Windsor music collective What Doth Life roars back to life this weekend. After a tough year with little to promote, the WDL crew is staging What Doth Life Fest II on Saturday, October 2, at the Windsor Exchange.

"We hemmed and hawed a lot about whether or not we should attempt to do it again this year," WDL cofounder Kiel Alarcon explained.  "But shows have really dropped off in the past year, and I've gone a little stir-crazy without them."

The first What Doth Life Festival was held in 2019 to mark the collective's 10th anniversary. Intended as an annual event, the 2020 edition of festival was canceled due to the pandemic.

But Alarcon and the rest of the WDL crew decided to push ahead this year and put together a smaller festival with eight local bands, including: the Pilgrims, Carton, Derek & the Demons, Chodus, Time Life Magazines and Folquinette.

"All said, even though the festival is much smaller this year, it also feels more personal and meaningful," Alarcon said. "The performers are all fairly tight knit, core What Doth Lifers, so it feels like a way to support each other, too."
The WDL crew made some COVID-era concessions to keep the event relatively stress-free. These include not allowing vendors at this year's iteration of the festival.  And all performances are outdoors, staged just outside of the Windsor Exchange. The promoters also highly encourage masks and vaccinations.
"We invite everyone to join us and let loose and be safe and supportive of each other with this thing," said Alarcon, who also plays guitar with several of the bands on the bill.

What Doth Life Fest II is a free event. For more information, check out WDL's website.