Interstellar Rodeo’s second year kicks off three days of wine, chillin’ and song

Opinion

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This article was published 10/08/2016 (3328 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It ain’t their first rodeo anymore.

With one successful year under its belt, the crew from Six Shooter Records is back to host the second edition of its wine and music festival, Interstellar Rodeo, which kicks off Friday, Aug. 12, at The Forks.

“Everything is coming along a lot smoother. We know what to expect in terms of planning, we know little tweaks that we have to make in order to set up properly and set up in time, and reduce some of the panic and chaos,” says Sara Stasiuk, the Winnipeg-based director of operations for the Toronto label.

While the site will essentially look the same, a few minor changes have been made to make the live-music experience better, including the addition of video screens that will make details clearer for those sitting on the hills or further back.

Stasiuk says the site will also be a bit larger, have more picnic tables and umbrellas, and shade and access to water are a top priority after last year’s steamy temperatures made things uncomfortable for some.

Largely, though, last year was deemed a success in the eyes of both attendees and organizers, as word of mouth helped bring in a lot of gate traffic throughout the weekend. On the Saturday, the night country act Dwight Yoakam headlined, Stasiuk says attendance maxed out at 4,000.

“I wish we had that level of awareness and marketing two weeks before the festival but, you know, it was the first year and it takes a while for word to get around,” she says. “There certainly was a vibe of, ‘Oh shoot, we missed out, we didn’t realize that we should make sure we don’t go to the cabin that weekend or that we should get our tickets.’ And that has actually translated to ticket sales this year, which is great.

“It makes us way more comfortable going in — it was a little uncertain how attendance would be last year and this year we’re expecting big crowds.

“We’ve sold more this year (pre-sale) than we had in total on site last year already,” she says. “So with the weather forecast, as long as it holds, ticket sales I suspect will be continue to be hot.”

Headlining the first night of the festival on Friday is Toronto-based singer-songwriter Serena Ryder, who is rocking a new look and a new record, Utopia, scheduled to be released in December. Utopia is the followup to Ryder’s incredibly successful fifth full-length, 2011’s Harmony, which featured singles Stompa (which appeared in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy) and What I Wouldn’t Do — two songs that catapulted her up the charts in both Canada and the United States.

While Ryder, 33, is hoping the momentum will continue with Utopia, she says she’s in no hurry to have another big break in the States.

“I would love to go as slow and steady and possible with this album — and with the rest of my life — because I feel like I’ve just been in a rush to get somewhere that I’m never gonna get, and that’s what Utopia means; it’s the journey,” she says.

She is, however, thrilled audiences all over the world have discovered her music through film and television, two form of media that have been strong influences in her life since she was a child.

“I love that,” she says with a spark of excitement. “I was raised on television, too, so my parents did an amazing job because I feel really great about myself, but I feel like technology and television helped a lot because I was able to relate to other people in a way that I couldn’t at home, because I needed a dream world to go live in, and that was TV for a long time. Movies, books, TV, art, imagination — I lived there.

“I still live there, just not all of the time.”

It’s evident during a quick, 15-minute phone conversation that Ryder experiences her emotions deeply and honestly; she’s well-spoken, candid and kind as she explains her relationship with family (“I don’t think everyone totally supports me, but I’m OK with that”) and religion (“I don’t identify as a Christian, I just identify as a human being that’s trying to figure out where I’m going”) and life.

This translates into her work, where she deploys those same linguistic skills to explore a “spectrum of three different kinds of songs.” Some, she says, are bright, light and dancey tracks, others tread in darker territory, embracing themes of jealousy and anger, and a few songs fall right in the middle.

The first single, Got Your Number, reflects the more light-hearted side of things, expressing the idea of self-empowerment and taking back control after a breakup. The acquisition and release of control is something Ryder is working on in a business sense, too, as she says she’s begun to allow others to help her with certain aspects of her career.

“I feel like I’ve tried to control everything around me so much in my career, and that’s a lot of weight to carry, especially when you’ve have a very successful career — you need a lot of help,” she says with a laugh.

“I find it to be a difficult journey to try and release things to people, yes, because I always feel like I’ve been alone in the world. That’s really profound for me, but also really strengthening me as well. Now that I know I’m not (alone), actually, I can release a little bit more.”

On the more personal side of things, Ryder is engaged, and has been working toward earning her high school diploma with the intention of going on to some form of post-secondary education. Science is now her passion (“I feel more like a scientist these days,” she says jokingly) with geography and math sparking particular interest, but she hasn’t written off the idea of studying something she already knows about, such as musicology.

On the whole, in life and in music, Ryder is content with her current path.

“For the first time in a long time, I would say that,” she says.

For the full festival schedule and lineup, as well as ticket information, visit interstellarrodeo.com/Winnipeg.

Interstellar lineup

FRIDAY, AUG. 12

4:30 p.m. — Gates open

5 p.m. — Blond(e) Goth

6 p.m. — The Strumbellas

7:25 pm Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

8:30 pm NQ Arbuckle

9:10 pm Serena Ryder

 

SATURDAY, AUG. 13

Noon — Gates open

1 p.m. — The Wet Secrets

2:15 p.m. — Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

3:10 p.m. — Leonard Sumner

3:50 p.m. — Skydiggers

5:15 p.m. — Fantastic Negrito

6:20 p.m. — Sykamore

7 p.m. —Margo Price

8:05 p.m. —Joe Nolan

8:50 p.m. — Wilco

 

SUNDAY, AUG. 14

Noon — Gates open

1 p.m. — Henry Wagons

2:15 p.m. — Sam Outlaw

3:10 p.m. — Begonia

3:50 p.m. — Wintersleep

5:15 p.m. — Lee Fields & The Expressions

6:20 p.m. — Henri Herbert

7 p.m. — Whitehorse

8:05 p.m. — Del Barber

9 p.m. — Case/Lang/Veirs

 

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel