Emerson Drive Heat Things Up at Chill On The Hill at Fort Henry

June 22, was the second annual Chill On The Hill festival. The festival is held at Fort Henry in Kingston and what a great place to be! The stage was set up at the bottom of the south hill near the water, taking advantage of the hill as a natural amphitheatre.  Unfortunately, I was otherwise committed and missed the opening set by Brandon Scott, but I made it for Lion Bear Fox.

Lion Bear Fox are made up of Christopher Arruda, Cory Woodward and Ryan McMahon, all from British Columbia. The band was put together after the three toured together as solo acts and joined each other onstage. They weren’t looking to start a band at the time but the fact that they fit together so well couldn’t be ignored. Their debut EP, “We’d Be Good Men” was released in 2013 and a full-length album in 2017 entitled “Lion Bear Fox”.

Together, they sound great, having a unique sound in today’s country music scene. With all three members writing as well as singing, they have a versatility not all bands enjoy. I think we will be hearing more from The Lion, The Bear and The Fox in the future.

When the audience knew that it was nearing time for Emerson Drive to come onstage, they started moving forward to the barriers in front of the stage, it was clear they were there to hear the headliners, not a person was sitting any longer.  I hadn’t seen Emerson Drive before and didn’t know what to expect from them. Country is certainly not what country used to be. The traditional sound has been replaced by something more, like what rock’n’roll used to be.

Brad Mates , Danick Dupelle , Mike Melancon and Dale Wallace make up Emerson Drive and they have toured with this lineup since 2001. They have a pretty long list of accolades and awards, including opening for the likes of Toby Keith and Shania Twain.

Emerson Drive came out like a whirlwind, they were full of energy and rocking! Brad Mates is not only a great singer, but also an experienced front man. He has been at it for many years and knows how to get the crowd going. This band is a hard working band, all of them contributing to the show. In my opinion, this band has earned their place in Canadian country music and it isn’t surprising they are finding success south of the border as well.