“Light Organ Records has been blessed to work with some amazing Vancouver talents like The Zolas, Hotel Mira and new talent like Toddy and Emmett Jerome,” says Light Organ’s Joseph Martin. “For us, this event is a great chance for the label to reinvest in our community, give new artists a chance to perform and bring vibrancy to a part of Vancouver that so many artists and creative industry companies call home.”

If spending a full day taking in some of the city’s best indie acts wasn’t already enough for you, the festival is also hosting an afterparty in the Light Organ studio, featuring Mount Pleasant, Which Nancy and an album listening party for Unalaska.

In the spirit of summer, we asked five of the acts set to take the stage this year about their favourite seasonal pastimes below. 

ACTORS

Where can we find you hanging out on a hot summer day?
We love to hit Spanish Banks to walk the dog. It feels good to be close to the ocean and the dog loves it too. 

What is your go-to summer drink?
I’ve been big on sugar-free Cherry Pepsi this summer. 

What song would we find at the top of your summer playlist?
Charli xcx – Von dutch 

What can we expect from your set at the festival?
We’ll be in full summer goth mode. Vampire grade SPF and a specially curated ACTORS setlist. 

What artist performing at Summerlight are you especially excited to check out this year?
I hope to check out all the artists. It’s a great line-up! The Golden Age of Wrestling and WAASH are friends so I’m excited to see them in their element.  

THE GOLDEN AGE OF WRESTLING

Where can we find you hanging out on a hot summer day?
You can find me getting shredded at Gold’s Gym. I need to be in tip top shape at all times for my matches…. err, performances. 

What song would we find at the top of your summer playlist?
Get Down by B4-4

What’s the best part about summer?
Biking down Main Street at 9pm in a t-shirt and shorts, feeling the warm air as the sun is setting. 

What can we expect from your set at the festival?
Passion, beauty, alpha behaviour, push-ups, trash-talking the other performers, and test-driving a bunch of new, more beat-driven material. 

What artist performing at Summerlight are you especially excited to check out this year?
I care about one thing and one thing only – winning the Summerlight Heavyweight Belt. I’m going to do whatever it takes, and if that involves powerbombing Jason from ACTORS in the middle of their set, I’m going to do it.  

HALELUYA HAILU

What is your go-to summer drink?
The frozen Marg at Juke Fried Chicken

What song would we find at the top of your summer playlist?
Right now I’m obsessed with Paramore’s After Laughter! 

What’s the best part about summer?
Getting to sunbathe! I love being outside as much as I can and getting out to the local lakes. 

What can we expect from your set at the festival?
Summerlight is on my birthday this year! Expect all the usual tomfoolery of a regular Haleluya show, double that and include a few new tunes that I’ll be debuting 🙂 

What artist performing at Summerlight are you especially excited to check out this year?
The Golden Age of Wrestling! I’ve been a big fan of their other project, Devours, for a while.

Read our interview with Haleluya Hailu here

MATÍAS RODEN

Where can we find you hanging out on a hot summer day?
Kits Beach! I spent most of my teenage years in Peru, which has a huge beach culture, and one of my favourite things about Vancouver is having great beaches right next to the city, like literally next to it. That’s very rare in North America.  

What is your favourite patio to grab a bite to eat?
Not a patio per se but getting something from Granville Island Public Market and eating it while watching the water and all the boats is my favourite. Watch out for the seagulls though, they have no fear and will swoop in and steal your food.  

What song would we find at the top of your summer playlist?
Lately I’ve been obsessed with a song called “Petrified” by a new artist called David Lerner. It’s so catchy and feels very summery but there’s an underlying sadness and darkness which is completely my thing. 

What’s the best part about summer?
Summer for me has always felt like a sense of possibility. The days are longer, it’s nice to be out at all times, people take time off and travel. It’s like ordinary life is a little more magical. I believe in the summer romance. 

What can we expect from your set at the festival?
Music you can dance to and cry to, spontaneous audience participation, subtle political commentary, tailored pants, lots of belting, and hopefully a smashingly good time!

FREEZE THE FALL

Where can we find you hanging out on a hot summer day?
As a band you would usually find us in Jonah’s air conditioned basement, writing new songs!  Otherwise probably outside somewhere in the shade just chillin.

What is your favourite patio to grab a bite to eat?
Well, we are all underage so probably Aria’s pool patio!  It has the benefit of being near our jam space and her Dad makes great food so….bonus!

What song would we find at the top of your summer playlist?
That is hard. The three of us could never agree on just one song.  We all love metal, but very different types of metal. Aria would be rockin to something by Bring Me The Horizon, Jonah likely a Gojira song, and for Quinn something from Children of Bodom.

What’s the best part about summer?
Honestly for us it is the additional time to focus on creating music.  The balance between school and music can be hard. Summer is freedom to do all the things and for us that is writing and recording music and more live shows!

What artist performing at Summerlight are you especially excited to check out this year?
We are down for any live music but ACTORS is definitely on the bucket list this summer.

Summerlight Festival takes place on Saturday, Aug 10 from 12 to 7:30pm
Maker Labs parking lot (corner of Hawks and Cordova)
780 East Cordova Street
(Vancouver, BC)