Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Musicfest Presents Jesse Cook July 19
/Peterborough Musicfest continues its 36th summer season on Wednesday, July 19, welcoming internationally acclaimed Canadian acoustic guitarist Jesse Cook to Del Crary Park.
photo courtesy of peterborough musicfest.
Cook has a resumé of musical milestones and achievements that includes the coveted Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player’s Choice Silver Award, 11 Juno Award nominations and win for 2001’s Free Fall, a Gemini Awar and ten platinum and gold studio albums.
Born in Paris and educated at Toronto’s Eli Kassner Guitar Academy, the Royal Conservatory of Music, York University and the esteemed Berklee College in Boston, Cook’s critically heralded 1995 Billboard charting debut album, Tempest, set him on a trajectory that continues to climb.
Having last appeared at Peterborough Musicfest in 2017, Cook has most recently toured Europe.
For more information on Peterborough Musicfest visit the website.
The Big Bottle of Joy and Five Alarm Funk To Join the Peterborough Musicfest Concert Line Up
/Peterborough Musicfest announces that the 36th summer season of music will include Matt Andersen, fronting his band The Big Bottle of Joy, and Five alarm Funk taking the stage on July 8 and 12 at Del Crary Park.
Multi award-winning Canadian blues guitarist and singer/songwriter Matt Andersen will take the Musicfest stage with his band The Big Bottle of Joy.
The New Brunswick native embarked on his music career more than 20 years ago and has since headlined at major festivals, clubs and theatres across North America, and in Europe and Australia. Along the way, he has shared the stage with the likes of Buddy Guy, Greg Allman, Serena Ryder and more.
Since self-releasing his debut album One Size Never Fits in 2004, Andersen hasn’t stopped writing and recording new music, amassing more 26 million YouTube streams and more than 23 million Spotify listens. His latest album, The Big Bottle of Joy, which he’s touring extensively across North American this year, features songs “infused with raw blues-‐rock, rollicking Americana, thoughtful folk and ecstatic gospel.”
Described as a “sonic and visual assault,” Five Alarm Funk will be coming to Del Crary Park.
Horn powered and percussion fuelled, the two-time Juno Award nominated band is led by singer and drummer Tayo Branston. Five Alarm Funk brings to its live audiences what he terms ‘punk funk’ – a raucous sound accompanied by an equally frenetic stage presence that is near impossible to somehow sit still to.
Dozens of North American tours and hundreds of festival appearances stand as a testament to Five Alarm Funk’s enduring appeal as it marks two decades doing what it does uniquely and so very well.
Check out Matt Andersen and The Big Bottle of Joy and Five Alarm Funk for free on July 8 and July 12 at 8 p.m. at Del Crary Park.
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Peterborough Musicfest Announces Joel Plaskett Fundraiser Performance at Market Hall
/Peterborough Musicfest announces that Canadian singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett will be performing at Market Hall on Feb. 23 as a fundraiser for the 2023 summer concert season.
photo courtesy of peterborough musicfest.
The Nova Scotia native gained traction in the early 1990’s as a member of the alt-rock band Thrush Hermit. Come the new millennium, he started touring under own name back by his band The Emergency. All the while, he has been busy in studio on his many self-produced albums.
Plaskett’s latest recorded project, 44, is described as his “most detailed musical weave” to date. A box set comprised of four 11-song albums connected visually and thematically, the collection serves up an imaginative rumination on slowing down; but still growing up in a rapidly accelerating world.
Plaskett also oversees the console at his New Scotland Yard recording studio in Dartmouth, where he has partnered with Halifax mainstay Taz Records to offer a curated selection of records for music fans.
Accolades have numbered many for Plaskett, a Juno Award recipient who has also been honoured by the East Coast Music Awards, the Canadian Folk Music Awards and Music Nova Scotia. He’s also been shortlisted twice for nomination for a Polaris Music Prize.
Ticket’s for Plaskett’s Market Hall performance can be purchased for $45 at the box office, or ordered online. Proceeds from this event will go directly to Peterborough Musicfest’s 36th season this coming summer in Del Crary Park.
Little River Band Announced as First Performance in Peterborough Musicfest Lineup
/Peterborough Musicfest announces the first date of the 36th summer season in Del Crary Park, welcoming Little River Band to the Fred Anderson Stage on July 26.
photo courtesy of Peterborough Musicfest.
Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1975, Little River Band has recorded 16 studio albums, accumulating worldwide sales in excess of 30 million. Ten singles, including Grammy-nominated Lonesome Loser, made it into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Their single Reminiscing later attained the number three spot in 1978.
Little River Band continues to draw upon the success of a number of other signature hits such as Help Is On Its Way, The Other Guy, Lady, Cool Change and Take It Easy On Me, remaining not only a fan-favourite concert draw but also garnering 1.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
In 1982, Little River Band was the first band to achieve a Top 10 hit for six consecutive years.
Now based in the United States, Little River Band continues an extensive tour schedule, including the Peterborough Musicfest appearance as its lone Canadian stop currently scheduled for 2023.
Over the years, the Peterborough Musicfest stage has seen the likes of many artists and bands representing virtually every genre. Dallas Green, Our Lady Peace, Serena Ryder, Gordon Lightfoot, 54-40 and Blue Rodeo are just a few of the big names Musicfest has hosted.
The diverse lineup of music for 35 summers brings thousands to Del Crary Park, providing an economic boost for Peterborough’s downtown and area tourist attractions.
The Peterborough Musicfest is funded by corporate sponsorships; including many locally owned businesses, support from multiple levels of government, fundraising initiatives and private donations. As a result, Musicfest steadfastly remains a free admission event.
Those interested in sponsoring the festival can email sales@ptbomusicfest.ca or call 705-755-1111.
The Strumbellas Will Rock Out At Del Crary Park On Wednesday Night
/The Strumbellas will take to the stage at Del Crary Park on Wednesday as part of Peterborough Musicfest.
Photo by Luke Best.
Formed in Toronto in 2008, The Strumbellas could easily claim the City of Kawartha Lakes as the place of their birth, with four of its six members – Simon Ward, Jon Hembrey, Darryl James and Jeremy Drury - originally from Lindsay. David Ritter and Isabel Ritchie came into the fold after a Craiglist hunt, and just recently, Jimmy Chauveau was added to the mix after Ward scaled back.
Three years after its debut self-titled EP debuted in 2009, The Strumbellas independently released its debut full-length album My Father And The Hunter, earning a 2013 Juno Award nomination for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year – Group. A year later, The Strumbellas took home a Juno Award in the same category on the strength of its second album We Still Move On Dance Floors.
The Strumbellas’ third studio album, Hope, saw its first single Spirits top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for two weeks and ultimately win the band its second Juno Award in 2017 for Single of the Year. Spirits has since been certified 3x platinum in Canada and Italy, and gold in the United States, France and Belgium. In 2019, a fourth studio album, Rattlesnake, brought forth the singles Salvation and I’ll Wait, followed last year by the release of the single Greatest Enemy.
The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Del Crary Park.
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Peterborough Musicfest Celebrates Ronnie Hawkins Day On Wednesday With Special Tribute To The Late Legend
/Peterborough Musicfest will feature ‘The Last Waltz - A Musical Celebration of The Band’ with a special tribute to the late Ronnie Hawkins, featuring The Weber Brothers and special guests, on what will be Ronnie Hawkins Day in Peterborough, on Wednesday.
Photo by Luke Best.
Hawkins was among a number of artists who joined The Band for their final performance 48 years ago, performing his signature hit Who Do You Love? in rousing support of the musicians that backed him from 1958 to 1963.
Wednesday will celebrate the life and music of Hawkins, who died on May 29, 2022.
Joined by special guests Chuck Jackson, Johnny Max, Matt Weidinger and Quisha Wint, Anderson (piano/vocals) will lead a stellar nine-‐member band featuring Levon Helm’s godson Jerome Levon Avis (drums/vocals).
Also in the mix are Terry Blersh (guitar), Wayne Deadder (bass) and Rob Gusevs (organ), and a stellar horn section comprised of David Dunlop (trumpet), Simon Wallis (baritone sax), Gord Meyers (trombone) and Chris Murphy (tenor sax).
Formed in Toronto in 1967, The Band – Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel – revealed itself as something very special with its critically acclaimed debut album Music From Big Pink.
The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The Last Waltz film, directed by Martin Scorsese, remains celebrated as one of the greatest concert documentaries ever made.
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. a fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
The Spoons To Kick Off Peterborough Musicfest On Canada Day
/Peterborough Musicfest presents Canadian New Wave band The Spoons on Friday at Del Crary Park.
File Photo.
This is the first of 16 free admission performances presented this July and August as part of the concert series’ milestone 35th season.
Since The Spoons last headlined Musicfest in August 2016, the quartet has released a new studio album, New Day New World, as well as two compilation albums – Repeatable 1980-2020 and Echoes.
Friday’s concert will begin at 8 p.m. This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. a fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of weathera cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Hometown PTBO: Peterborough Musicfest General Manager Tracey Randall On Dream Acts Coming to Play in Peterborough
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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Tracey Randall, Peterborough Musicfest general manager about her hobbies, the recently-announced lineup for this year's free concert series and her dream acts to play in Peterborough.
Peterborough Musicfest is Returning as a Drive in Concert
/Peterborough Musicfest is returning with its first ever drive in concert on August 29, 2021.
The Sam Roberts Band has been nominated for fifteen Juno Awards, winning six, including Artist of the Year (2004 and 2009) and Album of the Year (2004). Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Musicfest.
