When planning a Canada Day party, staying true to the theme is a good place to start.
That was clearly the thinking behind Peterborough Musicfest’s pencilling in The Tragically Hip tribute band Road Apples for its July 1 date at Del Crary Park.
With the tribute to what was and arguably remains Canada’s most loved rock band secured, the only thing missing to make the evening even more Canadian are butter tart, poutine, and maple syrup samples distributed by RCMP officers on horseback.
Like the band it emulates, Road Apples formed in Kingston in 1992, eight years after Kingston Collegiate students Gord Sinclair (bass) and Rob Baker (guitar) hooked up with singer Gord Downie and Johnny Fay (drums). When Paul Langlois (guitar) joined the fray in 1986, the quintet took the band name The Tragically Hip from a skit featured in the 1981 film Elephant Parts.
After testing the waters with the release of a self-titled EP in 1987, The Tragically Hip released its debut full-length album two years later. Titled Up To Here, it produced rock radio airplay favourites in “Blow At High Dough,” “New Orleans Is Sinking,” “Boots Or Hearts,” and “38 Years Old.”
If Downie et al called it quits right there, they would have exited the stage on a high. As we well know, they didn’t, the result being the release of another 12 studio albums and more than 50 singles before calling it a day in 2018 following Downie’s death from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer.
With nine of its albums having attained number one status on Canadian charts, The Tragically Hip were the best-selling Canadian band in this country from 1996 to 2016. That incredible run brought forth a bevy of awards and honours, including a remarkable 17 Juno Awards.
VIDEO: Road Apples promo
One of four Canadian music acts featured on a 2013 Canada Post stamp series (the others were Rush, The Guess Who, and Beau Dommage), The Tragically Hip was inducted to Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2002 and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005, received the Governor Generals’ Performing Arts Award in 2008 and, in 2017, was appointed to the Order of Canada.
To say Road Apples has very big shoes to fill, with audience expectations at a fever pitch, would come close to qualifying as the understatement of the year. But since forming, the band has stayed true to The Tragically Hip’s original recordings “with no interpretations or gimmicks” involved — music to the ears of longtime fans of the band they’re paying homage to.
Those who still need proof of Canadians’ love of The Tragically Hip need look no further than August 20, 2016 when the final stop of the band’s Man Machine Poem Tour was made at Kingston’s Rogers K-Rock Centre. Aired by CBC Television and streamed live on YouTube, the concert drew 11.7 million viewers — roughly one-third of Canada’s population at the time. Despite his illness, Downie, the perennial frontman, gave it his all.
After Downie’s passing just more than a year later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau no doubt spoke for millions when he said “Our buddy Gord loved this country with everything he had — and not just loved it in a nebulous ‘Oh, I love Canada’ way. He loved every hidden corner, every story, every aspect of this country that he celebrated his whole life.”
Road Apples takes its name from The Tragically Hip’s second studio album of the same name. Recorded in New Orleans and released in February 1991, it was the first of the band’s albums to hit number one in Canada, serving up the singles “Little Bones,” “Twist My Arm,” and “Three Pistols.”
Road Apples’ Musicfest appearance marks its return to Peterborough, where the band headlined at Showplace in February of last year. Note: Stick around after the concert for a fireworks display over Little Lake courtesy of the City of Peterborough.
VIDEO: Road Apples at Nostalgia Festival Ottawa 2018
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 37th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until August 17th.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2024 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2024 season.
