Longwoodstock music fans are in for a sonic boom this weekend.
The Boom Booms, an alternative soul group, headline the Longwoodstock festival with a performance Saturday (Aug. 12) at the Longwood Brewery on Boxwood Road.
The two-day event marks the third year of Longwoodstock. The event starts Friday (Aug. 11) with a nighttime show at the Queen’s, then picks up again for the outdoor festival component the following afternoon at the brewery before returning to the Queen’s for an after-party.
Sean Ross, keyboardist with the Boom Booms, said festival season is the best time of year.
“You really can’t beat live festivals in the summertime in B.C.,” said Ross. “You can get daytime gigs in the small towns sometimes when like the whole town’s there … and there’s the nighttime closing gigs at festivals where kids are losing their minds.”
He and the band likes the idea of Longwoodstock, which celebrates music, beer and craft beer culture, and he agreed that music and beer go together.
“It’s been working, and I think the recipe’s going to keep working,” he said.
Ross said the Boom Booms are looking forward to playing some new music in Nanaimo. The group is always on the road, he said, and time flies – it’s been three years since the Boom Booms had a new album out, but they’ll be releasing one in the fall.
“We’ve played [new songs] for quite a few fans now and they’re really liking them, so it’s an exciting time for the band,” Ross said. “If anything, I would say it’s just taken what we’ve done in the past and just made it more focused and more air-tight.”
Ross said his older brother Aaron Ross, the lead singer, is a storyteller and will bring high energy as he sings “stories wrapped in dance music” on stage at Longwoodstock.
“You’re going to get a big range of grooves all meant to make you move,” Sean Ross said.
Also playing at the brewery Saturday are Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Boomshack, Lion Bear Fox, Skyote and Myc Sharratt. Gates open at 1 p.m. with the music starting at 2 p.m.
Friday’s kickoff party at the Queen’s features High Noon to Midnight and Caleb Hart. Doors at 9 p.m.; the show starts at 10 p.m.
Saturday will end with an official after-party back at the Queen’s featuring Top Men. Doors at 9 p.m.; show at 10 p.m.
Tickets are $60 for a two-day pass to all events or, $45 for a brewery pass or $15 for either the kickoff party or after-party.
For ticket information, visit www.porttheatre.com. For more information about the festival, go to www.longwoodstock.com.