Musicians collaborate for charity at Everybody Loves Everybody festival
Photo courtesy of Zach Raynor
ZACH RAYNOR, A University of Ottawa student and member of the band The Lionyls, wants to bring local young musicians together in a collaborative atmosphere.
At 5 p.m. on Sept. 20 on Tabaret lawn, the ELE Music festival will feature local artists, many of them U of O students.
“ELE stands for Everybody Love Everybody,” Raynor said. “It’s a little ‘70s and it’s a little corny, but that really is the type of energy that we’re trying to bring to the table.”
Finding it difficult to bridge the gap between club gigs and professional music festivals without having a competitive atmosphere, Raynor, Sean Callaghan, and Gillian Gallant decided to create their own festival.
They put out a call for local artists on Facebook and local music blogs, knowing that there is a wealth of untapped talent in Ottawa.
“There have been at least three occasions where I see another band play and I want to leave after the first song because I’m so jealous of how good they are,” Raynor said. “I want to go home and work on my own craft.”
The organizers found that initially they didn’t receive many responses to their call for artists and bands were hesitant to commit to the new project.
“We had to go out actively looking for bands,” Raynor said. “Sean, Gillian, and I would go to shows and we would watch to find who really would fit the bill; who was young, who was driven, whose music had a good message.”
The ELE Festival is made possible with support from the U of O’s Community Life Services who provide the stage, lighting, and sound, which allows the organizers to provide free admission.
Although the tickets are free, the proceeds from food, merchandise, and donations will go to Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Support Programs, a local non-profit that provides support for young cancer patients and their families.
The performances will have artists of different genres collaborating on stage. StillNative, one of the bands playing at the festival wrote two songs they will be performing with Atherton, a hip-hop artist.
“Really dirty, dirty, dirty grooves, dirty beats, heavy guitar riffs,” said Patrick Steele of StillNative about the new songs.
“I think it’s going to be fun and it’s for charity,” he continued. “It’s a good cause and that’s really cool. I like that.”
Between fostering a collaborative atmosphere and raising money for a local charity, the event should be yet another solid, low-cost evening on campus this fall.
