On today's episode of the Rad Fab, I welcome Ray Gracewood, founder of Area 506 and former LocalFM music director, to chat about the festival's 10 year anniversary.

Check out all things Area 506 here:

https://www.area506.ca/Episode Timeline:

0:00 Ray's history at Local FM

1:15 The resurgence of physical media

4:30 Revisiting the "Seattle North" era of 90s Maritimes music

9:10 The origins and risky beginnings of the Area 506 Festival

12:45 Ray's "punk rock approach" to risk-taking, recalling a memorable SNFU show.

14:00 A look back at Area 506's inaugural festival lineup

16:30 Discussing the importance of francophone representation

21:00 Festival attendance demographics and Area 506's economic impact on Saint John, NB

25:00 The commitment to featuring local bands as openers

30:00 Navigating ticket sales, creating urgency, and the "last-minute town" phenomenon

32:00 The "diabolical" yet beloved tradition of releasing band names one by one

33:30 Positive outlook on Saint John's waterfront development festival riders

38:45 The importance of a strong, trusted production crew for event success

41:00 Final thoughts and a call to action for local residents to support Saint John's growing events and live music scene

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