FORT FRANCES – Tour de Fort concluded its current series line-up on Thursday at Townshend Threatre with an intense show from Whitehorse’s. Before the show, the non-profit entertainment organization run by local volunteers announce they are kicking off their new line-up with Juno award-winning Nova Scotia Band The Trews and Canadian Folk Music Award winner Amanda Rheaume.
The Trews - Friday, Oct. 14, 2022
Emerging in the early 2000s, The Trews quickly earned a reputation as one of Canada’s hardest-working bands. Breaking through to the mainstream with 2003’s JUNO nominated hit single “Not Ready to Go” from their gold-certified debut album House of Ill Fame, The Trews quickly became a chart staple, earning fans (AKA Trewbadours) with albums like 2005 and’s Den of Thieves and 2014’s eponymous release. Following a retrospective in 2016, the band returned in 2018 with Civiliannaires and 2022’s Wanderer. In 2010, the band issued a stand-alone single, “Highway of Heroes,” a song written for Capt. Nichola Goddard – an old schoolmate of the band’s who was the first female soldier killed in Afghanistan. The song was a significant hit, and The Trews donated all proceeds from the single to the Canadian Hero Fund charity. “Highway of Heroes” was certified Platinum in Canada in January 2022.
Matt Dusk Sings Sinatra - Friday, Nov. 25, 2022
On Nov. 25, take a journey in the way back machine with award-winner Matt Dusk as his smooth lounge-style brings his audience back to 1966, where he pays homage to his hero Frank Sinatra. With new arrangements by Grammy Award-winning arrangers Pat Williams and Sammy Nestico, Matt Dusk transports you back to a time when “Come Fly With Me,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “One For My Baby” dominated the charts.
Amanda Rheaume - Friday, Jan. 6, 2023
Amanda Rheaume’s folk guitar-driven ballads tell Canada’s geographic and cultural story and its Indigenous people through a perspective on resistance and resilience. A Citizen of the Métis Nation and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume’s music is from the heart and the land. Amanda Rheaume (she/her) has released five full-length albums over 15 years, a career that has travelled countless tours and milestones. 2013’s Keep a Fire was nominated for a JUNO award and won a Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.
Suzie Vinnick & Lloyd Speigel - Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023
A Saskatoon native transplanted to the Niagara Region of Ontario, rooted in blues singer Suzie Vinnick is a three-time JUNO nominee, Canadian Folk Music Award winner, and a 10-time winner of the Maple Blues Award for songwriting, female vocalist, acoustic act, and more. Suzie Vinnick has toured nationally with Downchild, Stuart McLean’s “The Vinyl Café, and the John McDermott Band, and she has performed for Canadian Peacekeepers in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. Suzie’s latest album, Shake the Love Around, will have your toes tapping and hips shaking.
Suzie Vinnick Blues will accompany Australian blues musician Lloyd Spiegel, who has spent his life on and off the stage playing the music he loves. Lloyd played his first professional gig at age ten and was touring the east coast of Australia at 12. By 16, he was on tour in the United States, cutting his teeth as a true travelling bluesman. His contributions to music have earned him such awards as Best Artist and Best Album at the Australian Blues Awards. He was named one of Australian Guitar Magazine’s Top 50 Australian Guitarists. Lloyd Spiegel has supported the likes of Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and Etta James and sat in with masters of the blues genre, including Brownie McGhee and Luther Allison.
The Derina Harvey Band - Thursday, April 20, 2023
Derina Harvey leads this Celtic rock group and is a recent winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Edmonton Music Awards. Derina Harvey Band has earned a reputation as a high-energy live show by offering a fresh take on traditional folk songs and an increasing amount of original material. The band has a rocky, rhythmic undertow, layered with guitars and fiddle and topped by Derina’s powerful voice. The band has two full-length recordings to their credit: Their self-titled debut (2013) has been featured in radio play across Canada, and their second album Rove and Go (2016), has become even more widespread.
Bywater Call - Friday, May 12, 2023
Bywater Call was formed in 2017. In the short time since its inception, the band made waves in the Toronto blues scene, playing main stages at festivals such as Tremblant International Blues, Donnaconna Blues, TD Toronto Jazz, Toronto Beaches Jazz, and Orangeville Blues. The Toronto-based 2020 Maple Blues Awards nominee for Best New Artist, Bywater Call, saw the release of their debut album in November 2019 in Canada, the USA, Europe, and Australia. The album placed number one on the Roots Music Report Canada Top 50 for 11 weeks. Born out of a love for southern soul, blues, and roots music and a passion for creating a powerful and moving experience for listeners, Before March 2020, Bywater Call successfully toured the album across Europe, playing 39 cities in 45 days to packed houses and great responses.
Tour de Fort Series Passports are on sale now for $125 at Ski’s Variety, the Fort Frances Public Library & Technology Centre, and online at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2022-23-tour-de-fort-series-passport-tickets-300251138237.
All concerts will be held in Townshend Theatre, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. and showtime at 7:30 p.m.
