THUNDER BAY – Deadmau5, one of the biggest names globally in electronic dance music, will headline this year’s Wake the Giant Music Festival.
The Canadian DJ, known without his famous mouse helmet as Joel Zimmerman, has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and won three Juno Awards for his work, which three times landed him atop the U.S. singles dance category, will be joined by X Ambassadors and Australian singer-songwriter Dean Lewis atop the festival bill.
Following last year’s showstopping performance by electronic superstar Steve Aoki, Deadmau5 is another huge get for the event, which was created to help Indigenous students from remote northern communities moving to Thunder Bay to attend Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.
Organizer A.J. Haapa said the festival is making a name for itself in the music industry, which is making it easier and easier to convince like-minded artists to top the bill.
“I think we continue to kind of make waves on the music scene and I think people are kind of talking. I think they’re excited to get involved with this music festival. It’s more than just a music festival, it’s a movement,” Haapa said.
“We’re looking to make some social change, so I think there are a lot of artists who are excited to be a part of this festival and jump on board. We’re super excited to have Deadmau5. We had Steve Aoki last year, who is obviously in the same kind of league, so here we are this year, we’re delivering once again.”
X Ambassadors, who emerged from the Brooklyn indie scene in the mid-2010s, are best known for their global singalong hit Renegades, while Lewis is an up-and-coming artist whose debut album, A Place We Knew, landed him atop the Australian charts and No. 15 in Canada.
His 2018 single, Be Alright, was a top 5 hit across Europe.
There’s also a huge Indigenous presence on the bill, including Ruby Waters, Mattmac, a blind music producer and rising pop-trap star and Lake Helen Frist Nation’s Sara Kae, who grew up in Thunder Bay and is best described as a adult contemporary singer-songwriter who infused authentic Indigenous sounds in her songs.
She’ll be working with students on a song they’ll create together and perform on stage at the Wake the Giant Music Festival.
Sagatay, who hail from Big Trout Lake make a return to the festival after a thrilling Year 2 performance, and the Thunder Spirit drummers will also perform.
DFC student Breanne Meekis said the festival is important for the students because of the sense of welcoming it brings to teenagers living far from home.
“And it’s a really great way to kids inspired to come out to high school, because it is a big event. The festival is the one time of year we can stay out past curfew. It’s a very big thing to look forward took,” said Meekis.
Tickets are expected to go fast in 2023. Last year’s event saw more than 6,500 head to the festival site at Prince Arthur’s Landing, and even more are projected to attend on Sept. 16, the culmination of the three-day event which also includes workshops and an Amazing Race-style competition for students at the school.
“The best way you can get a hold of those suckers is to go to www.wakethegiant.ca.
Tickets, which are on sale now, will be sold in tiers, starting at $105. A limited number of VIP tickets will also be sold.
Children 11 and younger can attend the festival for free, but must have an admission ticket. Paid-for tickets will be required for all ages in the VIP area.
