Dropped Among This Crowd

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Here it is, folks! The inaugural Buffalo GEDFest event! Recorded live at The Caz on October 21st, 2026.

Video available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@datcmediacompany8281

* SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 16TH 2027, BUFFALO GEDFEST YEAR TWO! *

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🎶: THE STRICTLY HIP: https://www.thestrictlyhip.com/

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

🏡 ENTER TO WIN COTTAGE STAY: https://sundanceofblantyrelodgegedfestbuf.cheddarup.com

🎟️ VENUE WEBSITE: thecazbuffalo.com

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

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Follow Sara J:

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Donate to DATC Media Company: https://datcmediacompany.com/support

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Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

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Email: [email protected]

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Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

This week on the show, I'm getting personal and raw about an incredible, whirlwind past year.

It all started with a simple Instagram scroll that led me to GEDFest. From there, life took some massive, unexpected turns—including bringing the event to the U.S. for the very first time, navigating a breast cancer diagnosis, and seeing how every single piece of this journey ultimately tied into a greater purpose.

Despite major and minor pivots along the way, it turned out to be the most seamless event I’ve ever put together. Tune in as I break down the story behind GEDFest Buffalo, the resilience it took to bring it to life, and why this chapter means so much to me.

• The Spark: How a chance discovery on Instagram led to getting involved with GEDFest and planting its roots in the United States.
• Navigating the Unexpected: Opening up about my breast cancer diagnosis and how facing life head-on shifted my perspective on this event and its mission.
• The Power of Community: Why the inaugural U.S. event—benefiting the Breast Cancer Network of WNY—came together so seamlessly, proving that when you're aligned with your purpose, things fall into place.
• Embracing the Pivots: Lessons learned on rolling with the punches, managing large-scale events, and trusting the process.

Video from the event available this Thursday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@datcmediacompany8281

* SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 16TH 2027, BUFFALO GEDFEST YEAR TWO! *

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🎶: THE STRICTLY HIP: https://www.thestrictlyhip.com/

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

🏡 ENTER TO WIN COTTAGE STAY: https://sundanceofblantyrelodgegedfestbuf.cheddarup.com

🎟️ VENUE WEBSITE: thecazbuffalo.com

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

🐟: Swim Drink Fish: swimdrinkfish.ca

Swim Guide: theswimguide.org

🌊: Waterkeeper Alliance: waterkeeper.org

Biinaagami: biinaagami.org

Mark Mattson on Substack: waterkeepermark.substack.com

💜 The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: https://downiewenjack.ca/

Article mentioned in this episode: https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/a-report-from-the-gord-downie-tribute-event-gedfest/#google_vignette

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Email: [email protected]

Book a conversation on "Dropped among this Crowd": https://datcmediacompany.com/contact/ola/services/be-on-dropped-among-this-crowd-podcast

Follow Sara J:

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https://www.instagram.com/sarajachimiak/

Donate to DATC Media Company: https://datcmediacompany.com/support

Join the community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Datcmediacompany/gift

Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

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Follow Sara J:

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Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

I am excited to share a replay of my guest appearance on The School of Hip Podcast!

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For the Season Two kickoff episode of School of Hip (check out the cool new logo!) Chaz n’ Heath talk GEDFest, an annual concert event dedicated to the memory of the late, iconic Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, which raises funds for various charities in the fight against cancer.

Now in its ninth year, GEDFest, which began as a grassroots Calgary event, has blossomed into a 12-city extravaganza with GEDFest gigs across Canada between October 16 and 24, from Vancouver to St. John’s, Newfoundland. The growing festival has even expanded into the United States, with this year’s first American show being held Oct. 21 in Buffalo, New York.

To date, GEDFest has raised $732,000 for cancer charities, and this year they’re aiming to cross the $1M mark!

From its inception, all GEDFest headliners have been bands from the Tragically Hip tribute band community, and that includes Calgary’s Trickle Down, whose drummer just happens to be the founder of GEDFest, and one of this episode’s guests, Keith Dyck. Also joining us is fellow podcaster Sara J. of the excellent Dropped Among This Crowd (DATC) podcast. Sara is the organizer of this year’s Buffalo GEDFest show, featuring highly-in-demand New York Hip tribute act The Strictly Hip.

Talk includes the origins and expansion of GEDFest, the robust and ever-growing universe of The Tragically Hip tribute bands, and a look at an inspired series of Hip-themed mini-shows on Sara’s DATC podcast, Tangentially Hip.

Find School of Hip anywhere you find podcasts! 

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Follow Sara J:

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Donate to DATC Media Company: https://datcmediacompany.com/support

Join the community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Datcmediacompany/gift

Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

-----------

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Follow Sara J:

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Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

💜 The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: https://downiewenjack.ca/

👉 GET TICKETS: https://www.thecazbuffalo.com/shows/ged-fest-26-w-the-strictly-hip-17-oct

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

🎟️ VENUE WEBSITE: thecazbuffalo.com

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

-----------

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Follow Sara J:

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Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

"Do the Work, the Magic Will Take Care of Itself" 

This week on the show, I am deeply honoured to be joined by environmental lawyer, advocate, and co-founder of Swim Drink Fish, Mark Mattson.

In this moving and reflective conversation, Mark opens up about his decades of environmental defense work across the Great Lakes, receiving the prestigious Terry Backer Award from the Waterkeeper Alliance, and how the spirit of Terry Backer influenced his approach to water advocacy.

Mark shares the history and evolution of Swim Drink Fish—from Lake Ontario Waterkeeper to building tools like the Swim Guide (which now covers over 15,000 beaches worldwide) and creating community spaces like the Gord Edgar Downie Pier in Kingston. We dive deep into his close friendship and work with the late Gord Downie, exploring how Gord was far more than a celebrity figurehead: he showed up in courtrooms, collected evidence, rolled up his sleeves in local communities, and rewrote the model for artistic activism.

Finally, Mark discusses cross-border community responsibility, working alongside Indigenous communities, the recent attempts to "rename" Lake Ontario, and what lies ahead as he transitions from President to the Board of Swim Drink Fish, runs for local public office on Wolfe Island, and embraces the joy of the unknown.

"Gord didn't just lend his name to a cause—he showed up in courtrooms, went into communities, collected evidence, and did the hard work. He was a blueprint for what it truly means to care."

Swim Drink Fish: swimdrinkfish.ca

Swim Guide: theswimguide.org

Waterkeeper Alliance: waterkeeper.org

Biinaagami: https://www.biinaagami.org

Mark Mattson on Substack: waterkeepermark.substack.com

👉 GET TICKETS: https://www.thecazbuffalo.com/shows/ged-fest-26-w-the-strictly-hip-17-oct

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

🎟️ VENUE WEBSITE: thecazbuffalo.com

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

-----------

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Email: [email protected]

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Follow Sara J:

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https://www.instagram.com/sarajachimiak/

Donate to DATC Media Company: https://datcmediacompany.com/support

Join the community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Datcmediacompany/gift

Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/

🌊 Swim, Drink, Fish: https://www.swimdrinkfish.ca/

👉 GET TICKETS: https://www.thecazbuffalo.com/shows/ged-fest-26-w-the-strictly-hip-17-oct

💖 DONATE DIRECTLY: https://givebutter.com/gedfest-buffalo-vje1zp/donate

🎟️ VENUE WEBSITE: thecazbuffalo.com

💗 SUPPORT THE CAUSE: Learn more about BCN of WNY at bcnwny.org

📲 FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL:

• Instagram: @buffalogedfest | @gedfest_official | @datcmediacompany

• Facebook: GEDfest Buffalo | GEDfest Official | DATC Media

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Follow Sara J:

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Donate to DATC Media Company: https://datcmediacompany.com/support

Join the community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Datcmediacompany/gift

Now a member of the Boneless Podcasting Network! Check out their library of shows: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/