George Thorogood And The Destroyers Concert Announced For Peterborough

The Peterborough Memorial Centre has announced that George Thorogood And The Destroyers are coming to Peterborough for an in-person concert on May 14, 2022.

Since 1976 George Thorogood and the Destroyers have played over 8,000 live shows and sold over 15 million albums. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Tickets for the Good To Be Bad: 45 Years of Rock tour will go on sale Thursday and can be purchased on the Memorial Centre website, or by calling 705-743-3561.

PMC Scoop members will be eligible to purchase pre-sale tickets exclusively online on Wednesday.

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Irish Millie Brings a New Generation to Celtic Music

Ameilia Shadgett is breaking the age barrier of Celtic music and bringing the culture to people of all ages.

Thirteen by Irish Millie. Cover art done by Barking Pixel Design Co. Photo Courtesy of Irish Millie.

The 14-year-old, known as Irish Millie, released her first album titled Thirteen in May.

Recording an album has been a dream of hers for a long time but it took time to get the ball rolling.

While playing at a local farmer’s market, Gregory Pastic from LaunchPad Records approached Millie and her dad Murray with hopes to record an album. Her dreams came true when the pandemic hit and she had more time to focus on her music.

“It feels like I’m stepping up a bit and getting a little bit bigger,” she said. “When I would listen to my favourite artists on Spotify I’d think ‘I want that for myself and the fact that that has happened — I’m overjoyed.”

Now Millie and her dad spend their time playing gigs at local venues. While most of the crowd is often much older than Millie, she says her friends are a great support and she hopes that more young people will come to realize just how fun Celtic music can be.

Millie says she feels fiddle music is often directed at people older than herself and she wants to change that.

“It’s a very cool culture and a very diverse community of people that are involved in this kind of music,” she said. “I don’t think a lot of younger people realize that until they’ve heard it.”

The music Millie plays makes her feel empowered and she wants anyone that listens to feel the same.

“I want everyone to understand why I love it.”

Irish Millie is playing at The Blackhorse Pub on July 7 and 21 at 6:00 p.m.

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Local Band Returns to the Stage Opening for Big Wreck at PTBOLive Drive-In Concert

It was a long absence of playing live shows due to the pandemic for Heaps but they made a return in a big way, opening for Big Wreck on Friday.

(From left to right) Warren Frank (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Tanner Paré (drums), Freddy Kwon (lead guitar and backup vocals) and Nathan Truax (bass). Heaps had shared stages with bands like Hollerado, The Sheepdogs and The Trews. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Both bands performed at the PTBOLive drive-in concert series at the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot on Friday.

The Peterborough/Lindsay-based band felt playing a live show again was a breath of fresh air since musicians and people had the urge for live concerts.

“It feels so great to be playing shows,” said Warren Frank, Heaps’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “It’s been a really long time since September of 2020 when we last played.”

While Heaps has shared the stage with well-known bands like Hollerado, The Trews and The Sheepdogs, they have not taken for granted the opportunities they have been given.

“(It’s) Pretty great opening for bands bigger than us, giving us new exposure and a new audience,” said drummer Tanner Paré.

“Some nights you don’t want to play any shows but now that we’ve had a year where it was all taken away, we’re not taking it for granted for a minute,” said Frank.

The timing for the band performing live concerts could not be better since Heaps were promoting their latest album “What Is Heaps” released less than a year ago.

The album contains 11 songs with featured title tracks such as “You Were There” and “Get It Back”.

After the show, the band said they are booking shows and plan to play at Algonquin College later this month.

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Local Country Artist To Release Upcoming Album While Reflecting Recent Success

It has been a long 13 years of being in the country music business but Peterborough’s Elyse Saunders displays the evolution of her career with a new single for her upcoming album released this fall.

Saunders is the current Country Music Association of Ontario Artist of the Month for June, one of seven new finalists in the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase and was a top five finalist in CBC Music’s 2021 Searchlight competition. Photo Courtesy Of Liz Rosa Photography.

“Sunshine State Of Mind” is Saunders’s latest song that debuted in mid-May and one of three singles — “Free” and “Wine Down” as the others — that have been released for her upcoming album “Free”.

Co-written by Saunders and T.J. Simpson, this was the first single since being nominated for Female Artist of the Year and Rising Star of the Year by the Country Music Association of Ontario.

“Sunshine State of Mind” was meant to radiate joy, summer adventure and sunny escapism according to Saunders.

“We wrote it before the pandemic shut down,” she said. “It would be so nice to get away. We wanted the song to be everything people wanted to think of when they go on a tropical vacation. We also wanted that message to be on vacation no matter where you are.”

Her newest album is a culmination of what she learned in the music business and how she has grown since starting her music career in 2008.

Since 2020, the Peterborough country singer has gained a list of achievements and awards such as Video of the Year at the 2020 Mississauga Music Awards with “Free”. “Wine Down” had 100,000 streams across Spotify and Apple Music, 46,000 YouTube views with two Country Music Association of Ontario nominations.

“I’ve come into my own in the last year and a half and two years that I’ve gotten to this point feeling confident,” explains Saunders. “I feel like music has made me stronger and made me the best version of myself. It forces me out of my comfort zone so you become pretty fearless and unstoppable.”

”Sunshine State of Mind” has over 68,000 views on Youtube to date since premiering on May 15. Photo Courtesy of Elyse Saunders Jasper Anson.

Saunders reflects on growing up in Peterborough and the surrounding area with how it influenced her to become a country music singer.

The music star has lived in Keene, River Road South just outside of Peterborough and spent a lot of time with her grandmother who lived in the countryside.

“When I talk about Peterborough, a lot of my music reflects that,” said Saunders. “‘Free’ was inspired by my youth, being free of responsibility. It’s nice to come home to Peterborough.”

When asked about her end goal with country music, she wants to go as far as she can with her career.

“I imagine myself as an international artist,” said Saunders. “It’s about finding the right team doing whatever we can together. It’s an amazing gift to be able to have and sharing my music is always exciting to see.”

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PTBOLive Kicks Off Summer Concert Series With Opening Night

The PTBOLive Summer Concert Series opened its 20-show series at the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot Friday night.

Jeremy Giles, Market Hall Manager Chad Hogan, Coun. Keith Riel and Emily Martin on the Enbridge Energy Stage during setup of the opening night. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Kicking off the series is Classic Albums Live performs Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon on the Enbridge Energy Stage.

“We’ve got a local stage, local production crew, a local food truck and local artists on the state throughout the summer as well,” said Jeremy Giles, PMC facility manager. “It’s really a good local feel and it’s nice to do this for the community.”

The Enbridge Energy Stage at the PMC parking lot. Two digital screens accompany the stage at each side. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Concert-goers attend the show in their parked vehicles in front of the stage to comply with COVID-19 health protocols.

The series is a collaboration presented by Peterborough Memorial Centre, Showplace Performance Centre and Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.

“We haven’t done anything for live music in a long time,” said Emily Martin, Showplace general manager. “Having an outdoor event is really easy to do in terms of being able to bring large numbers of people together.”

“The city has been waiting for something like this,” said Councillor Keith Riel. “It’s a night for the family and I think people need a break.”

Pink Floyd is one of three Classic Albums Live performances of PTBOLive. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Memorial Centre.

The following is the current lineup of the series:

• June 25 Classic Albums Live performs Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

• June 26 The Jim Cuddy Band with special guest Express & Company

• June 27 Splash N Boots

• July 2 Big Wreck with special guest Heaps

• July 9 The Reklaws with special guest Jesse Slack

• July 10 The Trews with special guests Adam & Cale Gontier from Saint Asonia

• July 16 Classic Albums Live performs Led Zeppelin's Zeppelin II

• July 19 “The Father” Drive-in movie night

• July 23 Chad Brownlee with special guest SJ Riley

• July 24 Drive’N Queens, Peterborough’s first-ever drive ‘n drag show

• Aug 7 Shaun Majumder with Ali Hassan

• Aug 14 Sinatra with Matt Dusk

• Aug 15 Mini Pop Kids Live

• Aug 16 12 Mighty Orphans Drive-in movie night

• Aug 20 Classic Albums Live performs The Beatles' Abbey Road

• Aug 27 Jackson Delta with Emily Burgess & The Emburys

Tickets are on sale now at the PMC’s website or by phone at (705) 743-3561.

Tickets range from $100 per vehicle to $200 per vehicle plus fees (vehicle occupancy must be in accordance with the highway traffic act.) Fans are encouraged to get their tickets early as space is limited as stated in the press release.

Food is available on site but guests are permitted to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks for the event.

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Hometown PTBO: Sam and Ryan Weber Explain Peterborough's Musical Influence and Their Newly Released Album

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday music duo Sam and Ryan Weber of The Weber Brothers about growing up as musical talents in town, the influential music scene of Peterborough and about their newly released album: Choose Your Own Adventure.

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Local Musician Goes Viral With Golf Parody Song

What was supposed to be a fun video shared around friends and family has become viral with almost 80,000 Youtube views in less than a week for musician Chad Driscoll since its release on Sunday.

The song, “Ontario, Let Me Go (Play Some Golf)” is a parody of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.

The viral video is about typical golfer experiences and how they cannot golf under the unexpected shutdown extension. Ontario had prohibited golf and other outdoor recreational activities under the new restrictions on April 16.

Driscoll has received massive support and positive reviews from viewers and golf courses extending as far as Ottawa.

“A lot of golf courses have been reaching out and thanking me for the song and stuff which is kind of funny,” he said.

Driscoll released his first album, Unreliable Instincts back in 2011. Photo Courtesy of Chad Driscoll.

The lyrics and recording took roughly an hour. Using John Denver for a parody was a decision that organically happened and was recognizable by all ages according to Driscoll.

He wrote the song as a way to relate his golf experiences with others and express his grief for the sudden decision of not being able to play.

“Talk to any golfer, they’re really frustrated and it’s something that we can all resonate with,” said Driscoll. “I’ve been golfing since I was a kid. It’s been a big part of my life.”

Driscoll attended St. Peter’s Secondary School in Peterborough. Photo Courtesy of Chad Driscoll.

People are looking for things to do during the pandemic and restricting something that is safe can get mentally taxing according to Driscoll.

“It was such a great way to get out of the house,” he said. “It felt normal out there. You didn’t have a mask on and you were six feet away from each other. When they closed, I was really bummed.”

Driscoll’s first live singing performance was when he was 10 in 1991. He participated in the” Nintendo Search for the Stars” singing contest placing second at Lansdowne Place.

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Additional Act Announced for Peterborough Summer Concert Series

Canadian Country Sensation Chad Brownlee will be playing the Enbridge Energy Stage at the Peterborough Memorial Centre for the PTBOLive Summer Concert Series on July 23.

Chad Brownlee is known for several hit songs such as “Dear Drunk Me”, “Forever’s Gotta Start Somewhere” and “The Way You Roll”. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Local artist SJ Riley willl perform on stage the same night as Brownlee.

The series will accompany other concert dates that feature acts such as The Trews and Big Wreck. The former will have special guests and former frontman Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier and cousin Cale Gontier, bassist for Art of Dying.

Actor and comedian Shaun Majumder — known for his work on YTV and “This Hour Has 22 Minutes — will kick off the first date for Jun. 4 with special guest and fellow comedian Ali Hassan.

Other acts include Splash’N Boots, Jim Cuddy Band and a Classic Albums Live night with Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00 a.m. online or by phone at (705) 743-3561. The exclusive pre-sale for PMC Scoop members happens Wednesday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is only available online.

Tickets range from $125 per vehicle to $225 per vehicle plus fees (vehicle occupancy must be in accordance with the highway traffic act).

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Hometown PTBO: Melissa Payne Talks About Her Music Origins, Music Highlights and #StillHerePTBO

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with local musician Melissa Payne about how she learned music, highlights of her music career, #StillHereptbo​ and finishes out with a song where Pete may or may not backup sing.

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New Live Summer Concert Series Coming to Peterborough

The Peterborough Memorial Centre, Showplace Performance Centre and Market Hall Performing Arts Centre are excited to announce the creation of the PTBOLive Summer Concert Series on Monday.

The new venture is a three-month-long live concert series that promises to showcase and celebrate the local music scene of Peterborough as well as offer the community a variety of live entertainment options in a safe and fun format.

The coalition of live music venues is excited to be able to offer the return of live music and will be rolling out event announcements throughout the day on April 12 as well as further announcements throughout the coming months according to a press release.

Tickets for all events will be on a per car basis and will be sold through the PMC’s Grant Thornton Box Office or by phone at 705-743-3561.

PTBOLive is a unifying effort of the three major live entertainment venues in Peterborough and a project that came to fruition as a result of tireless teamwork and collective problem solving.

“We are so thrilled by the opportunity to offer the Peterborough community a chance to attend real, live entertainment once again. The mandate of our organizations (PMC, Showplace and Market Hall) has always been to bring the best entertainment to the City of Peterborough and being able to continue that work through the pandemic while giving event attendees a safe and fun space to come to is a great honour,” says PMC Facility Manager Jeremy Giles. “Working with our incredible partners at Showplace and Market Hall is really helping us engage the local music scene in a big way and we can’t wait to have everyone back on site this summer! For the first time since last fall, we can finally say, Live Entertainment is back in Peterborough!”

"Showplace is excited to be working with Market Hall and the Memorial Centre to help bring live performances back to Peterborough this summer,” states Showplace General Manager Emily Martin. “Thanks so much to the City of Peterborough for supporting this great initiative and inviting us to take part!"

“We are thrilled to be working with Showplace & The Memorial Centre to bring shows back to the community. It’s been a long year for everyone and we can’t wait to experience the pure joy that is live music,” adds Market Hall General Manager Chad Hogan.

Individual shows will be announced throughout the day on April 12 and throughout the summer as more show information becomes available. All tickets will be sold as a per vehicle price with no venue imposed restrictions on vehicle capacity. Ticket prices will vary per event.

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