Harvest Music Fest cancelled Saturday programming due to Hurricane Lee hitting New Brunswick last weekend.
Two days before the big day, on Sept. 14, bands and singers received confirmation that all free programming on Saturday had been cancelled. The next day, Harvest announced that “all official Harvest programming on Saturday night is cancelled,” offering those who purchased a Saturday pass the option of a full refund or donation of the ticket value to the festival.
“The biggest thing about Harvest is it’s giving us a new audience that may not hear us throughout the year,” said Don Bosse, the drummer of Don Bosse Quartet, one of the bands whose concert got canceled.
Bosse’s band is a local delight that has been playing jazz for 25 years. While they are well-known in the Fredericton music scene, Harvest is a great opportunity to expand their reach.
Bosse was looking forward to the audience at Harvest, which can be a “motivating factor” as they give them the energy to be more exciting and creative.
Marc Colecchio, singer and songwriter of La Patente, said the band was looking forward to Stingrays’ Rising Star Competition. The winning musician or band earns a cash prize and assistance to promote their music in Canada and a foreign marketplace.
“The exposure would’ve been incredible,” said Marc Colecchio.“We don’t live in Fredericton and we don’t get to play that often there.”
He said the band plays French music with a mix of rock, folk, country and punk. He added they are trying to get into the anglophone scene because he believes “music doesn’t have a language; it’s universal.”
Although Saturday shows didn’t end up as expected, the bands remain optimistic for next year.
“We didn’t get the chance to play. It’s okay,” said Colecchio.“Next year.”
