Brown’s Mountain is one of those places that you can’t really describe with words. Overlooking the gorgeous views of Port Renfrew, nestled high in the clouds is Vancouver Island’s premiere boutique festival, Tall Tree. The (not so) little festival, taking place June 23 – 26th, 2017 and now on it’s 8th installment, grew from an intimate gathering to the sprawling event we know now. Tall Tree spans 4 stages, 70+ artists ranging from world beats, ska, hip hop, EDM, and of course, the alternative rock sound that the festival was founded on. This year is set to be one of the biggest years yet, bringing in talent from all over the world to come grace our beautiful island with next level sounds. All of this, in one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen? Count us in!
The Festival Run Down!
At the end of 2016, festival organizers asked the Tall Tree Festival community what they would like to see from the event as far as booking talent was concerned. Overwhelmingly, people informed Tall Tree that they enjoyed the strong Canadian lineup, but however, wanted to see some higher tier acts they may not be regularly exposed to.
“So we listened,” comments Mike Hann, Festival Director. “This year we are happy to say that we have talent originating from 7 different countries. The artists that are coming to Tall Tree in 2017 are billed on festivals worldwide, not just in Canada. We couldn’t be more excited for them to come and experience everything that is amazing about Vancouver Island and Tall Tree!”
Music
Now, the views are spectacular, the history is amazing, and the festival is rad. But, we seem to be forgetting the most important part, the music! This year the team brought forward some of the best and brightest from around the world to showcase on their 4 unique stages.
Some notable international acts include:
Shapeshifter (New Zealand): With a significant amount of towering achievements — record-breaking New Zealand tours, scene-setting appearances at festivals like Glastonbury and Parklife, sold-out performances across Europe, worlds-colliding collaborations with Symphony Orchestras, multiple music awards, four EPs and five LPs (three with platinum sales), and an army of fans who return to relive the experience time and time again — it is no wonder Shapeshifter is on this lineup.
GoldFish (South Africa): Their genre-defying mix of live instruments, house beats, and searing live performances made Goldfish go from impromptu jams at a tiny beach club in Cape Town to headlining Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium. GoldFish’s list of accomplishments include, cracking a top 10 spot on the US iTunes Dance chart, a residency at Pacha Ibiza with David Guetta, and DJ’s like Fedde le Grand knocking at their door to remix their tracks. It’s almost hard to believe that not very long ago they were just Dom and Dave, two music students living a relatively relaxing life surfing and playing music in their hometown Cape Town.
Beats Antique (USA): Celebrating its tenth anniversary with its tenth studio release, the Bay Area’s wildly innovative performance dynamo Beats Antique emerges from the studio with a stage show to mark the milestone. With legendary sets at some of the most iconic venues and festivals around the world, and collaborations with superstars from Les Claypool to Bassnectar, the next chapter in the trio’s story takes them back to a mysterious world.
Easy Star All-Stars (USA): The Easy Star All-Stars have established themselves as one of the top international reggae acts since their live debut in 2003. Thanks to their best-selling tribute album releases — Dub Side of the Moon (2003), Radiodread (2006), Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (2009), Dubber Side of the Moon (2010), and Easy Star’s Thrillah (2012), as well as original albums First Light (2011) and Until That Day (2008) — the Easy Star All-Stars have built a growing, dedicated fan base throughout the world, bringing together fans of reggae, classic rock, dub, and indie rock into one big family. Since 2009, the All-Stars have played over 350 shows in over 30 different countries on 6 different continents, truly establishing themselves as one of the top reggae touring acts in the world.
DJ Nu-Mark (USA): This long-standing DJ & producer is a founding member of Jurassic 5, as well as the owner of Hot Plate Records. He has collaborated with and produced for a variety of artists across different genres, including J-Live, Aloe Blacc, Charles Bradley, and Bumpy Knuckles, among others. He’s also a voracious touring artist, blending hip hop, funk, and about a hundred other genres into his eclectic live sets. An absolute legend, we’re so fortunate to get his beats on our funky mountain!
Worthy (USA): As the label head of Anabatic Records and one of the four original members of the Dirtybird Crew, Worthy will be bringing his signature brand of chunky, driving tech house up to Brown’s Mountain for the first time; we could not be more excited! If you’ve caught a Dirtybird show, you know the type of high energy fun they bring to the stage, and we assume this will be no different.
The rest of the lineup is chock full of absolute stunners. Some acts include festival favourites Skiitour, Mat the Alien, Pigeon Hole, and Moontricks, along with Vancouver Island supergroup Illvis Freshly, Sleeveless Records founder Stylust Beats, and of course Tall Tree staple, Jesse Roper. Not to mention the massive presence of local DJs and bands, this is set to be the biggest year we’ve had on Brown’s Mountain yet.
Check out the full lineup video below!
There you have it: an incredible lineup in an indescribable location. Plus, let’s be honest here, all of your friends are probably going, so why shouldn’t you? Don’t let FOMO take you over, grab your tickets here. This has been a sell out for the last two years running, and we foresee this being year number three, so act fast to avoid disappointment!
Who are we going to see on Brown’s Mountain this year? Let us know in that comment section!
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