Revelree Music Festival invaded Sarnia’s Canatara Park for their Third Annual music festival on July 19 & 20. The event took place over 2 days and featured 10 acts ranging from progressive rock to modern country.
However, the festival begins long before the actual weekend with their Road to Revelree competition shows. These 4 pre-event nights allow local, up & coming acts to showcase their talents & vie for a spot in the line-up. After each pre-show, a live fan vote is taken and the 2 overall winners of these road shows are given the open slots each night at the festival. "Revelree Entertainment is committed to giving the fans major touring artists, but also to showcasing the incredible talent of emerging artists everywhere," says festival director Scott Palko. "Road to Revelree allows bands to take the stage in hopes of earning a lineup spot, but it also allows them to win over new fans, promote their sound to new audiences, and produce some sales of their music & merch."
This year’s winners were Kitchener’s new lady of rock Avalone Stone opening up on Friday and Sarnia’s hometown boys Strange Times on Saturday.
Mother nature was very co-operative and the weekend also featured some fantastic weather.
Following Avalone on Friday was Indie-pop star Loviet of Toronto, fresh off an appearance at the Lollapalooza Festival in the USA. Recently nominated for the SiriusXM Top of Country award, Teigen Gayse had the audience on their feet and singing along to a medley of hits.
...every strike of the piano keys was crystal clear and his voice sounded like the fans were listening on CD instead of live.
As the sun began to set, the proud boys of Canadian rock The Trews hit the stage and they did not disappoint. Over the next hour, the audience was treated to every hit in their library, unbelievable sound, and an energy level I rarely see on stage these days. John-Angus McDonald was ripping on his guitar, even venturing out twice into the crowd as brother Colin belted out the lyrics in perfect tune.
Guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik and bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, better known as the GOO GOO DOLLS, closed out the first night. Unfortunately, the same energy level wasn’t there, but the crowd hung in until the last notes of “IRIS” filled the air and the lights went down on truly a magnificent evening.
Round two started fast-paced with Strange Times hitting the stage with a fast & furious set. The boys were fired up to play in front of their hometown, and they didn’t disappoint.
Buck Twenty duo Mike Ure from Harrow, Ontario & LaSalle’s Aidan Johnson-Bujold were next to take the stage. With their unique sound and high energy, they showed why they have been honored with numerous music industry awards. Their current hit “All I Can Do” has cracked into the Top 40 on the Billboard Charts in Canada.
From a male duo to a female trio, next up was The Castellows and their neo-traditional brand of country tunes. Unlike the previous male duo, The Castellows are all sisters and feature Ellie on lead guitar, Powell on banjo, and Lily on vocals. They recently released their debut album *A Little Goes a Long Way*, featuring songs written entirely by the band themselves.
Grammy Award nominee Gavin DeGraw grabbed his spot on the stage, delivering a setlist of his older hits blended with some newer tracks. These elicited a tsunami of crowd sing-alongs and volumes of screaming female fans at a sound level you usually only hear at much larger arena shows. Hats off to the sound crew, as every strike of the piano keys was crystal clear and his voice sounded like the fans were listening on CD instead of live.
The tsunami wave reached its peak as Brett Young walked out on stage to close the day and the festival. His CALIfornia meets NashVILLE, aka “Caliville,” sound is definitely unique and warmed the hearts of everyone in attendance. He ran through an extensive playlist of singalong hits like “In Case You Didn’t Know,” “Dance with You,” “Sleep Without You,” and “You Didn’t,” a pretty not-in-love song about being in love with someone who doesn’t love you back.
As the night closed and this year’s festival drew to a close, Palko exclaimed that, "we wanted to create a summer weekend this year filled with memorable performances, special moments, and memories," and they certainly did!
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