Amidst a star-studded lineup at next weekend's Pemberton Music Festival will be one of Spud Valley's own, punk quartet Dakota Pearl.
The Pemberton band earned a spot at the highly anticipated festival, produced by HUKA Entertainment, alongside some of the biggest names in music after beating out half a dozen other acts hailing from the Spud Valley and Whistler. The Battle of the Bands was held in The Meadows on July 5.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity left frontman Adam Leggett at a loss for words... that is unless you count one particular adjective Sea to Sky residents love to pull out on the regular.
"I'm pretty stoked, man," he said, before elaborating. "Stoked. We're really stoked. The whole band's like super stoked."
And the longtime guitarist and singer has every reason to feel the stoke. His self-described "farmcore" band — blending country twang with hardcore punk — has been together less than a year, but will get to showcase their stuff on the festival's closing day.
So what set the new band apart from the other competitors?
"To be honest with you, I have no idea," Leggett admits. "I was with the same band for 23 years playing numerous amounts of shows, and then with this project I was into writing a ton of different styles of music, something that more people could get into. I think it was just the style of music.
"We put all our heart into music when we play. I mean we give everything we've got, so I think that had to be something to do with it as well."
Tara O'Doherty of Mountain FM, who joined Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy and HUKA co-founder Bennett Drago at the judges' table, explained further why they went with Dakota Pearl.
"Dakota Pearl was so tight, you could tell they had practiced — not that any other band hadn't — but you could just see their stage presence. Their music would cater to all different types of crowds," she says.
"They came from out of nowhere."
One of the few criteria to be considered was that bands had to have at least 45 minutes of original material to hit the stage with — no covers allowed. But with alt-country act Marble Canyon taking part alongside rock duo Neverland Nights, Whistler's fun-lovin' hip-hop group Animal Nation, singer-songwriter Jeremy Thom, local rock 'n' roll veterans Brother Twang and rockabilly outfit The Sociables, the judges certainly had their work cut out for them.
"There was so much pressure on us trying to pick a band. They were all amazing. They came on and everything was seamless," O'Doherty says. "It was nice to be asked to judge, but when it came down to it, it was scary. That's someone's dream, man."
So, how will Leggett feel taking the stage with his bandmates for what will undoubtedly be the biggest gig of his career? Well, you can probably guess.
"I'm going to be super stoked, man," he says. "I can't wait to get up there and play."
Dakota Pearl plays the Blackcomb Stage on Sunday, July 20 at 12:30 p.m.
The Pemberton Music Festival starts Thursday, July 16. Visit www.pembertonmusicfestival.com for the full schedule.
