The hills were alive with the sound of music on May 1 in Chelsea, QC. The music came from the first annual The Wilding, an all-woman music festival spearheaded by Ontario folk singer Jessica Pearson.
Set at Le Vignoble de Chelsea, The Wilding offered a full day of music, local vendors and food, centred around community and connection.
Despite overcast skies and a crisp breeze, there was no shortage of support for the inaugural event. Performances took place in the main event space, a rustic barn house with high ceilings, large windows and a deck overlooking the vineyard.
Every detail of the festival was carefully crafted to create a sense of magic and empowerment, which Jessica said was the whole idea for the day.
Attendees could write intentions of things they wanted to let go of and place them into the fire as a form of cleansing.
They could also speak with performers and connect with fellow festivalgoers.
The day opened with songwriter rounds featuring artists Malia Rogers and Sam Stone — the other members of Jessica Pearson and the East Wind — alongside Mars Aspen. The artists shared their songwriting processes and collaborated on stage to showcase the elements that go into creating a song.
The artist sets followed, with 50-minute performances featuring Americana and folk and an instrumental viola set from Katherine Patricia Cobbler.
Other performers included Savannah Shea, Vicki Brittle, Wild Remedy, Claire Morrison and, closing out the night, Jessica Pearson and the East Wind.
The majority were Ontario or Quebec-based artists. Claire Morrison was one who made her way in from Montreal.
Claire recently won Best New Artist at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and also just released her first album, Where Do You Go at Night, which she said: “took me ten years to write.”
Where Do You Go at Night? by Claire Morrison
She played a few songs from Where Do You Go at Night, including “The Star” and “I fly,” which both express the pains of being in an unhealthy relationship or one that makes you feel grounded and scared to leave.
Hers was not the only new music making waves on Saturday. The Wilding was named after the East Wind’s new album Wilding — Part One, released May 1.
The trio played a mix of new songs from the album and older tracks.
Standout songs included “Do It,” which leaned heavily into Americana with sharp instrumentation and passionate lyrics that energized the room. Another standout was “Better,” which Jessica said she wrote after being diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s last year. The song is about acceptance and self-understanding.
“This is a song about recognizing that my brain just works differently and that’s ok,” she said.
Many acts performed barefoot, a grounding technique often used by performers across artistic disciplines. The lack of footwear added to the whimsical, grassroots nature of the event and reflected the performers’ comfort with the audience.
A common theme throughout the day was the shared experiences of women. Songs about empowerment and finding one’s voice reflected the themes Jessica said she envisioned for the festival.
Themes of anxiety and the realities of the current state of the world also surfaced throughout the performances.
And, in true Americana fashion, there was no shortage of breakup songs.
Members of the band Wild Remedy said events like the Wilding gel with their brand.
“I mean the whole brand that Jessica really exuberates is this one of sisterhood, supporting women and community and how music just really enables you to feel the spirit of what it means to be a woman in music, which is what we are so for,” Shae Mahoney said.
Members of the trio, which got its start playing farmers markets, said they were excited to support other women in music, especially because they didn’t realize that being an all-women folk trio wasn’t common until women at the markets kept pointing it out to them.
A unique aspect of the festival was two groups wrapping up their sets with an acapella song in the audience. Wild Remedy and the East Wind both used the technique, adding to the intimacy of the space.
More than the music
In addition to performances, vendors lined the deck and indoor walls of the venue, offering, jewellery, foot massages and blind dates with a book
A taco truck served food while children played on the grass.
Tara Shannon, owner of Willow Records, Jessica’s label, said the idea for the festival began around a campfire with her neighbour, who owns Le Vignoble de Chelsea.
She asked, “Want to start a music festival at your winery?”
Jessica and Tara combined their visions to create The Wilding and shared hopes of expanding it in future years.
Tara said next year they hope to hold the festival around the May long weekend, in hopes of having warmer weather and a larger outdoor component.
