Kemptville Live, Day 4. Jann Arden Leaves People Happy

Day 4 finally came, but it was different. I awoke Sunday morning and looked out the window…..rain. It had rained during the night but it was still coming down then. The schedule for Sunday was earlier than the other days so they could wrap up at 5 or 5:30. I packed up my belongings and got ready for the day, not knowing what to expect. I got to the site early, sound checks were just finishing up it was still coming down quite hard. I went onto the stage, the front and the back of the stage floor was wet. All that was dry was an area in the center of the floor. I didn’t know what or if I would be shooting.

You could see some clear skies on the horizon, but the rain still came and went for awhile but by the time the first Band, RedFox came on, it had opened up for the most part and sunny skies were replacing cloud, the day was improving. RedFox are a band of young people from Montreal who were amazingly full of energy and undeniable stage presence. These kids rocked! Mostly acoustic, they are fronted by Daphne Vandal on violin and vocals. This five piece indie folk/rock band is something to behold, all five members are lively and energetic onstage. Go see them when you get the chance.

Next up was Terry Tufts with his solo acoustic set of folk music. His acoustic fingerpicking was great to listen to. A truly talented man. The thing that interests me as much as Terry’s music is his lifestyle. He lives off grid and thinks all electricity should be produced via wind or solar means. He has a simple life and works in many ways for preservation of the world we live in. What if more people adopted this philosophy?

If you have ever listened to Prairie Oyster, you’ve heard the next performer, Keith Glass. Glass was a founding member and guitar player for Prairie Oyster back in 1974. They were very critically acclaimed, being named Country Group or Duo six times by the CCMA and The Junos. They are no longer touring and Keith has released his own music and has been touring solo for some time. Keith is an entertainer and a fantastic guitar player. Keith gave a taste of his broad musical interests as well as his amazing guitar playing ability, the crowd loved him too.

The closer for the day and the festival was none other than Jann Arden. Jann has been nominated for 19 Junos and won 8 of them. She has had 17 top ten singles from 8 albums! How’s that for a track record? The fans were waiting patiently for Jann all afternoon and erupted in applause as she came onstage. Jann is an entertainer in every sense of the word. Between songs she tells stories about the music or her life that usually end with you laughing. A very professional and comical person to be sure. Jann moved around the then largely empty stage in total sunlight, the rain was just a distant memory. During soundcheck she remarked that the rain would be gone by showtime. She was correct. When the show was over, the fans were thrilled, they had spent some time with another of our Canadian treasures, Jann Arden.

The festival was a great success this year, the best to date. Throughout the four days I was there, I spoke to countless festival goers and not a single negative word was heard. I had people singing the praises of all the organizers and volunteers who made it possible for the event to happen. Bob Beshara wanted to do something for Kemptville and came up with the idea for the festival. From there, he gathered together a fine group of people who share in the vision and made it happen. When a hurdle presented itself, they simply dealt with it. When a band cancels, you just replace them. No problem was too great to overcome. Over the two years I have covered the Kemptville Live Festival, I have gotten to know several of the people who work behind the scenes and I agree with all the others, they are awesome! Next year promises to be even better…. see you there!

For more information on the festival visit www.kemptvillelivemusicfestival.com

Connect with the Artists

RedFox

Terry Tufts

Keith Glass

Jann Arden

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