Over 300 hand-bedazzled hearts sparkle under the lights. Red and white decorations cover every surface. An eight-foot sign towers over the stage. And in the middle of it all, Mercy Funk gears up to give one final, funk-filled farewell to LoveFest.
This February, Crystal Eyo, lead singer, and Angela Proulx, bass player, will host their 10th and final LoveFest at The Aviary. The duo formed Mercy Funk in 2012 and launched the event in 2015. At this year’s LoveFest, Eyo and Proulx will play Mercy Funk original songs, including their just-released single “Follow the Music.” They’ve performed the track live previously, and are excited to have it available on streaming platforms. Eyo and Proulx also have some tricks up their sleeves.
“We have some really fun covers planned that we don’t want to give away, because it’s always a surprise,” Eyo says. “We like to create that ‘Oh my God, that’s my song!’ moment or the ‘I forgot about that song!’ moment.”
Over the years, LoveFest has become more than just a concert — it’s a tradition. For some, LoveFest has even sparked real-life love stories.
“Two of my friends who had never met each other before met at LoveFest — and are now married,” Proulx says.
Even if you’re not looking for a LoveFest love story, you don’t have to stress about finding a plus one.
“A lot of people may be hesitant to celebrate Valentine’s Day or think about Valentine’s Day because they don’t have a partner or someone to celebrate with — part of what LoveFest is is you don’t need that,” Eyo says. “Even if you’re coming solo, just come and have a good time. If you are coming solo, we’ll take care of you. The people there will take care of you. There’s no need to be self-conscious about stuff like that. You might meet your future person and get married.”
“If not, I will personally be your Valentine,” Proulx jokes.
When Mercy Funk reflects on years of LoveFest, the Edmonton arts community stands out.
“Edmonton is full of extremely talented musicians, a lot of whom we’re so privileged to play with, or want to play with us, or agree to play with us,” Eyo says. “The support for the music community and the arts community in general is fantastic in Edmonton.”
“Venues like The Aviary, they’re really the foundation to the music industry in the city. They really give musicians, especially starting out musicians, a place to play, and a leg up… So we’re really thankful for the community who really make that space for independent bands to play, and for the community that comes out to support those bands.”
Though this is the last chance for LoveFest, the duo makes it clear that Mercy Funk is not going anywhere.
“We really want to focus on writing and recording music,” Eyo says. “We spend a lot of time producing it, and we love it, and we love putting on shows for our fans. We want to create music for our fans, and so we want to take the time that we would put into LoveFest, into that.”
The duo hopes to bring that LoveFest energy to their future work.
“LoveFest in particular, it’s a vibe… so we would love to bring that LoveFest vibe to every single show that we do. We want to work to create more memorable moments like we created at LoveFest,” Eyo says. Funk, fun, and farewells — have a final LoveFest fling on February 15.
