The Love Revolution has started and Suzi Kory is at the helm

Suzi Kory first came onto our radar a few months back, she had just released her sophomore single “Settle of the Dust”. Musically there was something intriguing about her but little did we know then that there were many layers to this person than meets the eye.

Suzi’s story really only starts a few years back in 2017. Beirut born Kory, who now calls Toronto home, exploded onto the scene with rock EP Spellcasting but it was as she began work on her second EP that her country music roots pulled her in that direction. Hesitant at first it took a fluke run in with, legendary Billy Ray Cyrus on a flight to LA that helped convince her she was heading in the right direction.

Kory currently has 5 country singles in active release and the summer of 2020 should’ve been her chance to show off her, Axl Rose influenced, live show. Only problem was a worldwide pandemic has shut down all festivals and public gatherings. Most artists, especially those at such an early stage in their career, would take a step back reevaluate, lick their wounds and try again in a year or two.

Not Suzi Kory. Nope, Suzi wanted to perform and was tired of sitting still so she was determined to find a way. It was about 4 weeks ago that Suzi first reached out asking me that if she were to put on a drive in concert in the Toronto area if we would come out. Now I live near Ottawa but having photographers & writers across Canada I naturally told her that if she would build it we would come. Fast forward a week and not only did she have a date and a venue she had assembled a kick ass lineup. The kicker was that the date was in two weeks!

I’ve covered and promoted many festivals over the last 10 years. From the huge festivals like Boots and Hearts and RBC Bluesfest to the smaller hometown events like Capital Countryfest @ Spencerville Stampede, which we helped organize and promote. I know the time and dedication that goes into putting together an event and if someone came to me and said I’m doing an event in 3 weeks I’d probably think they’re a bit insane or darn lucky. Well if you know Suzi’s story you’d also know she’s part leprechaun (not really but it would certainly explain a lot).

Finally the day arrived. My festival sidekick (Keenan) and I jumped in the van for a day trip to Cavan, Ontario (near Peterborough). We arrived to find the perfect venue for a drive in show. Friends of Suzi’s were gracious enough to allow her to use a field on their property. The field had a perfect slop so that you could park vehicles in rows and everyone would be able to see the stage. Colin Amey was on stage when we arrived soon to be followed by Joe McCauley. The two performed shrot acoustic sets as people were arriving before the main event began.

Oshawa Blues Rockers The House Call kicked off the show on the stage and set the bar high with a high energy set that had everyone pumped up.

All of the artists on Saturday’s roster have been on my radar for the last few years but Nicole Rayy’s blip has been getting a lot louder since the release of her “All Woman” EP earlier this year. We’ve been a huge advocate of and for women in music for many years. We’ve got a Girl Power playlist Girl Power playlist, we’ve partnered with #1 For Country Rogers Radio for the Fav Five shirts #1 For Country Rogers Radio for the Fav Five shirts and are just all around fans of female fronted music, country or otherwise. Nicole Rayy is likely the biggest advocate for the movement in Canada. With a much deserved nomination for female artist of the year I was excited to finally cross her name off my bucket list of artists to see live (and yes I moved her to the must see again list). Let me tell you this, if you see Nicole’s name pop up in a lineup near you…go check her out you won’t regret it.

Next up was another artist we’ve known for a few years but have never officially met until Saturday. Alessia Cohle. Cohle is one of the Canadian female country artists that’s on the cusp of breaking out. She’s got charm, stage presence and an incredible voice that easily slays any song she chooses to perform. On Saturday she gave the crowd a taste of her own hits, including her current single “Tell Me” which was co-written by Jason Blaine and produced by the incredible Karen Kosowski (Madeline Merlo, Tim Hicks, Kira Isabella), as well as a power house cover of the Dusty Springfield “Son of A Preacher Man”. Yet another artist I can say with certainty you’ll be hearing plenty more from in the coming years.

Following Alessia was one of the only artists I’ve actually met going into the festival, and can say I had a split second cameo in his bands most recent music video, Brian John Harwood. One of the hardest working guys in the business Brian isn’t just one half of Kansas Stone he’s also actively writing, recording and filming music videos for his solo project. I first saw Kansas Stone at Cobourg’s inaugural Country Wild Fest And something about their raw talent always stuck with me. Brian was performing solo on Saturday but brought along his friend, frequent co-writer and producer, Dustin Bird who performed a couple of songs they were working on together. Just a few months ago Kansas Stone and a number of Canadian country artists recorded a special song, “Together We’re Strong”, that has since been streamed nearly 200K times on Spotify alone. Mackenzie Leigh Meyer joined Brian and Dustin to perform the single which turned into a giant sing along. You can stream the song on Spotify here.

Up next was Bree Taylor. Let tell you when a performer walks onto the stage and performs a cover of The Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice” you know they mean business. Well that’s exactly what Bree did on Saturday. She also showed that her performance would not be limited to the confines of the stage. I guess once you’ve been cooped up for 3 months with live streaming the only outlet even a stage can seem small. Bree took control of her wireless mic and descended from the stage to get closer to the fans. I’m going to repeat myself again, and certainly will a few more times before this review is done, but Bree Taylor has got it going on and if you’ve got a radar of artists on the verge there’s no question Bree has to be on it.

Next up is an artist that I interviewed last year around this time. An artist that went down the path towards the title of Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist. She didn’t win the crown but need we remind you that Tim Hicks didn’t win, Eric Etheridge didn’t win, Kelsi Mayne didn’t win…I could go on but the bottom line is just because Mackenzie Leigh Meyer didn’t win doesn’t make her any less worthy. What I will tell you is that for about 30 minutes on Saturday night Meyer rocked that stage like a winner. Great news for fans of Meyer she’s been working on new music and if all goes well her debut radio release should drop later this year!

The headliner, regardless of what she says, of the event was non-other than our host Suzi Kory. Suzi wasted no time getting down to business cranking out her hits “Pretty Little Things”, “Outlaw”, her, self described, only ballad “Settle of the Dust” and a wicked cover of Elle King’s “Ex’s and Oh’s” before bringing surprise guest Kelsi Mayne to the stage. Together they rocked out to a cover of Shania Twain’s “Any man of Mine” before bringing the rest of the lineup back out on stage for a powerhouse performance of Suzi’s latest single, and the festival namesake, “Love Revolution”. Watch both performances on our Facebook page here.

In closing I would be remiss if I didn’t thank and congratulate Suzi. Thank you for inviting us to come and cover and help promote your amazing event.

To those of you reading this thinking darn I missed it good news. Plans are under way for more shows on the #LoveRevolutionFest Tour, if you have land in Ontario and want to, and are able to, host a drive in festival reach out. We want to hear from you and are working with Suzi to bring the show to as many places as possible.

If you’re putting on an event this summer let us know, we’re here to help.

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