Beautiful new photo book chronicles Evolve Music Festival

Published: November 26, 2015

Chris Smith has been documenting the Atlantic Canadian music scene for over 15 years through the lens of his camera. Some of his photos of artists like Joel Plaskett, Matt Mays, Wintersleep, Hey Rosetta! are either very familiar or instantly recognizable for Canadian music fans.

Several years ago, Chris Smith fell in love with the Evolve Music Festival, which has been held for the last 16 years on a grassy hillside outside of Antigonish, NS. To commemorate his summer celebrations at Evolve, Smith has released an Evolve photo book, available in both hardcover and softcover, for the music fest lover on your Christmas list.

Hover and click on the gallery above to see several of Smith's joyous images from the festival, including action shots of Rich Aucoin, Fred Penner and Peaches. Smith also captured the moment when Evolve won our Searchlight contest for Best Music Festival in Canada back in 2010.

We asked Smith a few questions about the festival and the book:

Where did the idea of the book come from?

All year long I see posts from Evolve-goers reliving the festival and how much they can't wait until the summer. I figured a book full of sunshine, smiles and nostalgia wouldn't go astray now that winter is about to kick in.

What does the festival mean to you?

First off, it means great music from Canada and abroad. But I've been in the music biz for over 20 years now, hence I've been part of a lot of great music events. So what else does Evolve mean to me? Community! In all my years in music, I've never experienced the kind of community that has sprung up around this festival. It truly has its own culture based on fun, love and generosity. It's a good thing I'm friendly and can shoot drunk because I don't get very far at Evolve without being offered a hug or a beer.

What is your all-time favourite Evolve moment?

Wow... after seven years of shooting Evolve, that's a hard question. Is it the 500-person hug at Fred Penner's set? Maybe it was sailing around on top of the crowd in a rubber dinghy? Partying with Peaches? Dancing outside until sunrise? I have no idea what the best moment is. It's a rich tapestry at this point. I'm just glad I was there for all of it!

Get your copy of the Evolve photo book by Chris Smith here. 

Have you ever been to Evolve? Favourite memory? What's your favourite festival moment from this past summer? All time? Let us know in the comments below.

 

 

 

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