Inspired by one of The Tragically Hip’s final concerts, GEDfest founders Keith Dyck and Julie Johnson embarked on a mission of giving through music.
By Eula Mengullo
On August 1, 2016, Julie Johnson and Keith Dyck saw The Tragically Hip perform the first of their final two Calgary concerts. It was a bittersweet night as, a year later, the band’s vocalist, Gord Downie, passed away from glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. The Calgary couple were longtime fans of the band, and that evening inspired them to find a way to commemorate Downie’s musical legacy while raising funds for cancer research.
“After that concert, it really sparked us to think about ways that we could honour the legacy of Gord Downie and the music of The Tragically Hip,” shares Johnson. “To bring people together and raise money for cancer research and to keep his legacy alive.”
In 2018, Johnson and Dyck hosted their first annual rock concert and music festival, now known as GEDfest (GED stands for Gordon Edgar Downie). Today, this one-day charitable celebration is hosted across Calgary and Edmonton along with Kelowna. The event is headlined by The Tragically Hip tribute band called Trickle Down, for which Dyck is the drummer.
Speaking about their motivation to give back to different cancer-related initiatives across the country, including the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the founders emphasize contributing to the community, no matter how small.
“Part of the motivation is to simply lead by example,” says Dyck. “In the community, everyone can do something, and this is our something.”
“Inspiring others to make a difference too, in whatever grassroots way that people are able to,” Johnson adds. “Just coming to GEDfest, you might be standing beside someone who has faced cancer. That support is meaningful and does not necessarily have to translate to giving a dollar; it can be just giving your presence in support of someone else who’s gone through or going through a cancer journey.”
Dyck and Johnson aspire to one day host the concerts simultaneously across different major Canadian cities while continuing to raise funds for local cancerrelated charities. “We’d like to arrive at something similar to the Terry Fox event that happens every year, on a similar day, for a similar cause,” says Dyck. “That’s what we had in mind when we set about trying to put this together.”
The core of GEDfest includes preserving Canadian music traditions to be enjoyed by future generations. “Keeping the [work going] against cancer, including Gord Downie’s life and legacy at the forefront, is the key to GEDfest, but keeping Canadian music traditions alive is another big part,” Johnson says.
“We’re hoping that through GEDfest, not only will we raise money and bring awareness to cancer, but also raise awareness for Gord Downie’s desire for a more unified Canada and keep his legacy alive for the next generation.”
