Festival Season, Pt. 1 - Mariposa Folk Fest & Riverfest Elora

Is there anything better than listening to your favourite band while sitting outside in the sun with friends, family, and fellow music-lovers? Very few experiences can top the feeling you get from soaking up fresh air and soundwaves simultaneously. So, as summer approaches, we bring you "Festival Season" - a special 3-part series on music festivals.  Music festivals appear to pop up out of nowhere - in a city park, in the green space beside a lake, or on a farm next to a river. All of a sudden, a field becomes a dance floor for a main stage; or a leafy forest grove transforms into an intimate music workshop. It seems instantaneous, but a festival takes months—and sometimes years—to plan and produce. Staff and volunteers work tirelessly to bring music fans the most entertaining, uplifting, safe, and memorable experience possible. In this series, we talk to a few of the wonderful people that work around the clock to bring us these magical events.  Part 1 - SPENCER SHEWEN: Mariposa Folk Music Festival & Riverfest Elora Spencer is the Artistic Director of both the Mariposa Folk Festival and Riverfest Elora.  Throughout his many years working with music festivals, he"s learned that producing a successful music festival is a juggling act, a game of strategy, and an endurance test. But the payoff is big and joyous and filled with amazing music and good times! In this conversation, Spencer talks about his experience with both festivals, some of the artists that he"s excited about presenting this year, and how a cardboard Tony Danza ended up touring with The Beaches rock band. Festival Info: Mariposa Folk Festival (July 5-7, 2024): mariposafolkfestival.com Riverfest Elora (Aug 16-18, 2024): riverfestelora.com Music samples in this episode: "My Heart is A Blinking Nintendo" - BA Johnston (My Heart is A Blinking Nintendo, 2010) "Summer Side of Life" - Gordon Lightfoot (Summer Side of Life, 1971) "40 Years in the Wilderness" - Bruce Cockburn (Bone on Bone, 2017) "Critterland" - Willi Carlisle (Critterland, 2024) "Traveller"s Curse" - Ben Caplan (Old Stock, 2018) "Working on My Tan" - Alex Nicol (Been A Long Year, Vol. 2, 2023) Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the pod with a donation. Any amount helps! MUSIC BUDDY IS: Jane Gowan (host, producer, editor) Tim Vesely (co-producer) Michael Deibert (admin & production assistant) The show"s theme song, "Human Stuff," is written by Jane Gowan and Tim Vesely, and performed by Jane and Tim, with additional vocals by Steve Wright and Connie Kostiuk STAY IN TOUCH Email: jane@musicbuddy.ca Instagram: @musicbuddypodcast Facebook: @musicbuddypodcast Twitter: @janegowan TikTok: @musicbuddypod This podcast is brought to you by Morning Run Productions.