Its future looked dicey when sponsor The Nerve Magazine folded in December 2007, but the annual Festival of Guns has been reborn as the Nearly Famous Music Festival, and organizers are accepting applications from any and all local music-makers. Promoter Sean McKay of SPM Music has partnered with John Donnelly of Donnelly & Associates to continue the legacy of the seven-year-old festival, which expanded to include 60 acts spread over 11 downtown venues in 2007. Some of last year’s highlights included shows by Parlour Steps, 16mm, the Painted Birds, the Hotel Lobbyists, and Calgarians Hot Little Rocket.

 

“The mandate is the same,” said McKay. “It’s a rock festival. Rock, metal, hardcore, indie, alt-roots. There’s a bigger need for this than ever; there’s a bigger demand for there to be a Vancouver Pop Explosion, if you will. It’s more relevant than it ever was. It amazes me that more people haven’t tried to do something like this. A lot of people look forward to this each year, just to get a snapshot of Vancouver’s underground scene.” The Nearly Famous Music Festival runs from November 13 to 16, with the Hits, Sex With Strangers, and Rat Silo among the acts already on board. For more information, go to www.nearlyfamousmusicfestival.com/.