Scott Roos
Special to the Herald
This past Saturday, Aug. 5, the third edition of MooseFest went down on the Bellevue Recreational Grounds. Featuring ten different artists, it was non-stop quality entertainment from start to finish and good vibes all around.
What makes this festival arguably a great one, is the familial nature amongst those involved. From the artists, the vendors, the audience, to the volunteers, there’s not just the common bond of the music itself, which is what has drawn people to the site, but also that spirit of togetherness.
It all comes down to the culture and community that festival organizers Mark Poppen and Joel Gaudet have worked so hard to build via The Sit Down Podcast, their work as hosts of the Capitol Open Stage in Saskatoon, or even just their attending of shows. The guys have become known and respected cheerleaders for Saskatchewan’s independent music scene.
“They really truly try to lift everyone up. If they’re giants, we’re standing on their shoulders,” MooseFest 2023 artist Kit Langfield told the Herald in a brief on site interview.
Langfield participated in the first edition of the Festival back in 2021. At the time, he had only been in Saskatchewan a handful of months and was just looking to play anywhere and any way he could. Poppen and Gaudet gave him a tweener slot. Although it was not exactly a career defining moment, it did give Langfield opportunity and exposure. In this day and age those are two very important things to provide to an independent artist.
Now performing at the third edition of MooseFest as a featured performer, Langfield’s sound and style has evolved. He’s done some soul searching and has honed his craft. He says he’s more comfortable on stage now and that’s helped him to engage his audiences more.
For this year’s festival he also enlisted the help of the Hafford based three piece The Brothers G. The guys proved to be a pretty solid back-up band for Langfield. He was pleased with his MooseFest set.
“Finding the right backup band can make all the difference in the world. I am only as good as those guys (The Brothers G) and they are the best. They elevate me to a place I wouldn’t be without them,” Langfield explained.
The uber talented The Brothers G had played a very entertaining set earlier in the day before taking the stage with Langfield. When they played on their own, they presented as a tight, southern rock imbibed three piece but are every bit as adaptable and dependable as Langfield makes them out to be.
Later on, as the sun went down over Bellevue, Saskatoon based alternative rock act Greenwing took the stage with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. They essentially never stopped moving and never stopped rocking. As frontman/guitarist Matt Stinn explains, it’s sort of the band’s calling card.
“We kind of have a band motto where we say ‘8/10 accuracy, 12/10 energy’,” Stinn told the Herald, “You can be a flawless band but if you’re not engaging and energetic no one’s gonna give a crap. I feel like Greenwing is a group of people who all really get that and push to have a fun energetic show every time we play. I think we did that tonight.”
All the bands and artists gave 110% from opener Cupid’s Heart to headliner, and Prince Albert expat Katelyn Lehner. The whole lineup was chock full of the quality acts that MooseFest has worked so hard to build and maintain through every edition of the festival.
Closing the evening out, this was Lehner’s first festival headlining slot and she delivered in spades. Her songs are catchy and fun. Her stage moves and banter have leveled up and it shows. She draws her audiences in with a vibrancy that is uniquely her own.
“Stage cardio is a whole other thing. I feel like my track and background has done me well and prepared me for that. I love to be moving around. I feel too weird if I stay in one spot for too long,” Lehner said in a brief interview after her set.
Lehner’s performance was chock full of her original tunes and a few very tasteful and surprising covers including a spot on rendition of Wolfmother’s rollicking “Joker and the Thief”, the anthemic Olivia Rodrigo stomper “good 4 u” and a few Taylor Swift songs “Style” and “Love Story”. All these songs she made her own.
Lehner is more than your average, garden variety, pop country singer. She is an entertaining and multi-faceted performer who continues to climb the ranks of the music elite in Saskatchewan. It’s cool that MooseFest, via the Sit Down Podcast, recognized that early on as they have with many of the performers that have graced their stages these past three years. It’s clear that Poppen and Gaudet have created something truly unique and special in Bellevue. Here’s to next year’s edition.
