LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rotaryfest Stage 1!!)

The lineup for this year's Rotaryfest stages has been unveiled via the festival's Facebook page yesterday, so what should you know here? As best as I can tell, nothing has changed in terms of staging/locale for the musical entertainment at Clergue Park over the July 20th weekend, with three nights of covers-leaning bands playing at Stage 1 in front of the library and two nights of blues and original indie/alternative bands respectively playing at Stage 2 beside the art gallery. To both give it separate focus and to let more time accumulate re: gathering info on some acts, we'll likely be touching on the Stage 2 lineup tomorrow. Unlike last year (so far?), organizers haven't posted Facebook event pages for each individual band playing this year, but the write-ups on those will eventually be seen in the program when that is released. Twenty acts are scheduled for Stage 1 next month, so who all is playing?

Just to clarify, the schedule release did not include set times, so the times listed here are based on last year's bill (which also had 20 bands) and what bands publically said on their own. Starting on Thursday, July 18th, that day's shorter program will see four returning acts from prior installments, with classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations co-headlining in the likely 8:00 PM slot in their second Rotaryfest appearance! Good to see them back after their festival debut last year, so don't miss out! That night's headliners at 9:30 PM are local Abba tribute band Abba Soo (who closed the Thursday bill last year also), and they will be joined by country singer Brendan Hodgson (in his fourth straight Stage 1 set) at 7:00 PM and a reunion of local nine-piece 1970s soft rock cover band Pegasus at 6:00 PM, in their third appearance at the modern festival, though they're the only Thursday band that didn't play last year.

As usual, Rotaryfest Stage 1 is FREE & ALL AGES. Not the heaviest lineup going, but Generations will deliver the rock on this night, so keep it in mind as you plan your schedule of events at the Sault's Summer Festival next month! Visit the above links for more on the Thursday program!

With only one touring tribute band this year, the Friday, July 19th program reverts to an all local lineup in 2024, but four of that day's six acts are making their festival debuts. The advertised headliners are local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck in their first Rotaryfest appearance since 2019 and third total. It is nice to see the guys back, and hopefully their hard rocking & occasional country covers find a solid audience in the presumed 10:20 PM slot! That day's other returnee is local/Barrie alternative hard rock solo musician Mike Haggith in his third straight Stage 1 appearance, and this has to be seen as a make-up date for him after his freak knee dislocation during his Thursday opening set last year. Fingers crossed that nothing screwy happens in Mike's return to Clergue Park next month! Mike will be opening on Friday the 19th, likely at 5:00 PM, with the four interim bands all being newcomers to Rotaryfest.

In descending chronological order, these bands are rock cover quartet Westridge at 9:00 PM, new local Tragically Hip tribute band The Luxury (featuring Tripod The Dog and Late Shift alumni) at 8:00 PM, new pop rock cover band The Rhythm Junction (a side project of fellow newer power blues band The Eight Seventies) at 7:00 PM, and local classic rock duo Frankly Speaking (billed as "Frank & Frank") at 6:00 PM. A lot of talent from those four groups, if not overly heavy between them, and I'm very surprised that Frankly Speaking haven't played Stage 1 before! Like on Thursday, this is FREE & ALL AGES, so see above for more details on what to expect that night on the main stage!

As usual, the Saturday, July 20th bill is the longest of the weekend, and once again, a touring tribute band will be the featured act that night, but not the closing band. This year's touring attraction is Sound Of Sting, a Southern Ontario-based tribute band to Sting and The Police. I'm not a big Sting fan, but they do have the sound down, so if you are, you'll get your money's worth that night for their presumed 8:30 PM set! This year's closing band is actually local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down in their second Rotaryfest appearance but first since Beej Syrette came on board, and what a way to make their encore! They'll likely be on at 10:30 PM. Further down, fellow 2023 newcomers The Way Backs will bring their classic rock covers back to Stage 1 at 7:15 PM, preceded by classic rock veterans RPM (in their third straight Rotaryfest set and fourth total) at 6:15 PM.

Alternative/punk cover sextet Bookclub will return from 2023 with a set at 5:15 PM, preceded by the sixth Stage 1 appearance by veteran classic rock trio Flathead Ford at 4:15 PM. Newer local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will play Rotaryfest for the first time at 3:15 PM, while the 2:15 PM slot belongs to Steel Rock, who happen to be the new Mustang Sally-esque student rock band from Superior Heights Collegiate! Read more on the high school's theatrical performance program (including Steel Rock gigs) at this link. I like that Superior Heights has something like this now, and it's too bad that Bawating didn't in my day! The Northern Jazz Ensemble will play the modern Rotaryfest for the fifteenth time since 2001 (by far the most of any act this year) and sixth in-person year in a row at 1:15 PM, while the opening band at 12:00 PM on Saturday the 20th is pop rock cover quartet Lime in their third Stage 1 set after skipping last year.

Once again, this is FREE & ALL AGES. Conspicuous by their absence this year are recent regular bands like Mustang Heart (due to an in-band health issue), That's Chester, The Wyld Stallyns, Bone Yard 225, and Mid Life Crysis, among others, but this year's lineup is mostly newer groups. If you complained about the same bands being booked every year, you'll like that only four bands this year played at three or more Stage 1s in the past, and most were not seen here before 2023, so there should be a lot of solid and fresh music to take in next month! Visit the above links for much more on the musical and non-musical entertainment at Rotaryfest this year, and look for our Stage 2 lineup coverage next! Thanks everyone!