100th Meridian Concerts program set to debut

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This article was published 10/07/2018 (2669 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The city’s inaugural 100th Meridian Concert event will take place Thursday on the grounds of the East End Community Centre.

The family-friendly event is organized by the city’s community development section, in partnership with Brandon Pride Committee.

“We really encourage people to bring out your families,” said community development co-ordinator Richard Greer. “It’s a really good opportunity for people to connect — parents with kids, kids with other kids, parents with other parents. It truly is that ability for us to build community.”

Formerly known as the Summer Lights concert series, organizers decided to rebrand it to the 100th Meridian Concerts program. It pays homage to Brandon’s place on the map, as well as the tie to the iconic song by The Tragically Hip.

“We thought this all kind of lined up and fit for us,” Greer said.

“I think there’s different marketing aspects we can use … and who knows where this will go. Maybe there will be 100th Meridian festivals and 100th Meridian street parties, really we don’t know where it’ll go. But … we figured it was a good way to rebrand what we’re doing.”

Greer said this new name will avoid confusion, as the concert series previously shared the same name with the Summer Lights Music Festival, a one-day music event that takes place annually in September on the grounds of the Keystone Centre.

“They were two different events, and they were organized basically by two different groups, so we opted to make a brand switch,” he said. “It just allowed the Summer Lights festival to be a little bit more autonomous, to be able to develop their own reputation and their own brand, and move that particular event forward.”

Thursday’s event will feature Yes We Mystic, an indie-alternative band from Winnipeg, along with opening act, The Young Pixels, a husband-and-wife garage pop duo from Western Manitoba. The event offers free admission for people of all ages. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with performances to begin at 7 p.m. The public is encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

The event will feature complimentary fresh bannock and local honey, as well as on-site beer gardens. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors to Central United Church, located at 327 Eighth St..

Yes We Mystic will be holding a songwriting workshop on Wednesday at the Brandon University School of Music at 6 p.m. Register by emailing Aren Teerhuis at a.teerhuis@brandon.ca.

The second 100th Meridian Concert will take place Aug. 9 in downtown Brandon, in conjunction with the launch of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba’s continuing Billboard art series. Manitoba-born Indigenous singer and recent Juno nominee Iskwé will headline the event, while Winnipeg-based Indigenous singer-songwriter Sonia Eidse will be the opening act.

“Music events are a great way for people to get together, find a common element, get to know your neighbour … and have a very enjoyable evening on a lovely summer night,” Greer said. “It truly does provide us those opportunities for us to bring community together. Without that opportunity we’re a bunch of individuals that all live in the same city and we have no connection, so things like this are so important in building the fabric of our city.”

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