Iceberg Alley is going to rock out at Quidi Vidi for 10 days this summer

Festival season in St. John's is full steam ahead as Iceberg Alley joins the growing list of organizations announcing their musical lineups.

The Iceberg Alley Performance Tent will be open for 10 nights in Quidi Vidi this summer, running from June 19-29.

Old Crow Medicine Show, the band that popularized a song co-written by Bob Dylan, Wagon Wheel, is kicking off the festival. ZZ Top is also hitting the stage, along with Mother Mother, Chilliwack and many more.

Filling a 10-night schedule with dozens of musical acts isn't a simple job, says festival producer Shawn Basha.

"You can't have five days in a row of classic rock," Basha told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

"We get a headliner first," he said, "we have to find two other bands that are going to complement that band on that particular night. But then the next night, we don't want the same type of genre of music so we have to try to go get something else."

Earlier this week, the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival announced its lineup for July 11-13. Last month, the Churchill Park Music Festival announced its lineup, featuring The Killers as a headliner.

Iceberg Alley came under fire last year due to a lack of female representation on festival's lineup. Basha says in 2024 it was unintentional, but it's a similar situation this year.

British Columbia rock band Mother Mother is the only headliner offering up any gender diversity so far.

Basha says festival organizers face unique barriers when it comes to booking performers because Newfoundland is an island.

His team strategically picks featured acts based on where they're touring, he says. For example, if someone has a stop in Europe, they can play in St. John's on the way there.

It may be hard to get there, but Basha says the island still has a distinct charm.

"Every band who plays here thinks this place is magical," he said.

Iceberg Alley also makes sure local artists are getting their time in the sun, says Basha, with Tim Baker, Mick Davis and Thin Love, Damian Follett and Rum Ragged set to perform.

A busy summer

Newfoundland and Labrador is heading into a summer packed with events like the Canada Games and other music festivals but Basha says that doesn't complicate his job booking acts.

He says he also works for the Churchill Park Music Festival and they co-ordinate to make sure they go after different performers for the separate festivals.

"We're trying not to step on each other's toes. And Churchill Park is a totally different thing because that is a large outdoor venue," he said.

"The bands that they're going after are way out of our wheelhouse because we would never be able to afford them, because we don't have the attendance."

Basha says the lineup usually isn't announced until everything is set in stone. June 26 is the only day of the festival where the lineup hasn't been announced yet but Basha says it's coming soon.

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