With twelve candles on the cake, OBEY Convention returned to Halifax from May 30 – June 2 to celebrate by giving us a wide variety of genre-defying talents. With acts coming in from across Canada and the U.S., we were treated to DJ’s, hip-hop artists and many other unique performances.
“I was told by the original founder that he started the festival to try and destroy other festivals,” laughs Andrew Patterson the festival’s creative director, “which I think is more of an intention than a reality. We’re just trying to do the things that other people aren’t doing and trying to do it in a way that other people aren’t doing it.”
The purpose of this convention is to spread the importance of inclusivity and to continue building a safe space for everyone in the community. They pushed the boundaries of what we believe are social norms and really embraced the obscure when it came to performers. This year’s initiatives included accessible venues, safe-space training, a program that is focused on LGBTQ artists and attendees and an immersive children’s arts program called OBABY.
This pre-summer, multi-venue gathering decided to throw us head first into festival season. No artists or acts overlapped, which made it easier for convention goers to see everyone they wanted to see, whether it be an afternoon jazz show or a late-night hip hop artist.
At one point on Saturday night, when one show got out late, organizers decided to wait to start the next. The delayed start time ensured that everyone who wanted to make it would not miss the proceeding performance.
Although the list of performers may not have been well known to most, it seems that presenting unknown artists is the entire intention of the festival. OBEY seeks out the strange and unique and feeds it to Halifax on a PWYC (pay what you can) platter.
“I think like the curation side of it is definitely an art form. We’re not really worried at the end of the day about selling tickets necessarily, we’re trying to be a platform for folks who maybe their name isn’t out there and are doing really good work. I try to find things that pair nicely together,” says Patterson.
Friday night at The Seahorse consisted of names such as local Halifax band Frail Hands, noise-rockers Guttersnipe, and LizBrain x Doug. A standout act of the night was the Montreal duo Dregqueen. They commanded the stage and had just about everyone in the bar dancing.
Saturday afternoon’s adventure led us to the library, but no, we were not there to check out any books. In a concert hall located in the back, we got to see performances by Mumbai-based tabla player Taral Naik and Toronto jazz group The Brodie West Quintet.
The sound of saxophone filled everyone’s ears as the vibration bounced off the walls of the auditorium. What really set them apart was their two-drummer dynamic; Nick Fraser and Evan Cartwright constantly fed off each other’s rhythms without connecting in a shared beat.
Perhaps one of my favourite acts on Saturday evening was Mich Cota. Occupying DANspace, a dance studio in downtown Halifax, a large group sat around and watched how she used interpretative dance and song to emote her feelings towards the audience. She really captured everybody’s attention as she jumped, sang and at one point even climbed to the top of a ladder.
Closing out Saturday night at The Marquee were artists Debby Friday and Just John alongside DJs Haram, Dentata and Dom Dias Music. So, basically you can say it was just one big dance party.
At one point the crowd was pushed back to make room on the floor for Cavell Holland, a local Halifax artist who performed alongside other dancers in a beautifully choreographed number.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows at OBEY, however. Due to an event that may have caused emotional harm to the audience and required the involvement of festival staff, OBEY has issued a public apology.
Mary Jane Leach was scheduled to express the work of late artist Julius Eastman on Sunday, June 2. Although having stated before that her performance would contain explicit language, the racial slur Leach repeatedly used in referencing the titles of a series of self-portraits composed by Eastman caused offence.
Festival attendees voiced their concerns about the language used and, after a closed door meeting, OBEY’s organizers made the decision not to move forward with the act, removing Leach’s second performance from the evening’s program. The decision was made as a harm-reduction measure in hopes to protect the vulnerable attendees and those who came forward.
“As the only OBEY staff present in the room for the duration of the event, my silence throughout was deeply hurtful and damaging to many and I’m very sorry for this,” expressed Patterson, “As the person with the most institutional power in the room, and as someone with immense privilege, it was my responsibility to recognize the harm being done and to intervene. In that way, among others, I failed the community. I thank everyone who has shared their feelings with me. It is my intention to receive and honour them with care and address them with action.”
Unfortunately, this will be OBEY’s final year going by, well… OBEY. In February, Patterson was contacted by a lawyer representing L.A artist Shepard Fairey who operates the OBEY clothing company. Patterson was told that the festival was violating copyright and would need to get a new name once the festival ended.
“A lot of people have been asking about a new name but we just had to finish planning this years’ festival first. We haven’t haven’t had an honest moment to sit down,” explains Patterson, “We’ve got a visioning session set for next week with some of our members, board members and people close the festival. Then sometime after that we will do a public reach-out and get some feedback. The plan is to be ready for next fall when we launch our next off season.”
OBEY will continue to grow and thrive, though under a new moniker. Their durability comes from a genuine place of love and passion for the arts and music.
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