LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rotaryfest Stage 1)

The lineup for this year's Stage 1 lineups at Rotaryfest was quietly posted to their website earlier this week, so what should you know about this year's musical entertainment on the main Clergue Park stage? Taking place over the third weekend of July, this year's lineup is largely a reversion in sound and personnel to the regular covers-centric format on the main stage, with a Woodstock theme clearly touted on Rotaryfest's website to go along with the 50th anniversary of that iconic festival. Might there be an implication for bands to cover a few songs from Woodstock artists this year? That said, the Rewind anniversary theme last year was clearly well received, as there will be select original-centric acts on Stage 1 this year (four by my estimation), which is long overdue to see on the big stage! Only five of this year's bands have played the festival four+ times since 2006, so if you ever complained about the same bands year after year, you may want to pay attention.

After years with a jazz or 1950s-1960s centric lineup, the Thursday, July 18th schedule this year will be more varied than usual, and for the first time I can ever recall, it will feature a hard rock band, namely local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck as the 10:00 PM headliners! This will be their second Rotaryfest set after playing Stage 1 in 2017, and they should end night #1 with a bang next month, so don't miss their return then! Classic/pop rock cover band Encore will co-headline at 9:00 PM, while a one-off Beatles tribute band named Beatles '69 will play at 8:00 PM. Not a Woodstock band, but they are definitely an extremely important part of 1960s rock music, and there's a lot of talented artists involved here! A new local classic rock band named SideFX will make their apparent live debut at 7:00 PM, but many of you've seen them before, as their lineup comprises of 3/4ths of defunct 1960s classic rockers The Peace Vibe alongside Griphook/ex-Gsis Murphy drummer Tony Fabiano.

Note that SideFX have no relation to defunct local hard rock band The Side FX beyond the name. The Thursday lineup will be opened by folk/country veterans The Algo Rhythms at 6:00 PM, who like Encore, are returning to Stage 1 after playing in 2017 and missing last year. Strong lineup of familiar faces, and with a rare bit of Thursday heaviness, so keep this bill in mind! As usual, this is FREE and ALL AGES. See above for more details!

Friday, July 19th's lineup will be headlined at 10:00 PM by country cover quartet Bone Yard in their sixth Stage 1 set of the 2010s, and first since closing the Saturday lineup in 2017. Indie rock solo artist Jesse Merineau and his band will join the small group of acts to perform on both Rotaryfest stages when they play at 9:00 PM, following headlining appearances on Stage 2 in the past two years. Another Stage 2 import will hit the stage at 8:00 PM, namely the surprise reunion of local hard rock veterans Sailor's Tongue, who we last saw on the former Queen Street stage in 2012 & 2013. We're treating this as a one-off reunion (Kyle does still live in the Ottawa area, after all), but it's great to see Sailor's Tongue back with their entertaining and catchy originals next month! Jam rock fan favourites Odd Man Out will return from last year's Rewind lineup with a set at 7:00 PM, just one week removed from their own CD release party.

Reunited hard rock cover quartet Griphook will return to Rotaryfest after a two year absence as the 6:00 PM openers, marking their fifth Stage 1 appearance since 2013, and just their second live set of the year. It's great to see Griphook back at last! Finally, classic rock veterans Mid Life Crysis will return to Stage 1 for the first time since 2016 as the 5:00 PM openers, marking their seventh Stage 1 set on record. Like on Thursday, this is a FREE & ALL AGES lineup, and with a selection of talented original acts to boot, this should be even more attractive to many fans! See above for more details!

And of course, Saturday, July 20th has bands all day, including the return of an out of town tribute band as the featured act at 8:30 PM, namely Toronto-based Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute Green River Revival, a fitting choice for the Woodstock theme & for southern rock fans! Note that this is not the C.C.R. tribute that played at The Canadian a couple of weeks back (that was The Cajun Country Rock Band.) For a fifth straight year, the nominal headliners are not the closing band on Saturday, as local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will play Stage 1 for a second straight year at 10:30 PM. Great to see The Tide back in a prime slot, and hopefully the weather is more cooperative! Sailor's Tongue frontman Kyle McKey will play again at 7:30 PM on Saturday with his Pembroke-based blues rock cover band The Emtees in their local concert debut, while a massive one-off local supergroup called The Woodstock Show will play an extended tribute set to Woodstock artists at 6:00 PM.

I'm not an aficionado of this era of music, but if you love Woodstock, you're in great hands with this ten person collective next month! Kyle McKey will play once more at 5:00 PM in the pop/country rock cover band KT & Kyle with his girlfriend and long-time bandmate KT Antler, who you may recall from their old band KT, Kyle, and The Pocket on Stage 1 from 2012-2014.  Veteran local country musician Mark Tarantini will return with a solo tribute set at 4:00 PM, and after tackling Garth Brooks in 2017, Mark will pay tribute to John Denver alongside a talented backing band including That's Chester alumni. After years as Thursday mainstays, The Northern Jazz Ensemble will surprisingly play at 3:00 PM on Saturday, marking their second straight Stage 1 set after an eight year absence. Young alt-pop rock cover quartet (and Sky's The Limit IV headliners) Lime will make their festival debut at 2:00 PM, while classic rock veterans Obsession will kick off the day at 1:00 PM after missing last year with their 10th Stage 1 set since 2008.

Shockingly, Mustang Heart are not playing Stage 1 this year, ending their lengthy iron man streak dating back at least 15 years, and no bands this year have played three years straight, so is this a new era of sorts? Again, Saturday's lineup is FREE & ALL AGES, and for more details, visit the above links. This should be another exciting music slate at Rotaryfest this year, and with heavy bands each night, more original bands than typical, and some level of Woodstock tributes to take in, there should be lots of entertainment to go around for most tastes! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!