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After releasing a series of band teasers over the past few weeks, Montebello Rockfest has finally released its full lineup today.

So I was sitting in the media lounge at Montebello’s Rockfest. The chalet was beautiful, the staff was welcoming, and the iced coffee had the perfect amount of pep and kick. I was charging my phone battery and preparing for a second day of incredible live music, when who should walk in to charge their phones but punk rock icons Good Riddance.

The Specials have been bringing their unique brand of funk, punk, dance, Rhasta and ska music to the masses since well before I was born, and they still have plenty more to say. The group preaches love and acceptance, and stands opposed to racial divide.

2017 is shaping up to be a red hot year at summer festivals and Rockfest just set the bar very high for rock festivals. Late yesterday the Montebello, QC based festival announced that Rammstein and The Offspring would headline their 2017 event.

Set to unleash their the new album ‘Cauchemar’ on November 18th, Aylmer, QC’s heavy hitting northern riffing groove demons INIRE have been given the nod and will be local opening support for Sebastian Bach’s tour stop in Ottawa on November 24th at Barrymore’s. Full details can be found here.

By Chellsea Santini – Guest Reviewer, What turned out to be a cold, blustery, and snowy Sunday evening was no match for the fire burning inside The Central when Brockville/Ottawa folk punk band Project Mantra came to town.

Day 1 of Amnesia Rockfest 2015 kicked off with a bang. Actually a lot of really loud bangs between the thunder early in the day to the early sets this little sleepy was awoken from its slumber in a hurry. 

It’s hard to believe that it’s been half a decade already since it all began.  Although for the first 4, or so, summers I was primarily the only writer there were a lot of people behind the scenes that ensured that I could get to the festivals and events.  Here’s my look back at the first 5 summers.

For a weekend a year for the past decade throngs of Punk-Rockers and Metalheads converge on the tiny town of Montebello, Quebec somewhere in the middle of Ottawa and Montreal for Amnesia Rockfest 10th anniversary edition.  (Are we going to see more Sens fans than Habs Fans this year?) Here are my Top 5 Must see Bands for the weekend.

Chad Brownlee – Photo by Trish Cassling for Sound Check Entertainment

To say that 2015 has started with a bang is a major understatement.  It took the independent Sound Check over a year to hit 100,000 readers and we hit 200,000 in just the first month and a half of 2015.

Our top stories of Q1 2015 included breaking the news of Luke Bryan in Ottawa and the 2015 Ottawa Bluesfest line-up as well as our coast to coast coverage of Dallas Smith’s Tippin’ Point Tour and Chad Brownlee’s When the Lights Go Down tour not to mention our unprecedented concert coverage from New Country 94’s welcome to Ottawa party with Dallas Smith to Florida Georgia Line and ZZ Top in Kingston. All of this and only in the first 3 months of 2015.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead from April to June 2015