Getting the bands back together! Wapiti 2022
Renne of the Wapiti Marketing Committee interviews Artistic Director Chantel Vincent on how this lineup stacked up…
Renne: What was the inspiration for 2022’s lineup?
Chan: Well, let me tell you, this has been quite a ride. When 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, we had a lineup mostly booked. And it was a fantastic lineup because the 2020 year was our 10th anniversary. We wanted to splash out a little.
Anyway, pandemic happens, and I’m the one talking to agents and bands cancelling contracts and it was gut wrenching. It was a scary time in many ways. But for my job at Wapiti, it was heartbreaking to cancel bands with their future so unknown.
Fast forward to last fall, the Wapiti society agrees that 2022 feels doable and I get the green light to book bands.
The music committee and I decided that we should at least try and offer back the original lineup bands their spot back. One because it seemed like the right thing to do but also because we really liked that lineup!
So here we are, we got most bands back! That is great news I believe for all camps.
And circling back to the original theme for the 10th anniversary. We wanted to bring back some old standout favourites from over the years, we wanted to honour some local music and lastly get some new fresh faces and sounds on the stage.
Renne: After the pandemic, has the booking process changed?
Chan: Not really. It seemed like agents and bands were just ready to get back to business, back to what they are passionate about. Contract wise, fairly the same for me. I will note that, like everything, costs have gone up, so it was something to reasonably consider.
Renne: Where is the farthest band coming in from?
Chan: I believe The Sheepdogs, Zaki, My Son are all coming in from Toronto.
Renne: Who are you excited for?
Chan: Ooooo, ok, what I’m excited about is the flow. Haha, I know all the acts are top shelf, I’m just excited for this musical journey we are all in for when the schedule drops.
Renne: When does the schedule come out?
Chan: It wraps and becomes final in July usually. So just trust me, buy a weekend pass and strap in!
Renne: What is the weirdest request a band has ever made?
Chan: Nothing immediately sticks out, but I do remember one year there was a request that everything for this one person was kosher. I can tell you the green room took that to task and made absolute guarantees that all their requests were kosher. It was a learning experience!