musical boundaries to create an original and genuine, high-energy experience.