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It was another hot night at RBC Bluesfest and July 12 was a night that, for me, had the most acts in the lineup that I was keen to check out.

Alright Ottawa, time to let out a unified breathe of relief. After a few extra weeks, a couple of false leads and a whole lot of speculation, your RBC Bluesfest line-up has finally dropped.

I think this is the first time there have been more mohawks than cowboy hats at the Stampede. And I’m not mad about it. A very large, enthusiastically screaming crowd greeted Alexisonfire as they took the stage Thursday night. George Pettit mouths “what. the. fuck.” at guitarist Wade MacNeil, seemingly in awe that 17 years later their fans are just as crazy as they’ve ever been. Maybe there is a bit more grey hair, both on and off the stage, but punk rock doesn’t see age.

In true AoF fashion mic stands were broken, shirts were destroyed, and a wheelchair was crowd surfed. Special mention to The Path Less Travelled, a local hard rock band in Calgary, who managed to get one of their shirts on stage for George to wear, if only for a moment before it was ripped off. That’s gotta be a bit of a thrill. If performance of this caliber is what we can expect from the Coke stage at the Calgary Stampede this year, I will be camping out there for the remaining 9 days of the greatest outdoor show on earth. What a show.

Each year, country legends, rock royalty and rising stars grace the stages of the Calgary Stampede. Check out all of the concerts and music headliners for 2018.

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.

So Montebello’s Amnesia Rockfest 2017 was amazing! Another great lineup of talent, reaching all corners of the globe, and encompassing a variety of styles. Again another 100,000 or so people descend on this wickedly beautiful little village, and they run amuck. Music is coming from every corner and can be heard for miles. Artists from Germany, Mexico, and all over the United States and Canada take the stage, as dust rises from the dirty boots of thousands of punk rockers and metalheads, and I got to witness it all from a very unique vantage point.

So the Sound of Music Festival in Burlington, Ontario announced the line up to the biggest FREE Music Festival in Canada.

Riot Fest is gearing up to announce the second wave of bands on June 16th but before we get there, we’d like to talk about 5 acts from the current wave that we’re excited to see.