A new heavy music festival will make it's debut in Kelowna this October.
Okanagan Disintegration will take place at Muninn’s Post from Oct. 11 to 12, and will bring together a vast variety of metal genres for two incredible days of live music.
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Founded by Kelowna musician and promoter Braden Farr, the festival was brought to life to fill in a gap left within the city following the departure of Hell Raiser Fest in 2016.
While the Okanagan metal scene may be small the fans are dedicated, proven by the incredible attendance at the Armstrong Metal Festival each summer and the number of sold-out shows hosted by Kelowna’s resident metal venue.
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“We have a really great and tight-knit metal community within the Okanagan,” said Farr. “There is definitely a strong interest here in Kelowna for more metal and I thought this would be a really great way to satisfy that.”
12 Bands from across BC and western Canada are scheduled to perform over the course of the fest, showcasing styles that touch on a plethora of metal subgenres including everything from power metal to grindcore.
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"We wanted to have a good mix of styles because, despite the small scene in the Okanagan, we have a massive range of tastes and styles represented by fans and bands alike," said Farr.
We have power metal, death metal, grindcore, black metal— all kinds of stuff, there really will be something for everyone.”
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Committed to headlining the festival is Vancouver tech-death band Blackwater Burial, who are already Okanagan favourites, and Calgary grind act Wake.
“Blackwater Burial have played here a few times and people love them so, of course, I wanted to bring them back,” said Farr. Adding: “Wake have never played in Kelowna but they garnered a lot of new Okanagan fans at AMF this summer.”
Bolstering the line up will be the inclusion of some of the Okanagan’s own impressive up and coming acts such as ArkenFire, Gardener, Total Isolation, Eden Echo and many more.
One of the most vital aspects of the festival that Farr wanted to ensure was to keep it open to metalheads of all ages, which is why it will be hosted at Muninn’s Post.
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“There are actually a ton of teens and younger kids who love metal in Kelowna and want to be able to come to shows,” he said.
“When I was growing up in town a lot of the shows were 19+, so I definitely want to provide an opportunity for local youth to get more involved in the scene and Muninn’s is the place to do that.”
While the festival is still months away, Farr says the support from the community has been incredible.
Photo credit: NowMediaAMF attendees
“I think the community is really excited because aside from AMF our little scene doesn’t get the opportunity to see a high volume of shows or festivals, unless we drive to Vancouver.”
“I think it will be a really cool thing for us and so far it has been really well received,” he added.
Friday’s line up will consist of; Eden Echo (Kelowna), The Unending (Kelowna), Thousand Arrows (Vancouver), Arkenfire (Kelowna) and Blackwater Burial (Vancouver).
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With Saturday featuring; Death Machine (Kelowna), Hallux (Vancouver), Total Isolation (Kelowna), Gardener (Vernon), Apollyon (Kelowna), Truent (Vancouver) and Wake (Calgary).
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Tickets for the inaugural Okanagan Disintegration Fest are available online now and at Muninn’s Post. Weekend passes are available for $40, Friday only tickets are $20 and Saturday only tickets are $25.
