Several High notes on Day 2 of Festival Country de Lotbinière

After an explosive finish to day 1 many, myself included, wondered how, or if, day 2 would measure up. Day 2 would be filled with another round of 4 performances with Phil G. Smith, Five Roses, Brittany Kennel and, High Valley taking to the stage.

Phil G. Smith is a francophone artist, originally from the Outaouais, he brought a high energy performance to kick off the day. Mostly french songs to which the crowd responded really well. Although I couldn’t understand many of the songs I still found myself tapping my foot with the music. His band was one of the first things that stood out for me, his lead guitar player looked like he belonged in either the Cadillac Three or Midland and his bass player could’ve been a member of the Grateful Dead both of which are awesome. Phil was a perfect choice to kick off this festival, everyone loved his set and he easily got everyone primed for the evening ahead.

MDM Recording’s newest duo, Five Roses, took to the stage next. We first crossed paths with this duo, Zack and Jade, back in 2018 at this same festival. It’s been a rough couple of years for duo’s on the Canadian country scene with only a few still surviving. There is a lot of chemistry between Zach and Jade and that turns into a type of magic when they are on stage. Based on the crowd response I think it’s safe to say that this duo is just getting started, a new deal with MDM is definitely going to go a long way to help with any chance of longevity they might have. I caught up with them after their set last night and they’re busy getting new music ready and anticipate their newest single will arrive sometime early in 2022. Listen for them on our SCE Sound Bites podcast shortly before the new single is released. If you’re heading to November’s CCMA Awards in London they’ll be there so watch for them, I wouldn’t be surprised if some form of performance is announced in the next few weeks.

The highlight of the night for me, and for many of those in the audience I spoke to, was Brittany Kennel. I’ve gotten to know Brittany over the last few years and catching a live performance has been a bucket list for me. We were lucky enough to have been invited to the release party for her new album “I Ain’t A Saint“, just last week, the images from that event made me even more excited to catch her perform this weekend.

For those who don’t know Brittany, she is, so far, the only Canadian to ever appear on The Voice. 5 years ago she caught the ears of Blake Shelton and Pharrell Willams with her rendition of Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough”. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment Brittany came onto our radar but I can tell you the night I knew she became a star…that was last night at Festival Country de Lotbinière. Everything aligned perfectly for Brittany last night. A virtually flawless performance start to finish that left the crowd wanting more…the roaring chant of Olé, Olé, Olé were evidence enough that Brittany has a huge career ahead of her, perhaps only in Quebec in the immediate future but I can assure you that it’s no accident that both Blake and Pharrell heard enough in Brittany that they both wanted to work with her.

Checkout my quick interview with Brittany before yesterday’s show below:

All I can say is Blake had you been there last night you would’ve been proud!  Canada, look out, Brittany Kennell is coming I don’t think it’ll be long before she’s Canada’s “Most Wanted”.

High Valley closed out the night for their first show in Canada in over 2 years. It was a new look for High Valley last night as only Brad remains in the band after Curtis announced his departure from the group over the summer. I’ve always been a fan of High Valley, they’ve got so many hits under their belt that everyone knows and loves every show turns into a huge sing along. For me I just didn’t feel the magic that I’m used to from High Valley and the connection with the audience didn’t seem as strong as what they shared with Brittany before them.

This is nothing against Brad, or Curtis, but you could sense the absence and it although Brad came out with a lot of energy it really felt like something was missing. Now this group has survived the departure of a brother before, Bryan Rempel left the group in 2014, so this doesn’t have to be a nail in the coffin. I hope, for Brad who I know is so passionate about the music, that it’s just a matter of time to get into the groove without Curtis beside him. I’ll always be a fan of High Valley and look forward to seeing where Brad is able to take the band going forward.

The festival wraps up tonight with their biggest headliner in the festival’s history. Granger Smith headlines tonight with Four Wheel Drive Band, Owen Barney and Tim and the Glory Boys opening things up. Tickets are just $60 and there’s still time to get out here! https://countrylotbiniere.com/

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