It’s no secret that it’s increasingly difficult to present live music. News headlines are full of cancelled festivals, several of them local. From Salt Spring’s very own SOCS (Summer Outdoor Concert Series), to Rifflandia and Harbour Blues & Roots in Victoria, to Kaslo Jazz Fest and Vancouver Island Music Fest (Courtenay) regionally, to dozens more across the country and continent, the trend is rampant. With rising production costs, lack of available government funding, climate risks, and barriers to artist travel, these grassroots cultural events are sinking beneath their own weight at a time when society may need them most.
Amidst these circumstances, it feels like a small miracle that Salt Spring’s mighty little Convergence Festival is not only on the books, but growing to two full days this year. Started in 2022 by Tommy van Deursen, Convergence was initially conceived as a “parking lot takeover” - an off-the-cuff music festival in an unusual location to …