Maritime Countryfest offers up tastes of home
Published Thursday June 4th, 2009
Fourth annual festival will highlight local area performers in favour of out of town acts.
New Brunswick has long been steeped in country music traditions. Our rural communities were once home to hundreds of weekend jam sessions and community dances, where fiddle and guitar-backed voices were sweet and sour. Over time, many of these gatherings eventually faded off into the sunset as new forms of entertainment took over, but through it all, the music has endured.
Next weekend country music fans from all over the province will make their way to the city's downtown as Fredericton plays host to the 4th annual Maritime Countryfest, a true celebration of the province's country music roots.
"This year we're focusing more on our own area talent," said festival organiser Tom Hoyt. "We feel that since we've got so many great performers right in our own backyard, we didn't need to look elsewhere this year. New Brunswick has some really good singers and musicians."
Organizers of any music festival often assume that they need to bring in larger out of town acts for several reasons. Diversity, musicianship, and the branding represented by bigger names often acts as a draw for festival goers. However, this year's Countryfest lineup is 100 percent homegrown yet just as strong as any of the festival's previous line-ups. That speaks volumes about not only the province's flourishing music scene but also the belief and support area residents feel have in their own.
The Divorcees from Moncton will help kick things off on Thursday, June 11. Known for their high-energy performances, catchy licks, and songs about home, The Divorcees are quickly becoming one of Canada's must see country acts. The band's first recording "You Ain't Getting' My Country" earned them an East Coast Music Award for Country Recording of the Year in 2008. Recently, the band released their second CD "Last of the Free Men", recorded in the Tragically Hip's Bathhouse Studio in Kingston, Ontario and the recording is already getting national attention.
Closing off the evening will be another well known Moncton group, 1755. Since forming nearly 40 years ago, 1755 have been hailed by many as one of the first bands to bring much deserved attention to the east coast's vibrant Acadian musical heritage.
"This is a big event for us," said Hoyt. "Having 1755 on the bill this year marks the first time we've been able to represent both of the province's language cultures. This is something we're very proud of and we're pretty excited about this show."
Fredericton's own Mandy Silk and her band Overdrive will join Jimmy Flynn and Mike Bezanson for the Friday evening show on June 12.
"Mike Bezanson is from here in town. He has a few CDs out now and has been getting a fair amount of airplay on NB radio and Mandy's got one of the best voices around. She's a real up and comer and of course everybody knows Jimmy Flynn," said Hoyt.
Flynn has been mixing music and comedy into his legendary shows for over three decades now and is a regular and folk festivals and events around the Maritimes as well as the rest of Canada.
"Saturday night we've got Canadian Idol finalist Casey LeBlanc from Nackawic," said Hoyt. "She'll be performing with her new band Raspberry Sky. We've also got Clay Harrison who was a real diamond in the rough last year. He was on last year's bill and everybody just thought he was tremendous so we're pleased to have him back for another year.
"We'll close out our Saturday night with The Hard Core Troubadours, another great Fredericton band and a favourite at the festival," he said.
The Hard Core Troubadours have been part of the Maritime Countryfest since it started four years ago. Lead guitarist Ross Beckett is honoured to be an annual feature at this hometown event.
"We always enjoy playing Countryfest," said Beckett. "There is really a mix of country music fans that come out each year. We're big fans of older country music, which I think is an important part of any country music festival. Music grows and changes but the roots, the place where it all started, play an important role so we're always there to remind people where today's country came from."
Like Hoyt and the other organizers involved in this year's event, Beckett feels that the wealth of talent found throughout the province is unrivalled in many ways.
"I think there's a great showcase of country music here in the province with a lot of good bands representing all aspects of the genre," he said. "There's outlaw country, which is where our hearts are, new country, and classic, traditional country music all coming out of New Brunswick. I hope the scene continues to grow like it has in recent years with more and more bands taking NB country out across the rest of Canada."
The festival will wrap up on Sunday afternoon with a family show featuring a mix of talent from the New Brunswick Country Music Showcase along with a few very special guests.
"Mayor Woodside will take the stage for a tune and we're also happy to have Brianna Corey share her voice with us," said Hoyt.
At just 12 years old, Corey recently traveled to Calgary to compete as one of 10 finalists in the national Karaoke Star Jr. competition.
Although all seems well as organizers prepare for their fourth edition of the festival, they've certainly had to endure their fare share of bumps and snags along the way. Previous years were met with rain and colder than usual weather but the biggest challenge has been getting area citizens to come out and support the shows.
"We're growing about 15 to 20 percent every year," said Hoyt. "Every year it gets a little bit bigger and a little better well known as people come to embrace what we're doing here."
For more information, visit www.maritimecountryfest.com
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