Golden Hour festival

Mustang Drive-In scene of two-day music festival

The Golden Hour festival of Canadian music returns to the Mustang Drive-In on August 21 and 22 after a successful inaugural event in 2020. On Saturday night (August 21), local musician Annelise Noronha will open for iskwe and Tom Wilson followed by William Prince in a celebration of Indigenous musicians. On Sunday night there is more of a folk roots and indie vibe with Ten Kills the Pack, Hannah Georgas, and Donovan Woods and the Opposition. Tai Notar was one of the co-creators of the festival last year, and this year she is leading a team of talented women to put on the event. “Golden Hour was born during COVID-19, and last year drive-ins were one of the only places for live entertainment that the government had approved, so it made sense to hold it in a place that had been given a stamp for a safe event,” she said. “Drive-ins offer a safe opportunity to enjoy live entertainment and Dawn [Laing] and Drew [Downs] of the drivein are such a dream to work with.” Planning a live event in the midst of a pandemic is a huge undertaking, as contingency plans have to be built in almost from day one, and the situation can change with little to no warning. “Hosting large events is an uphill battle in itself, but hosting an event like this is almost a nightmare during a pandemic. In normal times we have two or three backup plans, and during COVID it changes daily, if not hourly, and there are so many unknown factors, so now we have to have a game plan with four or five pivots down the road should something happen. It’s definitely tough to plan something in a pandemic, but we’re solution-oriented, and we’re so happy to be able to provide a space for artists to perform and also to bring the industry back to life with jobs behind the scenes—so many people rely on this for their full-time careers.”

Notar and her team started planning this festival last October, with the aim of building upon the 2020 event and the lessons learned there. They set up key milestones that took into account where the province might be in terms of pandemic restrictions, whether there was an extended lockdown, a stay in Phase Two, or the current easing in Phase Three. The focal point for a festival like this is the choice of performing artists, and Golden Hour chose the theme of diversity. “One of Golden Hour’s main goals is to really showcase diversity, whether it be on stage or off stage, and this year we have a massive diversity of talent,” said Notar. “We are very proud to have a group of artists who are Indigenous or female-identifying, and we can’t wait for our guests to experience these truly amazing artists who are coming to the County.” The first evening features iskwe and Tom Wilson and William Prince. iskwe is a pop and electronic music singer-songwriter who draws upon her Cree and Métis ancestry to highlight the historical injustice faced by Indigenous people across Canada. She won a Juno award for the best music video in 2020 and has been long-listed for the Polaris Prize. Tom Wilson has been a decades-long fixture in the Canadian music scene, being a member of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings as well as performing under the name Lee Harvey Osmond. He was adopted as a child and only became aware of his Indigenous heritage as an adult, which he now honours through his writing, music and art. William Prince won the Western Canadian Music Award for Aboriginal Artist of the Year in 2016, was nominated and won a Juno award in 2017, and his song The Spark won the SOCAN Songwriting Prize in 2020. Sunday night’s show features Donovan Woods and the Opposition, Hannah Georgas, and Ten Kills the Pack. Donovan Woods released his first professional album in 2007, was a nominee for the Polaris Prize in 2016, and won the 2019 Juno for Contemporary Album of the Year. Hannah Georgas is a pop rock musician and was nominated for Juno awards in 2011 and 2013, and has toured internationally. Ten Kills the Pack is the alter-ego of singersongwriter Sean Sroka. His music is rife with social observation and self-reflection, and he is relatively new on the music scene with a debut album in 2019. Following her appearance on the Mustang stage last year, local musician and recording engineer Annelise Noronha will open the show on Saturday night.

The local connection is an important part of the Golden Hour festival, and this year they are supporting the County Food Hub, and have partnered with County FM as well as a number of local businesses such as Kaleidoscope, County Soda and Cressy Mustard. “We are using our voice to champion the local community and support local businesses whenever we can,” said Notar. Tickets for the festival are available at goldenhourfest.ca with a pricing structure designed to attract a diverse audience. The prices are per vehicle, with up to five occupants allowed. “We are so excited for people to see what we’ve created,” said Notar. “We hope to see everyone there to really enjoy this memorable and magical experience that we worked so hard to create.”