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Best of the best for Pemberton fest

Summer festival to showcase Canadian and local talent alongside huge headlining acts
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Big Names Coldplay (pictured), The Tragically Hip and Jay-Z are on-board to headline the 2008 Pemberton Festival.

It’s been one week since Live Nation announced plans to bring a three-day outdoor music festival to the area, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you know at least one of the massive headlining acts set to take the stage.

Jay-Z, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nine Inch Nails, and Coldplay really need no introduction. All four are well-established groups with international followings, though they appeal to different demographics and are filed under entirely separate categories at your local music store.

While they may seem like a random group of performers, Shane Bourbonnais, President of North American Touring and Business Development for Live Nation, says selection of the lineup was deliberately diverse.

“We really wanted to go after a wide demo of artists, so from Tom Petty to Jay-Z and Coldplay, you’re all over the map,” said Bourbonnais, adding that they tried to include artists who had new records out, so they could incorporate their new material into their performance.

“I think the taste of the music is great — it’s a little bit of everything, but I think it suits the area,” said Bourbonnais.

They’ve also tried to bring in acts they think will appeal to locals.

“Coldplay, everyone listens to Coldplay — that worked out really well — and there are bands that we know that Coldplay people may like, like Death Cab For Cutie.”

Organizers took the somewhat unusual step of announcing the entire lineup at once when they made the big announcement last Thursday evening — perhaps to build the excitement — and Bourbonnais says they still have a few offers on the table to some larger acts overseas, who are trying to see if the festival dates will work with their scheduling.

Bourbonnais says they also plan to include some local bands in the festival, adding that they have already begun looking at local talent, and have their eyes on some specific acts. But up until now, organizers have been solely focused on securing the big headliners and obtaining the necessary approvals from government agencies to actually host the festival.

On top of the big names headlining for the festival, there are also a lot of Canadian bands in the lineup: The Tragically Hip, Wintersleep, Metric, Buck 65, Sam Roberts Band, and Vancouver-based Black Mountain, just to name a few.

Bourbonnais says one of the goals of the festival is to expose people to different types of music and performers.

“We hope we’re going to turn people on to a lot of new artists… and that’s one of the cool things about a festival: you go and see lots of bands and you get turned on to new things and you meet new people.”

But depending on your musical taste, you may or may not have heard of some of the artists taking the stage. So, for those who want to engage in some educated discussion about the upcoming festival around the water cooler, here’s a quick run-down of a few of the “other” names in the lineup:

Black Mountain: Think Led Zeppelin combined with Hendrix, the Velvet Underground and Black Sabbath. Yeah, it’s a lot to get your head around, but this Vancouver-based indie, psychedelic rock group promises to please with their ’70s-style riffs and haunting vocals. They recently released their second full-length album, In the Future.

Metric: If you were in Whistler to celebrate Canada Day, you may remember this Toronto-based group’s performance. In case you missed it, Metric combines meaningful lyrics with catchy, experimental pop-rock rhythms and beats with songs like Poster of a Girl, from their newest album, Live it Out.

Serj Tankian : Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer, songwriter, poet, activist and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist and keyboard player for the alternative metal band, System of a Down. Tankian went on hiatus from the band in August 2006, when he began writing, recording and producing his solo album, Elect the Dead.

Vampire Weekend: This band, based out of New York, is an indie pop rock group with an afrobeat influence. They released their self-titled debut full-length album in January of this year, but with songs like Oxford Comma they are already being compared with The Kinks and The Walkmen.

The Crystal Method DJ Set: Born out of the early ’90s Los Angeles rave scene, The Crystal Method, also referred to as TCM, is a dance and electronic duo influenced by acid, funk, rock and hip-hop beats. Their debut single, Keep Hope Alive, has been remixed countless times, and many of their other tracks are used in films, television shows and video games.

The Flaming Lips : This Oklahoma-based psychedelic alternative rock group has been around since 1983. During that time they have released 11 albums and one compilation, and have experienced a multitude of drastic changes with the sound and direction of the band.

Death Cab for Cutie: An indie pop rock group based out of Seattle, Death Cab for Cutie gained a lot of momentum after Seth, a main character on the hit television show, The O.C., professed his love for their music. The quartet recently released their fifth album, Plans , and is currently touring throughout the United States, with scheduled performances at the Sasquatch and Coachella musical festivals.

Interpol: Often compared to Joy Division and The Strokes, this New York-based indie rock, post-punk revival band has a sombre, dark sound characterized by a heavy bass and strong drums, coupled with light guitar and some serious lyrics. They released their third full-length album, Our Love to Admire , last July.

Sam Roberts Band: The namesake of the band, Quebec-born singer/songwriter, Sam Roberts, is on vocals, keyboard and lead guitar for this Canadian indie rock group. Often compared to The Tragically Hip and the Matthew Good Band, the sound on their newest CD, Chemical City , is slightly lighter and brighter, with songs like Bridge to Nowhere and Them Kids.

For more information on the event, including the full three-day lineup, ticket prices and camping information, check out www.pembertonfestival.com .