Being able to see music live in a bar is one thing, but to be able to experience local music outside in an energetic, dazed frenzy is an entirely different animal, and the local music collective behind the Beach Station Blues compilation series, Real Love Winnipeg, aims to do just that. In the vein of Rainbow Trout and your grandparents’ Folk Fest, the three day Real Love Summer Fest goes live from June 6-8 in Matlock, featuring local bands from the Winnipeg underground and presenting them in an above ground campground setting for all to see.

“Putting on a festival is something I have wanted to do since I was in junior high,” says Gilad Carroll, one of the co-founders of Real Love. “Real Love Fest came about when our good friend (musician) Micah Erenberg offered to host the fest at The Flying Bison Ranch in June in Matlock. We had a lot of interest for Beach Station Blues III album from bands so the festival became the natural and most fun way to showcase as many of our favourite musical acts as possible.

“The aim of Real Love is to grow our favourite Winnipeg bands,” he continues. “We want to be able to share the music that we like and the experience of being at an amazing show with as many people as we can.”

For a mere $20, you can camp for the entire three days, and absolutely everyone is more than welcome.

“We are hoping that we will not only get campers from Winnipeg coming out but also families and everyone who lives around the Interlake area,” he says. “We are promoting the festival in Winnipeg Beach and Gimli as well, so we are hoping we will get some locals to come and enjoy the music.”

Featuring such diverse acts as accordionist Ingrid Gatin, indie-troubadour Slow Leaves, angry young men Animal Teeth and mood-mopers Bear Clones, the fest will even include Ukrainian dance and a slew of unique local vendors.

“We are pleased that Golden Boy Hot Sandwiches, which is a new food truck in the city will be at the festival all weekend,” Carroll says. “They even named a sandwich for us called the ‘Beef Station Blues’. You will also be able to enjoy fresh lemonade, homemade baking, and tons of cool local art, crafts, and charm makers. We have our creative team currently working on some special surprises for the campsite as well.

“We hope that people will have found their new favourite band, met some new friends, seen some wonderful art and got a sweet tan. We want people to be counting down the days until next year’s fest.”

Check out reallovewpg.com or like them on Facebook for more information about Real Love Summer Fest and the Beach Station Blues compilations.