This past Saturday (Aug. 20) I had the pleasure of attending a revitalized festival near my hometown of Bowmanville, Ontario. The neighbouring town of Orono played host to CAMfest, a day long festival celebrating arts and music in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario. The daytime stage played host to many wonderful local bands, while the evening stage played host to three of Canada’s finest international acts. Local artists and chefs were front and centre as well, as there was a large section of the fairgrounds dedicated to artisans displaying their works and a wide variety of locally produced food items.
The evening portion kicked off with Bowmanville’s own Mark Sullivan, an internationally acclaimed instrumentalist. Sullivan, who now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, was backed by two wonderful musicians Caroline Leahy, from the infamous Leahy Family, and Andrew Hayhurst, who is a fine guitar player and vocalist. Sullivan’s hour-long mostly instrumental set was a wonderful kickoff to a great evening and was the perfect showcase of the diversity of Americana/Canadiana music that exists on both sides of the border. Mark Sullivan is a world-class violinist and fiddle-player who is worthy of your time when the opportunity presents itself.
Next up in the evening was an artist that I grew up listening to on Canadian country-radio as a kid. A legend in the music business, he is no stranger south of the border. Singer-songwriter Murray McLaughlin has been writing and performing on an international stage for over 40 years. When it was announced he was coming to Orono, I was very intrigued. When Mr. McLaughlin took the stage, it was like listening to an old friend in your living room telling stories about his life. His opening number “Don’t You Want to Have Some Fun” was brilliantly descriptive as he painted a vivid picture of places and locations in the city of Toronto, where I grew up. The small but appreciative crowd revelled in the many stories McLaughlin told of his songwriting exploits over the years. My particular favorite was the story of a great song of his that was to appear on an album of Kathy Mattea’s a few years ago but was subsequently cut when the record label executive felt that the subject matter wasn’t commercially appropriate. Nice to see that some things are consistent in the music business (said with tongue firmly in cheek). Anyway, the song was called “Try Walking Away” and it received new life as Murray McLaughlin’s version of the song would play at Toronto Blue Jays games whenever a walk was issued. The first new album in ten years will be coming out in the near future, and Mr. McLaughlin gave us a wonderful preview with what should be a single at radio, “Picking Up Mary Lou.” The show was a wonderful performance delivered by a music veteran, a true legend in the music business.
The final performers of the weekend are no strangers to the Americana/Canadiana music scene. Yep Roc recording artists, The Sadies, have been around for several years now with an ever increasing following. The two front men of The Sadies, Dallas Good and Travis Good are world class musicians who completely dominate the stage with their musicianship and vocal harmonies. I have heard of The Sadies and their reputation as a live act. All I can say is, they appear as advertised. A world class band who is reinventing the psychedelic-rockabilly sound and delivering it to new and loyal audiences in scorching fashion. Mixing a blend of instrumentals with vocal performances, The Sadies played one of the best shows I have seen all year. They deserved a larger audience then what they received on this night, but the Sadies were professionals throughout, delivering a show worthy of their headliner status. I look forward with great anticipation to attending another show to be entertained by this group of world class musicians. The Sadies, simply put, are the real deal. They are an indescribable talent that will be around for a long time.
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