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It’s a difficult task, getting a crowd out on a Monday night in Ottawa. Especially when it’s a freezing rain kind of night. As I arrived at Barrymore’s on an especially miserable winter evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ottawa was pumped and ready to party on a school night.

So here at Sound Check Entertainment we decided it was time to step out of our normal coverage again and cover something a little different for you, our loyal fans. And boy did we step out of the box!

The dust has finally settled and I almost feel back to normal.  The week long CCMA Hangover has subsided and we have managed to put together some amazing photos from the night.   Both Bill and James did a fantastic job of capturing the nights moments.   Let’s kick things off with what James captured.

I am sure there are still a lot of people scratching their heads saying, “What The F*#% happened on Saturday night in Brantford”. Well, I will tell you; one heck of a rock show happened. WTfest was back for its second year. This year, Jamie and his gang were presented with picture perfect weather for what was to become a legendary show in the home city of the, “Great One”, Brantford ON.

The vibe on the night of May 25th was felt all the way out in the rain soaked line cueing up outside of Nashville’s live music venue, The Basement.

If you don’t already have your tickets to what should be one of the best festivals this summer in Ontario here is your chance.   

Our friends over at Budweiser Gardens in London, ON, sure know how to throw a kick ass party on a Saturday night. Invite Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year winner, Jason Aldean, to bring his Six String Circus Tour to town with Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses, throw in some local country artists, rocking the parking lot before the show, and you have yourself one heck of a tailgate party.

I’ve been involved in the music industry in one way shape or form for the last 10 years and one thing that continues to surprise me is the shocking two sides that this industry has. I’ve always known it exists but until recently it’s never really affected me directly.

Back on a chilly night at the end of January, I was lucky  to be one of maybe 100 people to sit in on a taping of, “The Drop”, on CMT. This night was all about Gord Bamford’s upcoming release, “Tin Roof”.

After the small crowd shuffled into the historic Aeolian Hall, in London, it was time to get rolling.  Jesse Mast warmed up the crowd with a couple of tunes. He is going to be someone to watch this coming year with his recent release to radio of, “Bad Blood”.  You won’t want to miss him on the Certified Country Tour this summer with Gord Bamford and Joe Nichols.

With a quick run down on what was going to happen from the show’s director, producers, and the crew from CMT, it was time for all of us in the intimate crowd to put on our TV faces and get ready to be a star. Wait, who am I kidding, the real star was Gord Bamford.

Without giving too much away of what happened that night, because we want you to catch the show, let’s just say you won’t be disappointed.  (LINK TO WATCH ONLINE HERE)

Gord and his band were very engaging with the small crowd, having a few chats here and there, along with playing a couple of requests. There was a moment where he asked the crowd what his next single should be. All I will say about that is the song I chose didn’t make it, however, I think closer to summer he will be releasing a cottage and camping anthem, which will includes two of my favorite things, breakfast and beer.

After about an hour, the director yelled out the famous words, “that’s a wrap!”, and now it was time for Gord and his band to have a little fun for the small crowd that was there. We got to hear some classic Gord Bamford songs, and it felt like we got to let loose and enjoy the evening. There was a great rendition of, “Don’t Stop Believing”, by Lisa Dobbs, who plays bass in Gord’s band. The band was rocking and having a good time.

The night had to come to an end, however, but not without Gord spending a few minutes signing some autographs and taking a few photos with the fans who were lucky enough to score a spot on the guest list that night.

Bill Woodcock / @BillWoodcock