An Ontario singer-songwriter is bringing his music to the Trent-Severn Waterway this month for a week-long houseboat tour featuring five free performances in the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County.
“Music on the Water” will run from Friday, September 11 to Thursday, September 17 and features Kentucky, the musical project of singer-songwriter and producer Jordan Holman, who is based in Almonte in Lanark County.
The tour will open at 5 p.m. on September 11 at the Peterborough Visitor Centre at the Lift Lock at 353 Hunter Street East. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
Presented by international boating vacation company Le Boat with support from Peterborough Tourism and Peterborough County, the tour is intended to showcase the communities and culture found along the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Along with the opening concert in Peterborough, the tour includes four free public performances in Lakefield, Selwyn Township, and Buckhorn:
- Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m. at the Canoe & Paddle Pub (18 Bridge Street, Lakefield)
- Monday, September 14 at 5:30 p.m. at Beachwood Resort on Lower Buckhorn Lake (3043 Beachwood Road, Selwyn)
- Tuesday, September 15 at 6 p.m. at Tankhouse on Trent (1926 Lakehurst Road, Buckhorn)
- Thursday, September 17 at 9 a.m. at the Lakefield Farmers’ Market (20 Concession Street, Lakefield)
On Sunday, September 13 at 6:30 p.m., Holman will also give a private performance from Lovesick Island near Burleigh Falls that will be livestreamed on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
VIDEO: “The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life” – Kentucky (Jordan Holman)
Holman describes his sound as “Northern Americana,” blending elements of rock, ambient, pop, and blues with melodic vocals and acoustic and electric guitar.
According to Holman’s biography, he performed with rock bands in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom before launching Kentucky as a solo project after recovering from a years-long struggle with a hardcore drug addiction that nearly took his life in 2020.
His 2025 debut solo album Second Chance Music chronicled that experience and his subsequent transformation, exploring struggle, redemption, and hope.
Since launching Kentucky, Holman has performed more than 250 shows across Canada and released a live album, several singles, and a documentary about his first houseboat tour.
That seven-day tour took place in July 2025 along the Rideau Canal, where Holman was accompanied by his family and his dog and performed in Kingston, Seeley’s Bay, Chaffey’s Lock, Westport, Gananoque, and Lansdowne, as well as a secret beach show.
Le Boat has operated houseboat vacations for more than 55 years and maintains a fleet of more than 900 boats across Europe and Canada. The company operates 32 boats on Ontario’s Rideau Canal and Trent-Severn Waterway, with its local base at Horseshoe Bay Marina in Peterborough County.
VIDEO: Musical Houseboat Tour of the Rideau Canal – Kentucky (Jordan Holman)
