Category: Uncategorised

At this year’s Annual General Meeting, Harvest has unveiled its list of inductees for the Lifetime and Honorary awards.

Honorary Members are in recognition of outstanding service to Harvest. Their contribution to the organization and the cultural community of the City of Fredericton is acknowledged and appreciated. This year’s Honorary Members are:

Susana Rojas – The Ginger Agency

Manuel Martin – The Ginger Agency

Adriana Spragg – The Ginger Agency

Deisys Tejada – The Ginger Agency

Daniel Troconis – The Ginger Agency

Tina Murphy & The TD Ready Commitment

UNB

Lifetime Members are in recognition of outstanding service beyond the call of duty, the spirit of community service and encouragement of the citizens of Fredericton in the cultural appreciation of jazz and blues music. This year’s Lifetime Members are:

Fruteland Jackson – Music Educator

Max Guerette – Signature Sound

Andy Shaw – Finance

This year’s Harvest Annual General Meeting will take place Tuesday November 24th at 7pm. Instead of meeting in person, this year’s meeting will be held virtually. All attendees will receive participation details no later than November 23rd. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Josh Steeves at josh@harvestjazzandblues.com no later than November 19th.

Each year over 1000 volunteers from Fredericton and beyond come together to make the beloved Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival a success. In lieu of our 30th anniversary in 2020, we are inviting our dedicated volunteers to ‘pass on’ their Harvest volunteer hours to another organization, business, community member or neighbour in need. If you complete 20 hours or more by the end of National Volunteer Week on April 24th, 2021, you’ll receive a special Harvest 29.5 volunteer shirt!

Please follow the steps below to participate in the Harvest Helps community initiative:

STEP 1:

Begin by logging in or registering on https://app.initlive.com/JE/vz6q7bn4s7az8d (it is the same platform that was used for volunteers to sign up to help out for our festival). To receive your shirt, you need to indicate your size when you sign up.

STEP 2:

Once you have signed up and/or logged in, you can choose from all of our volunteering opportunities that are listed as roles. Please select the ones where you wish to volunteer.

STEP 3:

Complete your hours!

Q&A

How will I receive the special Harvest 29.5 volunteer shirt?

Once you have completed your 20 hours, email us at lucas@harvestjazzandblues.com telling us your volunteering story (where you volunteer, did you enjoy the experience, how was it, etc.). We will be in contact afterwards to let you know when you can come to pick up your shirt.

Can I volunteer for an organization that is not listed?

YES – Simply choose “other organization” as your role.

Can I do more than 20 hours?

YES – We encourage every volunteer to do as many hours as they can.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to lucas@harvestjazzandblues.com.

Festival to celebrate “29½” years, support local artists, and celebrate downtown Fredericton

With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of Harvest’s 30th anniversary, organizers are pushing ahead with a virtual celebration at 7:00pm ADT on Saturday, September 19th, and encouraging the community to show their love for the downtown business community that has been so important to Harvest over the years.

Dubbed “Harvest 29½”, this exciting 3 hour online presentation will feature archival footage of some of the many memorable moments in Harvest history, unveil brand new performances from local artists and Harvest favourites, and feature appearances from eight Headline artists who might otherwise have been in Fredericton in-person this Fall.

Harvest 29½ will be streamed for free via the festival’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Patrons are encouraged to attend one of the many viewing parties at local restaurants and pubs that will be announced in the coming days.

“We needed a way to support local musicians, the local music industry and our downtown business partners and this special event is a way to achieve all of that while still respecting the new reality of COVID safety protocols” said festival programmer, Brent Staeben. “Our first priority this summer has been to lay the foundation for our rebirth in 2021 but we knew we also needed to step out and provide some significant value for the funders who have helped us stay alive in 2020.”

Harvest is also partnering with downtown businesses and making a number of its highly coveted Ultimate Passes available for contesting. From September 13th – 19th, downtown patrons will be able to submit their names for a chance to win one of 50 passes for the 2021 festival.

Staeben says the community should watch for a few more surprises, too including the release of the headline acts for the online special. “The big event might be online, but we still want it to feel a little like ‘Harvest week’ here in downtown Fredericton. Our staff and volunteers have been working hard to make that happen. Watch our social media for more details!”

Harvest 29½ is made possible thanks to the generous support of the TD Ready Commitment, The Ginger Agency, UNB, ANBL, Taylor Printing, The Fox 105.3, The Federal Government, Government of New Brunswick, and the City of Fredericton.

We must confirm what we had sincerely hoped would not be the case: Harvest will not take place this September. Our staff and volunteers had been evaluating various scenarios under which we might proceed, but with today’s announcement from the Province of New Brunswick – and out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our community of artists, volunteers, partners, and patrons – Harvest’s 30th anniversary will be postponed to 2021.

We thank everyone for their patience and support as we have considered this difficult decision.

Above all else, Harvest is a community festival. For 29 years, local artists, local businesses, and thousands of volunteers have created one of the most special events in North America… right here in downtown Fredericton. Harvest has been around as long as it has because of the partners who not only sustained the festival, but allowed us to dream bigger each year: Council and staff from the City of Fredericton, Provincial and Federal partners, our large and engaged sponsor community, and the dozens of downtown businesses and our hospitality partners who have always had our backs. Our thoughts remain with all of our partners who have been affected by COVID-19. 

Thousands of volunteers have given millions of hours so that we’re all able to kick up our heels and dance and sing along with local legends and international superstars in Fredericton’s beautiful and historic downtown. That’s no small feat, and it’s only been possible because of their ongoing commitment to Harvest. We thank them for all they’ve done and continue to do to make Harvest a reality and to keep live music in our lives. 

So, to the volunteers, musicians, sponsors and partners: thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do to make Harvest a reality and to keep live music in our lives. You’ve been with us for 29 years of incredible music and community celebrations, and we’re eternally grateful for that. We’re going to be here for you on the other side of this thing. 

To this amazing music-loving community: we have a little bit of work to do as we chart our course forward. In the meantime, we ask that you do your best to support your local artists, local businesses, and that you get out to your favourite local music venue the second we hear the “all clear”. They’re all part of an incredible community that has supported Harvest for 29 years. Let’s be sure to show them some love when they need it the most!

One thing’s for sure: we’ll see you in 2021. It will be the best Harvest yet. 

Note to Harvest 2020 Ultimate Passholders: Your pass can be used in 2021!

We understand that it is not always easy to secure an Ultimate Pass for Harvest. As such, we’d like to extend the opportunity to use your 2020 pass at the 2021 Festival. Nothing is required if you’d like to use your pass for the 2021 Festival – we’ll simply transfer your name to next year’s list. Dates for the 2021 Festival will be confirmed in the coming weeks. 

If instead you would like a refund for your 2020 purchase, please contact Ticketpro at info@ticketpro.ca no later than May 30, 2020 to request your refund. Refunds will be processed by Ticketpro as quickly as possible.

Photo Credit: Sarah Sarty

Above all else, Harvest is a community festival. For 29 years, local artists, local businesses, and thousands of volunteers have created one of the most special events in North America… right here in downtown Fredericton. Our thoughts are with all of our local, regional, and national festival colleagues as we grapple with the impacts of covid-19, and with all of the artists and businesses affected by the cancellations in our industry.

Planning for Harvest’s 30th anniversary is proceeding with the health and safety of our audience, musicians, staff, and volunteers as our top priority. There are many uncertainties and, like you, we are monitoring the situation daily and will continue to take advice and guidance from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health of NB, as well as Health Canada and our partner, the City of Fredericton.

When we have additional news to share, we will do so via social media and our website.

Until then, stay home and keep washing your hands. Take the time to dive into your old CD or record collection, or stream or download music by that new local artist you’ve been meaning to check out. No doubt you’ll find something wonderful that brings joy and escape.

For all inquiries, please contact info@harvestjazzandblues.com

Your friends at Harvest

Just in time for the holidays, a limited number of 2020 Ultimate Passes will be available for purchase online only on Monday, December 2 at 11:00am. 

The 2020 presale price for Ultimates will be $280 + taxes and fees. And to celebrate the season, $5 from every presale pass sold will be donated to CBC’s Feed a Family in Fredericton campaign!

Please note that customers will be limited to 4 passes each. Stay tuned to our social media and website for additional on-sale details and a link to purchase!

Harvest’s 2019 Annual General Meeting will take place on Monday, November 25 at 6pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Fredericton. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to info@harvestjazzandblues.com.

Harvest is thrilled to announce that McKinley Morrison & Williams are the winners of the 2019 Stingray Rising Stars Competition.

The Saint John-based band were selected by Harvest’s panel of music industry judges and audience voting during the Stingray Rising Stars Competition in the Atlantic Lottery Barracks Tent today from 2-4 p.m.

McKinley Morrison & Williams wins a $1,500 prize provided by Stingray—Canada’s favourite leading music, media and technology company —and Harvest, and opens tonight’s Atlantic Lottery Barracks show with Andy Frasco & the U.N..

Other finalists include Bleum, Delirious Monks and Les MoonTunes. All four finalists will receive a promotional video of their performance for their own use, provided by Stingray and the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival.

“Every year the talent in this competition gets deeper and the energy during the showcase is even more electrifying as we see the best emerging bands our province has to offer,” said Brent Staeben, Harvest’s music director. “Harvest is passionate about supporting the growth of New Brunswick’s music scene and I’m proud we’ve been able to showcase top-calibre homegrown talent over the years through the Stingray Rising Stars Competition.”

This year’s winner joins the prestigious ranks of previous Rising Stars, including Ross Neilsen, Keith Hallett and Matt Andersen.

About McKinley Morrison & Williams

Born from creativity and freedom, Josh McKinley, John Morrison and Darrell Williams have brought their flavors together to form a completely original sound. Expect a groove based musical fusion, bass solos, guitar wizardry, and a near drum clinic performance. Check out these cats and the magic that they are creating!

About Stingray
Montreal-based Stingray Group Inc. is a leading music, media, and technology company with over 1,200 employees worldwide. Stingray is a premium provider of curated direct-to-consumer and B2B services, including audio television channels, more than 100 radio stations, SVOD content, 4K UHD television channels, karaoke products, digital signage, in-store music, and music apps, which have been downloaded 150 million times. Stingray reaches 400 million subscribers (or users) in 156 countries. For more information: www.stingray.com.