Nick Gilder & Sweeney Todd to headline Dancin’ Barefoot Music Festival

In celebration of its 6th year, the Dancin’ Barefoot Music Festival welcomes Nick Gilder & Sweeney Todd to the Cousins Park stage.

Started by Peachland-based Elvis tribute artist Terry MacGillivray in the summer of 2007, the Dancin’ Barefoot Music Festival offers a classic rock and roll summer evening guaranteed to keep toes tapping, with or without shoes. The event focuses on local talent, highlighting the remarkable array of quality musicians working in southern B.C., and will bring English-Canadian glam rock legend Nick Gilder and his first band, Sweeney Todd, to the stage to play hits like their 1976 No. 1 single Roxy Roller and Gilder’s own Hot Child in the City (1978).

MacGillivray’s daughter, Patricia Cheyne, and wife, Valerie MacGillivray, have run the festival since Terry passed away in 2008 and say it has grown enough to see Gilder pursue them to land a spot on the bill.

“I am a big fan of his music. I think he’s got a great sound and I like everything about him. I like his rapport with the audience and the way he appreciates his fans,” said Cheyne. “He’s kept himself healthy and fit and he can sing really well.”

Opening for Gilder will be Shawn Hook, a Nelson-based artist with a first album that has “star” written all over it. Cosmonaut and the Girl highlights a vocal range so earth-shattering it sends songs like Planet Earth and Rockstaria high into the stratosphere with glittery electronic elements to balance his organic, singer-songwriter style.

Gorden James and The Good Guys band will add a hint of country to the evening. James recently appeared on CMT Canada’s Big in a Small Town as one of only two B.C.-based artists featured. The opportunity gave his album Heart of the Matter national exposure and the artist more energy to get back in the studio.

And rounding out the lineup, a Kelowna newcomer, The Newks, won themselves a spot on the stage with a powerful acoustic sound that belies their youth. Though only 18, lead singer and songwriter Austin Axenty masterfully balances his propensity for pop with guitar player Charlie Tucker’s classic riffs for a sound well-mixed with the ’70s and ’80s covers in their set.

The festival will once again use wristbands for ticket-holders, allowing the audience to come and go from the park all evening, and the event will open with the 5th Annual Teen Talent Competition. New this year, in honour of our Okanagan home base, there will be wine in both the beer garden and VIP lounge.

Tickets are on sale now via the Peachland Chamber of Commerce at (250) 767-2455, online at ticketbreak.com or by mail. Details are available at dancinbarefoot.com

The Dancin’ Barefoot Music Festival runs July 20 in Cousins Park, Beach Avenue and 6th Street.

Media Contact:
Patricia Cheyne
Dancin’ Barefoot Producer
250-899-2282