Secret Garden 2015 (Media Kit)

8th Octave PR 333 Bay Street, Suite 3600

Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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NEWS RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT

Attention: Music Editors Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR

416-828-0355 Friday, July 3, 2015 [email protected]

Discover Toronto’s secret gardens

A communal festival like no other

TORONTO - Communion Records, a British independent music label, is launching its first ever Secret Garden festival in Toronto. Secret Garden 2015 takes place from July 3-5 in secret locations within the GTA, such as Kensington Market, High Park and Trinity Bellwoods. The festival features prominent local and international singer-songwriters in unique settings. “We have wanted to host this kind of festival in Canada for a long time,” said Ben Lovett, co-founder, Communion Records. “Toronto’s rich blend of culture, diversity and cultivated green space make it the perfect location to host Secret Garden 2015.” Communion co-founders Ben Lovett, Kev Jones and Ian Grimble developed the concept for Secret Garden with the goal of returning true artist appreciation to the forefront of the live music experience. With little distraction, white lights, cushions and blankets, attendees can comfortably soak up the

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sounds of Matt Corby, Ben Howard, City and Colour and many other Canadian and Communion artists. “This is a one-of-a-kind festival for indie music lovers in Toronto,” said Ben Howard, Secret Garden 2015 headliner. “It’s a nice change of pace from the larger crowds that artists are used to playing for. I love the Secret Garden concept because it offers cosy, outdoor environments, with little barrier between performers and listeners.” The three-day festival boasts a colourful roster of indie and folk artists. Each concert has a limited number of tickets and fans must apply for an invitation to each show via e-mail at www.communionmusic.co.uk. The venues, which also include Christie Pits and Ward’s Island, will be announced via email approximately 24 hours before set times.

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About Communion Records Communion Records is a UK-based, independent record label established in London in 2006. Originally founded as a community music night for local West London acts, Communion became a full-service music label in 2010. The label supports diverse artists throughout the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The label prides itself on showcasing artists in smaller, intimate venues where fans feel more engaged in a communal experience.


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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!MEDIA ADVISORY For Immediate Release Attention: Music and Entertainment Editors Monday, June 29, 2015

Launch of Toronto’s first Secret Garden festival

TORONTO – The UK-based Communion Records brings indie music lovers an outdoor festival with a twist. Secret Garden 2015 features local and international artists in intimate venues, which remain undisclosed until 24 hours before show times. Exclusivity is key, as guests apply for tickets via email and are notified of details closer to the date. Secret Garden 2015 aims to restore artist appreciation in Toronto.

What: Outdoor indie/folk music festival featuring artists in cosy garden and park settings. When: Friday, July 3, 2015 from 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.

• Interviews and scheduled photo-ops: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Festival: 1:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Saturday, July 4, 2015 from 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.

• Interviews and scheduled photo-ops: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Festival: 1:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Sunday, July 5, 2015 from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.

• Interviews and scheduled photo-ops: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Festival: 1:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Who: Confirmed acts include: Matt Corby, Ben Howard, City and Colour, Tennis, Gotye, Daughter and Broken Social Scene.

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• Ben Lovett and Kev Jones, co-founders of Communion and members of Mumford & Sons and Bear’s Den, will be available for interviews

Where: Precise locations to be publicly revealed 24 hours prior to stage times. Email [email protected] by Wednesday, June 30 with subject: “MEDIA OP” to receive advance notice. Possible venues include:

• High Park – TTC to High Park Station • Kensington Market – Intersection of College and

Augusta Ave., west of Spadina Ave. • Trinity Bellwoods – Intersection of Dundas St. W and

Ossington Ave. Closest TTC: Ossington Station • Ward’s Island – Toronto Island ferry to eastern end

of Centre Island • Christie Pits – TTC to Christie Station

Visuals: In addition to interviews, media will have the opportunity to photograph the intricate design and elaborate décor of the various stages during set up.

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Media Contact: Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR 416-828-0355 [email protected]


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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FACT SHEET MEDIA CONTACT Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo

Media Relations, 8th Octave PR 416-828-0355

Friday, July 3, 2015 [email protected]

Secret Garden 2015

• July 3-5 at secret locations in Kensington Market, High Park, Christie Pits, Echo Beach, Fort York Garrison Common, Trinity Bellwoods and Ward’s Island

• Applications for tickets are available via email with a strict capacity of 100 attendees at each venue

• Sixty-three per cent of surveyed Torontonians voiced a need for an increase in folk music representation at festivals

• Total of 35 acts over three days

• Merges well-known international and Canadian artists: o E.g. Gotye, Ben Howard, Matt Corby, Toronto’s Trust

and Alvvays, Hamilton’s Melissa McClelland and St. Catharines’ City and Colour

• Creates a serene, ethereal esthetic featuring décor such as twinkling lights, candles, tree lanterns, wind chimes, dream-catchers, etc.

• Food trucks featuring Korean, Tex-Mex, Chinese, Thai and more

• Guests may bring blankets, cushions and foldable chairs to the event

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• Ben Lovett and Kev Jones, co-founders of Communion, will be available for media interviews

Communion Records

• Founded in 2006 by Ben Lovett, Kev Jones and Ian Grimble as a community club night at the Notting Hill Arts Club in London

• Club night featured mostly West London acts

• 2010: Launched as a full-service music label with artists such as Gotye, Daughter, Matt Corby, Bear’s Den, The Staves, Michael Kiwanuka and Ben Howard

• 2011: Launched its first annual music festival, Bushstock. The one-day festival takes place at multiple venues in the Shepherd’s Bush area of West London

• 2012: Advent of Communion USA led to the launch of Communion in the Redwoods, a three-day folk festival in Big Sur, California

• Communion also runs smaller stages at major festivals such as The Great Escape, Camden Crawl, SXSW, Bestival and CMJ

• 2013: Announcement of partnerships with Mumford & Sons "Gentlemen Of The Road" imprint and Island Records

• Communion Presents: Operates as a London promoter in intimate churches with 1000+ cap venues

• Monthly club nights in cities throughout the UK, US, and Australia

o Featured cities: London, Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester, New York City, Nashville, Melbourne and Sydney

• Communion’s social media statistics: o 29,700+ Facebook likes o 14,900+ Twitter followers

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Communion’s Philosophy

• Based on artist appreciation, collaboration and a lack of top management interference

• Ben Lovett, co-founder: “We founded Communion as a way for people to get together and play music without all the hassle of dealing with money-grabbing venue promoters. No matter what the venue size, they’ve always been amazingly intimate occasions.“

• While the label supports big name artists, it chooses to showcase them in smaller, more accessible venues where possible

• Communion does not condone the culture of celebrity and looks at the live music experience as occurring between performers and listeners, not celebrities and fans

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Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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BIOGRAPHY MEDIA CONTACT Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo



BEN LOVETT, Communion Records

Communion Records co-founder Ben Lovett would blush if you called him a musical Renaissance man to his face. The 28-year-old Grammy Award-winning musician, acclaimed producer and record label executive is one of the music industry’s best-kept secrets. It comes as no surprise that Lovett is the creative mind behind Secret Garden.

Lovett founded Communion in 2006 with partners Kev Jones and Ian Grimble. As a producer, he has worked closely on more than 30 full-length albums from Communion artists in the last four years. Lovett helps to plan all Communion events, including club nights, concerts and festivals. He is also responsible for artist management and label partnerships. Apart from his work with Communion, Lovett is a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning British folk band, Mumford & Sons.

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He plays keyboard, piano and sings backing vocals for the band. Mumford & Sons’ first full-length studio album, Sigh No More (2009), won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2011. Their second studio album Babel (2012) received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Outside of Communion, Lovett has produced albums for numerous British folk artists, including Peggy Sue and Simon Felice. He co-produced Ellie Goulding’s critically acclaimed debut studio album Lights (2010), which included a cover of Elton John’s “Your Song”. The track peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Lovett attended Hallfield School in Birmingham before moving to London. He also attended King’s College School in Wimbledon, where he met Mumford & Sons’ lead vocalist, Marcus Mumford. Ben Lovett recently announced his engagement to fashion designer, Jemima Janney. He currently resides in London, UK.

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Image source: http://rockonphilly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/image.jpg


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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BACKGROUNDER MEDIA CONTACT Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo



A summer festival with a secret

You’ve been in the sweaty pit of ravers in Downsview Park for VELD. You’ve felt the sun on your back at Fort York for Field Trip Music & Arts Festival. You’ve cheered for an encore in every venue across Toronto during NXNE. Now, you’re on the hunt for a more intimate and peaceful live music experience. Your favourite blogs have featured reviews of the UK Secret Garden shows, but they’ve always felt light-years away. Then, you learn about Secret Garden 2015 – happening in Toronto. You look through your list of festival expectations. Exclusive? Check. Relaxing? Check again. A festival that celebrates musicianship, not celebrity status? You’re three for three. You sign up for the Communion Records mailing list, waiting to receive more information about Toronto’s Secret Garden festival. The days slip away, inching closer and closer to that first weekend in July. Finally, you receive instructions: The first 100 people to send their names and contact information will receive tickets to headliner Matt Corby’s exclusive Secret Garden 2015 set, location TBA. You waste no time responding, fumbling to spell your name properly. Minutes pass with bated breath until – Congratulations! You’re going to see Matt Corby at Secret Garden 2015! You arrive at the secret location promptly at 7 p.m. You spread your floral blanket out on the grass and chat amongst your friends. The sun has fully set and the outdoor LED lights that

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have been strung across the space are fully lit. The stage is modest, much smaller than any festival you’ve been to before. However, the hanging bunts and leafy Chinese evergreen plants are quaint and somehow familiar. Despite the open space and cool summer breeze, you feel at home. Finally, Matt Corby emerges from behind the red curtains lining the back of the stage. The field you’re sitting in is completely quiet except for the soothing melodies coming from Matt’s guitar. You quietly sing along, looking left and right, until you remember: There are only 99 other people experiencing this right now. There will be no headline tomorrow reading “Records broken at Secret Garden 2015, more than 15,000 attendees.” You’re sharing this once-in-a-lifetime experience with those fans devoted to a simple idea: a secret. You aren’t doused in sweat. There are no people elbowing their way to the front of the stage. You haven’t lost your voice from screaming. There is only you, the musician and the starlight.

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Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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To: Aubrey Jax, Culture & Events Editor, blogTO Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY for Monday, June 29, 2015 – Intimate UK music festival SECRET GARDEN comes to Toronto (PDF attached) Aubrey: For a moment, imagine how you feel when a secret is shared with you. Imagine that warm, fluttery feeling when you alone have access to a tiny morsel of valuable information. A secret inflates the ego, stirs excitement and provides a powerful rush. There’s a reason for the old adage “knowledge is power.” Secrecy is the foundation of Communion Records’ exclusive concert series, Secret Garden. This July, for the first time ever in Canada, Communion will host its three-day festival experience at outdoor venues throughout Toronto. Each concert has a limited number of tickets and fans must apply for an invitation to each show. The venues are announced approximately 24 hours before set times. In this case, secrets do make friends. I think the Secret Garden 2015 story would be perfect for blogTO. Your series on Toronto’s best seasonal festivals has consistently featured the best emerging live music experiences, such as your feature on the Toronto Urban Roots Festival. We would be glad to answer any further questions, or send any additional information you may require. Thank you for your time. Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR 416-828-0355 [email protected]


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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To: Jordan Darville, Head Writer, Chart Attack Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY for Monday, June 29, 2015 – Intimate UK music festival SECRET GARDEN comes to Toronto (PDF attached) Jordan: For years, the Toronto music scene has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible. From Calvin Harris’ closing set at VELD 2014 to Broken Social Scene’s legendary set at Field Trip 2013, Toronto has seen it all. Or has it? Communion Records’ exclusive concert series, Secret Garden 2015 is the game-changer that Toronto has been waiting for. The festival features performances from international and Canadian artists in outdoor venues throughout the city. The catch? Each concert has a limited number of tickets and fans must apply for an invitation to each show. The venues are announced 24 hours before set times. In this case, secrets really do make friends. As the creative force behind Secret Garden and member of the Grammy Award-winning British folk band, Mumford & Sons, Ben Lovett would be a natural fit for your Longreads section. Aside from his Grammy Award and impressive resumé, Ben is a trendsetter in the world of Britfolk. I can assure you that Ben would cooperate fully with any writers or photographers assigned. We would be glad to answer any further questions, or send any additional information you may require. Thank you for your time. Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR 416-828-0355 [email protected]


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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To: Stephen Carlick, Senior Music Editor, Exclaim! Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY for Monday, June 29, 2015 – Grammy Award-winning musician Ben Lovett brings his intimate SECRET GARDEN festival to Toronto (PDF attached) Stephen: Metric. Broken Social Scene. Owen Pallett. Each of these legendary musicians broke out on the Canadian music scene with the help of a live festival experience that no longer exists in the same form today. What is the unknown artist to do? Communion Records’ exclusive concert series, Secret Garden 2015 is the game-changer that Toronto has been waiting for. The festival features performances from international and Canadian artists in outdoor venues throughout the city. The catch? Each concert has a limited number of tickets and fans must apply for an invitation to each show. The venues are announced 24 hours before set times. In this case, secrets really do make friends. As the creative force behind Secret Garden and member of internationally renowned British folk band, Mumford & Sons, Ben Lovett is no stranger to the pressure of the music industry. His rise from a struggling musician to a Grammy Award winner and record label executive is a true Cinderella story. I can assure you that Ben would cooperate fully with any writers assigned. We would be glad to answer any further questions, or send any additional information you may require. Thank you for your time. Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Dylan Doyle & Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR 416-828-0355 [email protected]


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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(Image source: Tessa Kit Zawadzki

(www.facebook.com/tessakitzawadskiphotography)

Winthrop, WA, Australia

Secret Garden creates magic in the moonlight Stages at the festival are elaborately adorned, such as this one from a Secret Garden show in Western Australia. Set designs feature twinkling lights, candles, lanterns and flowing fabric to create an otherworldly atmosphere. Secret Garden aims to sonically and visually entice festivalgoers’ imaginations.

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Friday, July 3, 2015 Contact: Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR

416-828-0355 [email protected]


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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(Image source: Alexander Hedström (www.axelhpage.tumblr.com))

Borlänge, Sweden

Matt Corby plays exquisite and ethereal secret garden Communion Records’ artist Matt Corby is a headliner at Secret Garden 2015. The three-day festival creates a tranquil ambiance, similar to this concert played in Sweden. Attendees will feel at ease in the intimate, outdoor environment.

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Friday, July 3, 2015 Contact: Susan Monyo Media Relations, 8th Octave PR

416-828-0355 [email protected]


Toronto, Ont., M5S 4E1 416-828-0355

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REFERENCES

• Alvi, N. (n.d.). Ben Lovett Interview. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from http://thequarterly.co.uk/features/ben_lovett/

• Harris, S. (2012, March 27). Interview - Ben Lovett of

Communion. Retrieved November 4, 2014, from http://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/interview-ben-lovett-of-communion

• N/A. (n.d.). Communion. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from

http://www.communionmusic.co.uk/

• N/A. (2014, October 24). Communion (music). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_(music)

• N/A. (2013, February 3). Exec Profile: Ben Lovett

(Communion CEO). Retrieved November 3, 2014, from http://musicconnection.com/exec-profile-ben-lovett-communion-ceo/

!• Saunders, H. (2013, September 30). Ben Lovett's Communion

Launches Club Night Series in Nine U.S. Cities. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/09/communion-launches-club-night-series-in-nine-us-ci.html

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Documents

Secret Garden 2015 (Media Kit)