The Derby started in a backyard in Fernwood, B.C, as a crazy vaudeville swamp, folk, punk, country, hillbilly, swing type thing. Summer 2001 saw them touring across the country: from Victoria to St Johns, they played street corners, stages, bars and fields, always raising a ruckus.
Due to two band’s member’s motherhood, (one very recent baby, another on its way any minute) we are not sure which members will be performing today. For all intents & purposes, the Derby is: Sarah (guitar), Diona (fiddle), Emilie (drums) and Awna (washtub bass).
Lost Tribes of The Sun
Inspired by life and driven by rhythm, Lost Tribes of the Sun is an ever-expanding collective of like-minded musicians who make hip-hop music with strong, soul roots.
Following a string of amazing shows (including a recent set at the Vancouver Folk Festival), and the independent release of their debut EP "GrassBlades" in 2001, Lost Tribes has grown into a full-fledged live band that includes Jess Conn-Potegal (drums), Chris von Szombathy (bass), Allan Ollivierre (keys), The Phonograff (turntables), Noble Bushby (vocals), and MCs Benjamin Arce and Jarrett Martineau.
This is passionate hip-hop with a purpose.
The Molatov Mouths
Ananda Esteva was born in Chile and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. A gifted storyteller, she intertwines bilingual poetry and song to paint a picture of life in Las Americas. She has performed and published internationally and co-authored Poetry For The People.
Josiah Luis Alderette performs his poetry from memory, often improvised. His work weaves stories of the political, social and surreal stolen continents and life in the new and old Aztlan.
Dani Montgomery is a young queer organizer and poet who grew up in Tucson and San Diego. She has taught poetry with Poetry for the People and the Center For Young Women’s Development. Her poems have appeared in The Santa Clara Review, Anything That Moves, Icarus and other magazines.
Raw Knowledge has a full length CD entitled "Nemesis to Silence" and appears on the compilation "Bread and Roses," both on Entarte Kunst Records.
James Tracy is a long-time organizer active in anti-poverty work. He is coordinator of Right to a Roof, a part of San Francisco’s Coalition on Homelessness. He is also the author of The Civil Disobedience Handbook: A Brief History and Practical Advice for the Politically Disenchanted, (Manic D Press) and two books of poetry.
George Tirado has been called the Poet Laureate of the Mission District-a real life story of race, real estate and addiction underneath the glitz of gentrification. Tirado toured with the Lollapalooza Spoken Word stage and has read with poets such as Lydia Lunch and Jack Hirschman. He was also a founding member of the notorious punk band Verbal Abuse.
SPHINX
Phoenix Olivia: Originally hailing from Guyana, South America and now a renowned figure in the Vancouver under-ground dance scene, Phoenix is the founder of Soldiers of the Underground (a production company for tribal underground dance events that incorporate a strong element of consciousness and spirituality along with some of the most intelligent and inspiring music heard in the local scene). In just over a year, Soldiers of the Underground events have developed a strong and loyal following and Phoenix has established herself as one of Vancouver’s fastest rising underground DJ's, with her own unique and innovative style of tribal, mystical trance.
Osiris Indriya: Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Osiris spins deep tech trance and breaks. He has also created a series of events in Seattle called The Oracle Gatherings (based on a tarot deck).
Together Osiris and Phoenix form SPHINX. 2 DJ's, 4 turntables. A fusion of deep chunky trance, funky break beats & jungle for the headz. They have opened for legendary trance producers Medicine Drum and also performed at the 2002 Gathering of the Tribes (an annual tribal underground event in Los Angeles). Together these 2 hypnotize crowds with their musical magic, so come on the journey as SPHINX closes the mainstage.