SONGCRAFT TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT NLFB 2019

Northern Lights Festival Boréal is just around the corner! I know, its almost impossible to believe after this long and dreary winter we’re almost ready to dance under the stars at Bell Park again. Kick off the season with Sudbury’s unofficial summer launch party NLFB July 4-7^th! Celebrating its 47^th anniversary this year NLFB boasts the title of longest-running outdoor music festival in Canada (not a bad record) and features four days of music from across the globe. This year’s festival headliners include Sam Roberts Band, K’Naan, Bedouin Soundclash, and Basia Bulat. The entertainment doesn’t stop there though, the best part of any festival is always exploring the scene and discovering new acts to fall in love with. Keep an eye out for some of our top pics to come…

Songcraft is the theme of this year’s festival line up. The roster of artists assembled for 2019 is as vast as ever covering all sorts of genres, and all with an incredible mastery of language and lyric. “I wanted to put together a lineup that highlighted the power of lyrics in a number of different styles and contexts.” says NLFB Executive Artistic Director Max Merrifield, “Whether they are folk singers, pop singers, indie rockers, or rappers, you’ll find that most of this year’s artists take command of language and lyrics in intriguing & exciting ways. In an era where image, sonics, and aesthetic have become paramount, I thought it would be interesting to try and elevate the importance of lyrics through the programming.”

You can grab your tickets now at www.nlfb.ca/tickets or if physical tickets are your jam head to Old Rock Coffee (212 Minto St.); A & J Home Hardware (469 Bouchard St.); Jett Landry Music (1119 Lasalle Blvd.); Walden Home Hardware (130 Reg. Rd. 24); and Hanmer Home Hardware (Hanmer Valley Shopping Ctr.). In the meantime get your eardrums tingling by tuning into the official NLFB 2019 Spotify playlist and read on to learn more about this year’s headliners!

SAM ROBERTS BAND

Canadian singer/songwriter Sam Roberts released his debut in 2002, following a popular independent demo recording he had made in Montreal. Before that point, he had been a violin player who eventually moved on to guitar and started a rock band with his friends. The Inhuman Condition was released and became the best-selling independent EP in Canadian history. In 2003 he released his first full-length album, We Were Born in a Flame. The Certified Double-Platinum selling album was a huge hit in Canada and won the Juno Award for Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year. He continued to release hit albums for the remainder of the decade: Platinum-certified Chemical City in 2006 and Gold-certified Love at the End of the Worldin 2008. Each album also won the Juno for Rock Album of the Year.

For his 2011 release, Collider, Roberts changed from using his name to using Sam Roberts Band. In 2014, Lo-Fantasy was released to great acclaim. Lead single We’re All In This Together reached the top of both Canadian rock radio charts, followed by Top 10 hits Human Heat and Shapeshifters. In 2016, TerraForm was released, the band’s 6th studio album. Lead Single “If You Want It” reached #2 at both rock radio charts. The album was nominated for the Rock Album Of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards.  Most recently Roberts released We Were Born In A Flame 2018 Deluxe Edition, which included previously unreleased tracks on three Lps.

K’NAAN

Headlining Friday, July 5th of the festival will be Somali-Canadian singer and MC, K’NAAN. The product of a creative family, K’NAAN fled Mogadishu, Somalia with his family at age 13. After learning English, partly by immersing himself in the classic hip-hop albums of the ‘90s, he came to prominence in 1999 with a spoken word performance at the United Nations that caught the attention of Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour.

K’NAAN’s debut album, 2005’s The Dusty Foot Philosopher, won the Juno for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. The follow up was 2010’s Troubadour which contained the smash single ‘Wavin’ Flag’. The song was first used as the soundtrack for the Haiti earthquake relief campaign, and then Coca-Cola’s theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The song quickly reached #1 on iTunes in 18 countries around the world, and launched K’NAAN into superstardom. A third album, God Country or the Girl, included features from household names like Nas and Bono, and produced several hits of its own, marking a new trajectory for this eclectic artist. This will be K’NAAN’s first appearance in Sudbury, guaranteed to be a powerful, joyous experience.

BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH

Headlining Saturday, July 6th of the festival will be reggae/soul/alternative outfit Bedouin Soundclash. This Canadian treasure originally met while attending Queen’s University, releasing their debut album Root Fire in 2001. Their 2004 album, Sounding a Mosaic included ‘When the Night Feels My Song’, the band’s breakthrough single on Canadian radio, charting at #1 on several stations. That summer, the super-catchy tune could be heard everywhere. The album featured production from Darryl Jenifer of legendary punk/reggae group Bad Brains, whom the band formed a closed bond with. In the summer of 2005, Bedouin Soundclash appeared on the Vans Warped Tour bill, and had significant chart success in the U.K., where Sounding a Mosaic reached #1 on the BBC 6 Music charts. The band released their follow-up record Street Gospels in 2007, and then Light the Horizon in 2010. This year, the band is making their much-anticipated comeback, playing festivals and releasing a fresh batch of new singles. A brand new record entitled Mass, is set for release in October of 2019.

BASIA BULAT

With an electrifying voice and lyrics like silver arrowheads, Basia Bulat has become one of Canada’s most conspicuous talents. Juno nominated and shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize, she often appears solo in gigantic halls, winning over crowds with an autoharp or charango, stomping feet and two mighty lungs. Her massive talent has also been recognized at scale: her songs have been adapted for major performances with symphony orchestras, and she’s been tapped for prestigious tributes to Leonard Cohen and The Band. Since releasing her debut in 2007, she has shared a stage with artists including Arcade Fire, The National, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Daniel Lanois, St Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, Destroyer and Andrew Bird. Bulat was born in Toronto and grew up listening to her mother’s piano students, Sam Cooke and Stax on the oldies station. In early 2016 she released, Good Advice, produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

The festival will also feature performances from local acts, Brooke Bruce, Duncan Cameron, Eric Clancy, Jennifer Holub, Kevin Closs, Pop Mach!ne, Shaky Stars, The Almighty Rhombus, and Trapment. Brooke Bruce and Pop Mach!ne came out on top at NLFB’s annual Meltdown Competition early March and were awarded a gig at the summer festival as well as the opportunity to participate in mentor ship opportunities. Several other northern Ontario and international artists complete the bill, for the full line up check out www.nlfb.ca.

Grab your tickets before its too late at nlfb.ca/tickets or at one of the following ticket outlets: Old Rock Coffee (212 Minto St.); A & J Home Hardware (469 Bouchard St.); Jett Landry Music (1119 Lasalle Blvd.); Walden Home Hardware (130 Reg. Rd. 24); and Hanmer Home Hardware (Hanmer Valley Shopping Ctr.).

For more info on this years fest check out these links:

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR NLFB WEEKEND

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR NLFB WEEKEND

NLFB PROFILE: ANSLEY SIMPSON

NLFB PROFILE: BROOKE BRUCE

NLFB VENDOR HIGHLIGHTS

10 ACTS TO CHECK OUT AT NLFB 2019

SUDBURY 2019 SUMMER FESTIVALS