There’s a method to the madness that sees not one … not two … but three 2016 Peterborough Musicfest concerts feature country music at their centre.

Toss in the already delivered country-ish rock sound of Kiefer Sutherland and you can make a strong case for bumping that number to four.

Simply put, Musicfest general manager Tracey Randall has been smart to fully recognize that country music fans are fiercely loyal to the music genre they love so much. If it twangs and induces some fancy stepping, speaks to love found and lost, or a good ol’ Saturday night dust-up, it’s got their attention in a very big way.

That all aside, for Musicfest’s braintrust, it’s a simple case of “it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Over the past several summer seasons, country music acts have brought out some of the largest crowds to Del Crary Park. Emerson Drive and George Canyon come to mind quickly. So it is that this summer season’s first double-bill — Cold Creek County with opener The Reklaws — takes to the Fred Anderson stage this Saturday, July 16th at 8 p.m.

Formed in 2013 and signed to Sony Music Canada the following year, Cold Creek County — Brandon Scott (lead vocals/acoustic guitar), Trevor MacLeod (lead guitarist), John Lester (guitar/vocals), Justin Lester (bass/vocals) and Doug Oliver (drums) — has enjoyed a meteoric rise since, anchored by the success of its October 2015 debut album Till The Wheels Come Off and its first hit single, the rousing sing-along “Our Town”.

“Cold Creek County is a band that has all the pieces to the puzzle to succeed,” assesses Kevin “Chief” Zaruk, the head of Chief Music Management who co-manages the band with Oliver.

“They’re great people with a great drive. They can play, sing and write music that is current and relevant to the country world, and their dedication to putting on an amazing live show will surely transform into a large fan base that will follow and love this band.”

Zaruk’s assessment should not be taken lightly. Since 2006, his Vancouver-based entity has represented some of the biggest acts in Canadian country and rock music circles. Zaruk knows of what he speaks.

Others have quickly caught on. Named Country Group of the Year at the Peterborough-presented 2014 Wire Awards, Cold Creek County has opened for more than a handful of country music heavyweights such as Dallas Smith, Emerson Drive, Kira Isabella and Jason Blain.

In explaining the band’s success over such a relatively short time, Scott at www.coldcreekcounty.com points to band members’ shared roots: “We grew up with rock and country.”

The band’s name also speaks to its members’ upbringing or current presence in various central Ontario locales through which Cold Creek runs, including Brighton, Hastings, and Frankford.

And then there are the Lester brothers, sons of bluegrass music master Emory Lester, whose talent is clearly in their genes. That’s genes, not jeans, for those country music fans paying attention.

Meanwhile, in The Reklaws, Musicfest has landed a more-than-capable country music party mood setter for Cold Creek County.

Since being named CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) Discovery Artists in 2012, siblings Jenna and Stuart Walker (reverse their surname and you have their stage name) have enjoyed considerable success since, a trajectory aided by the single “Kiss Kiss”, a Top 40 country radio hit, and last summer’s release of “Sun Drunk”, described as “the perfect crank-it-up-on-the-beach single.” That’s since been followed by yet another single, “Seeing Stars”.

The two middle kids in a farm family of seven from Cambridge, Ontario, Jenna and Stuart have been writing and singing songs from a young age. Clearly, it’s what they do and they do it well.

For the fourth time, The Reklaws are scheduled to perform at the upcoming Boots and Hearts Music Festival, the annual country music showcase in Oro-Medonte scheduled for August 4 to 7, 2016. In 2013 at that same event, the duo was named Best Emerging Artist.

“Our Town” – Cold Creek County

“Kiss Kiss” – The Reklaws

Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 19 free-admission concerts during its milestone 30th anniversary season, each staged Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Overseen by general manager Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission is to “provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”

For more information on this concert and/or the 2016 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.

At the Globus Theatre stage at Lakeview Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon, performer Leisa Way and the Wayward Wind Band are bringing to life and music of legendary country music singer Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams: A Tribute to Patsy Cline.

Part performance and part concert, Sweet Dreams recreates the experience of an old-time country music show, when country music was still all about being country. Filled with stories, music, and tons of class, Leisa and the Wayward Wind Band create a very different type of tribute show that will connect with fans of classic country music and make fans out of those who may not realize they have a little bit of honky tonk in their hearts.

Sweet Dreams: A Tribute to Patsy Cline is one of seven musical tribute shows that Leisa has developed alongside the Wayward Wind Band. Starting her career as a teenager playing Anne Shirley in the Charlottetown Festival production of Anne of Green Gables, Leisa has performed for audiences all across Canada as well as 50 countries worldwide, and has entertained an eclectic cross section of notable people including Terry Fox, Wayne Gretzky, Ted Kennedy, and Queen Elizabeth.

A gifted performer, Leisa has a magnetic stage presence that’s both likeable and high energy. Sweet Dreams is the third time that Leisa has brought legendary musicians to life on the Globus Theatre stage. Local audiences may remember her in her Dolly Parton show in 2014, and playing Judy Garland in last year’s production of End of the Rainbow. It’s always a joy when Leisa, a wonderful performer full of zeal and spunk, returns to the Kawarthas.

While Sweet Dreams is indeed a tribute to Patsy Cline, Leisa is not a Patsy Cline impersonator and the show is not a dramatic presentation of Patsy Cline’s life. Instead of recreating Patsy Cline, Leisa recreates a moment in musical history and the idea of Patsy Cline. While she adopts the look and the sound of the legendary performer, she never fully adopts the character and instead maintains her own identity as Leisa Way. She performs the show as her own version of the queen of honky tonk.

Between songs, Leisa entertains the audience with stories and trivia about Patsy’s life. The stories are quick and entertaining, and the audience never gets bogged down in dates or information. While I knew the songs of Patsy Cline going into the show, I left knowing more about her life then I had before — but without feeling like I had been sitting in a history lecture. Leisa brings a sense of fun into each story that keeps them entertaining, then quickly segues into another song before the audience loses interest.

“Crazy” (Willie Nelson) performed by Leisa Way as Patsy Cline

But the audience is really coming to listen to the music and Leisa and her band puts on a great concert. Performing nearly two dozen Patsy Cline classics, as well as a few other songs of the era, Leisa takes the audience through Patsy’s early childhood as a young girl singing in Virginian bar rooms, to the stages of the Grand Old Opry, Carnegie Hall, and Las Vegas.

Although she’s isn’t doing an impersonation, Leisa’s performances of Patsy’s classics are flawless, and she hits each and every note and emotion in songs such as “Tennessee Waltz”, “Crazy”, “Walkin’ After Midnight”, and “Sweet Dreams”. Leisa beautifully recaptures the Patsy Cline magic that music lovers have adored for over 60 years.

The show couldn’t be possible without the talents of The Wayward Wind Band and this group is tight. Featuring musical director Bruce Ley on piano, Bobby Prochaska on bass, Sam Cino on drums, Fred Smith on lead guitar, and Nathan Smith on fiddle, The Wayward Wind Band are a first-rate group. Decked out in traditional western shirts, they help Leisa create that classic country experience and are far more than just a backup band. Each member of the group brings his own personality and expertise to the performances.

A special shout out goes to Nathan Smith who takes centre stage in the first and second half, entertaining the audience with his fiddle playing while Leisa does some quick costume changes. While watching Nathan play, I finally realized why country fiddling has become an entire subgenre of music all its own.

Nathan makes fiddling an art form, and the next day I found myself on YouTube watching hours of country fiddlers and immersing myself in a musical culture I was never exposed to before. If you haven’t experienced country fiddling before, Nathan’s performance of “Orange Blossom Special” is going to open your eyes and ears and turn you on to something completely new.

Sweet Dreams: A Tribute to Patsy Cline is a full concert experience that brings you back to that simpler time in country when the men were gentlemen and the women were ladies. When the songs were about hard living and harder heartbreaks and not about beer, pickup trucks, and freedom. A time when country music was still country.

It’s a love for the moment and the genre as much as it is for Patsy Cline. It’s a combination of music and storytelling by a superb band and a charismatic front woman. This show is infectious, and it’ll have you singing the songs of Patsy Cline in your heart long after you leave the theatre.

Sweet Dreams: A Tribute to Patsy Cline runs until July 23rd at Globus Theatre at the Lakefield Arts Barn, with dinner available before evening performances. For more information and tickets, call the Globus box office at 705-738-2037 or visit www.lakeviewartsbarn.com.

For more information about Leisa Way and her shows, visit www.waytogoproductions.ca. Leisa Way and the Wayward Wind Band CDs are also available for sale at the bar during the nights of the performances.

I’m not sure what’s more perplexing: getting angry about a remake of a movie about hunting ghosts, or trying to gender-politicize a movie about hunting ghosts.

Obviously both angles are pertinent, as the mere trailer for Paul Feig’s all-female reimagining of beloved ’80s franchise Ghostbusters quickly became the most disliked movie trailer in YouTube’s young history.

Since its announcement in 2014, the endeavour has proved to be an all-around cultural lightning rod for seemingly everyone to project their opinions on what is wrong with western pop media. The concept of the Ghostbusters team consisting of entirely women had the fanboys clutching their Wal-Mart fedoras in shock over what was surely a feminist conspiracy.

Why make them all women? So that we could have a brand new Sisterhood of the Travelling Coveralls, or a supernatural girl power take on the somehow-still-prominent trope of four single women living in New York? The bells of misogyny were rung loud and shrill at the smear campaign to plummet the trailer’s stock.

It is difficult to argue that the low rating was partially the responsibility of basement dwellers smashing the dislike button as if it was some sort of political act, but in honesty the trailer was terrible. And sometimes people just don’t like things because they aren’t worth liking. Any trailer is rarely a accurate harbinger for the feature it heralds. Though, for most comedies, one simply has to watch the two-and-a-half-minute clip to get the best jokes.

The Ghostbusters team seemed to take the opposite approach and fill their promotional piece with dud one-liners and half-finished special effects. It made me nervous. The film the internet wanted to fail looked like it had booked a first-class ticket to a truck stop bargain bin.

Incidentally, that trailer will always hold a special place in hell for me, as I was forced to watch the first third of it projected upside down, at half-speed, and on-loop for nearly 45 minutes while the projectionists desperately scrambled to right the technical wrongs of my AVX screening of the already impressively bad Batman v Superman.

But is the film itself any good?

Yes.

Crucially striking the intricate balance between silly and scary, the Bridesmaids team’s magic works once again. Katie Dippold and Paul Feig’s clever, effervescent screenplay is vividly brought to life by a shrewdly chosen cast of comics who are all more than game.

Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy capably do their thing that we’re all so familiar with by now, but their schticks are given some new life by being able to bounce off of each other’s nervous energy — and McCarthy is always a generous costar. Saturday Night Live standouts Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon round out the cast and imbue it with their larger-than-life presences. Though many have criticized the dynamics of the team as being racist: three educated white women and one sassy black subway worker.

In actuality, this decision has the opposite effect as Jones’ character has many of the best lines, is by far the most sensible, and generally becomes the cipher through whom the audience experiences most of the frenetic action. At one point, after a failed attempt to crowd-surf at a metal show, Jones looks up from the floor and — reading all of our minds — spits out “I don’t know if that was a race thing or a lady thing, but I’m mad as hell.”

It’s a great moment. Funny, well-delivered, acknowledges the anticipatory hate thrown at the film, and moves on.

That is one of the film’s key strengths: it is just the right amount of self aware. It does not pander to the past in a navel-gazing attempt at nostalgia (the cameos from the original cast are welcome and un-intrusive). Nor does it invert itself in post-modern irony. It is comfortably in the middle with a refreshing lack of sentimentality.

As for the plot, ghostly things are a-happening around New York and former spectre author Erin Gilbert (Wiig) is sought out for her expertise despite her attempts at now pursuing a serious academic career. She is begrudgingly reunited with her former colleague Abby Yates (McCarthy). Yates brings along her protege inventor Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon) and while they’re investigating a haunted historical site, they finally encounter an actual ghost.

The apparition initially appears as elegant and wispy before covering Wiig in ectoplasm (the slime-like manifestation of tortured souls) which becomes a surprisingly effective recurring joke. Soaked and ecstatic that she’s had a real encounter, Wiig returns to the life of the paranormal.

The fledgling team hires a deliriously stupid himbo secretary (Chris Hemsworth displaying previously unknown comedic chops) and takes on fourth member Patty Tolan (Jones) after a ghoulish encounter with a dead inmate in the subway. The ghosts’ presences are being magnified by mysterious devices left along ley lines pointing towards a dreaded impending vortex at the city’s core. The Ghostbusters must figure out who is behind it and prevent the apocalypse.

A $150 million dollar budget is extremely high for a comedy, but it is clear that all of the effects are state of the art. From the ghosts themselves to the arsenal of imaginative weapons the team wields, the textured visuals are totally engrossing and often break the fourth wall drawing you further into the film’s neon clutches.

The occasional duff line sticks out brutally (“You shoot like girls!) but overall Ghostbusters is great engaging fun that is much better than it ever had any business of being. After the day is inevitably saved, the Ghostbusters look out over the familiar skyline to see “I ❤️‍ GB” spelled out across a cluster of skyscrapers. Indeed.

It is important to remember that the original still exists and, like most ’80s films, it isn’t as good as you think it is. And no, this movie will not ruin your childhood (if it does, then your childhood probably sucked to begin with).

Like anything in life, whether you’re for it or against it, you should probably experience it before you give your opinion on it.

Ghostbusters: the official trailer the internet hated

All photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, July 14 to Wednesday, July 20.

If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.

For all he has done musically, for all the many roads he has set his feet upon, Bobby Watson remains enthralled by solid performances turned in by others.

Yet it was a flawless performance of the non-musical variety, staged in early September 2013, that impacted the guitarist/singer’s life the most — by extending it.

With just 42 per cent blood flow to and from his heart, the then 67-year-old Watson went under the knife at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Five hours later, his quintuple heart bypass surgery complete and his new lease on life was signed, sealed and delivered.

Fast forward to a recent Friday morning at Haaselton’s in downtown Peterborough. Sipping coffee, Watson is the picture of good health, his mind sharp as he recalls with relative ease the names, places and circumstances that have marked his compelling life journey — a kaleidoscope of experiences that will be celebrated Sunday, August 7 when friends and local live music supporters gather to mark his 70th birthday at Market Hall (140 Charlotte Street, Peterborough, 705-749-1146).

“I feel great. I’m glad to be standing, man,” says the East City native, still known affectionately to many as Uncle Bobby.

“What Dr. (Bill) Hughes and the team in Ottawa did is a bit of a miracle. I was dying and I was not feeling well. It (an ongoing hearing into Dr. Hughes’ professional conduct) makes me angry. He has saved so many people’s lives. That’s a fact. I’ll be forever grateful to him.”

Organized and presented by SLAB Productions, Bobby’s Birthday Bash is evidence that many remain equally grateful to have been touched by Watson’s big talent.

Set to begin at 7:30 p.m. — doors open an hour earlier — the featured band is Jackson Delta Electric. The two-time Juno Award-nominated trio of Rick Fines (guitar), Gary Peeples (guitar), and Al Black (drums) will be joined by Andy Pryde (bass). Tickets, at $45 for cabaret table seating or $30 general admission, are available at the Market Hall box office, online at www.markethall.org, and at Moondance.

On July 26th, SLAB Productions announced that all-star The Session Hounds will also be playing with Bobby at his Birthday Bash. The Session Hounds are Andrew Affleck, John Crown, James McKenty, and Steve O’Connor.

Andrew Affleck, one of the most recorded bassists in Canadian music history, has played with Susan Aglukark, Good Brothers, comedian Bob Newhart, the Arrogant, and many others. Nominated four times for CCMA bassist of the year, Andrew has played for the Queen of England and two Canadian Prime Ministers.

John Crown is a multi-instrumentalist as well as a writer, producer and educator, whose songs and recordings are featured on radio, TV and film. His credits include Degrassi – The Next Generation, Big Time Rush, Canadian Idol, and extensive commercial work.

James McKenty is a singer, songwriter, engineer and producer extraordinaire, whose former band The Spades made big waves in the Canadian indie rock scene and opened shows for The Tragically Hip. More recently, James has worked recording Ronnie Hawkins, Gordon Lightfoot, and Willie Nelson as well as engineering and mixing Blue Rodeo. James continues to produce an impressive array of music artists, local and international.

Currently with the Jim Cuddy Band, Steve O’Connor has also worked with Blue Rodeo, Randy Bachman, Kim Mitchell, Lisa Brokop and Natalie MacMaster. Steve is a first-call studio player and has played piano, organ, and Wurlitzer on countless records and live shows.

But nearer and dearer to Watson’s reconstructed heart is that the event’s net proceeds will go to the Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association (PMBA).

Founded by late singer Phil Marshall and the benefactor of an ongoing one-Saturday-afternoon-monthly live music showcase at the The Pig’s Ear, the PMBA is all about musicians helping musicians in their time of need.

Watson knows from personal experience how daunting that need can be and often is.

“Most musicians are financially challenged big time,” says Watson.

“Musicians who run day to day on little, we don’t have it like other people. When the big thing happens, man, we’re on our knees. There’s nowhere to turn. Thank heavens for the health system in this country but it only takes care of our health. It doesn’t take care of the rent and so on and so forth.”

Still, Watson has nary a regret over pursuing his music full-time; a near lifelong commitment to his craft that has brought varied experiences, from a near 10-year run in the blues-infected southern United States to headlining at the biggest clubs on Memphis’ legendary Beale Street, to associations with some of music’s biggest names.

Watson has slowed down — today sees him front The Crown Royals (with Jim Leslie and Delbert Metheral) most Tuesday nights at the The Puck ‘n’ Pint in Brookdale Plaza — but that’s not by choice.

“I don’t get hired like I used to get hired because there’s all sorts of younger guns coming up and quite often they will play for less,” says Watson. “I understand that situation.”

“If I said, ‘Hey, so-and-so, I’ll play for even less than so-and-so’, if there’s a bidding war and I want to play really badly, I’ll play for 25 bucks and a beer and maybe could you throw in a meal. I can’t live on that $25 but I get the gig.”

“Rick Fines asked me, a long time ago when he was putting Jackson Delta together, why I had failed. I told him I haven’t failed. I’ve been able to work at something I love and eked through. If I wanted to, I could have had a job somewhere. I would have been way less happy but I could have made some money. That’s the trade-off.”

“In North America, the arts aren’t nearly as important as they are in Europe. Not only are there better financial rewards but there’s respect … like the respect of a lawyer, respect of a doctor, the respect other professions get. John Greco (the late co-owner of the Historic Red Dog) always gave me that respect. He was wonderful to me.”

Still, for those who think Watson’s musical journey is in its waning days, think again. This week, he’s in Los Angeles at the invite of Greg Wells, a hugely successful producer who, as a Peterborough native, hasn’t lost touch with his hometown and its rich musical landscape, despite his recording a host of pop music’s names, including Katy Perry and Adele.

“Greg offered me a contract and we’re recording for a week,” explains Watson, noting he has fair amount of original material he’s anxious to record.

“I have no expectations beyond making a great recording and having a whole lot of fun having this adventure with Greg. He’s a bit of a genius guy.”

“Somebody said to me ‘Maybe you’ll get to sing on a Katy Perry tune’ and I said, ‘Nah, I’m going to ask her if she’ll sing back-up for me.'”

Still, Watson is fully cognizant that, had Dr. Hughes et al not intervened close to three years ago, this story may well have been unwritten. He points to his good friend and fellow musician Buzz Thompson — they met in 1964 — as an example of the suddenness of life’s curve balls. Thompson is still recovering from a series of strokes which have left him unable to play, despite Watson’s urgings that he give it a go again.

“I’m one of the last men standing, so to speak,” says Watson.

“It’s a badge of honour to be able to touch people and I obviously have. I do think we keep getting better as we get older. In his later years, B.B. King played better than he ever did. His note selection, his whole thing, was better.”

Despite the financial challenges his life as a musician has brought, he admits that was his choice and he has absolutely no regrets. Tapping his left chest, he says “We get paid here and Peterborough has been really generous.”

The small things, notes Watson, such as getting together every Thursday morning for breakfast with other local music performers past and present, continue to offer the biggest of rewards.

“A lot of these guys, I had heard their names but now I get to know them,” says Watson.

“Their lives took them in different directions but they still love music. We get together and tell lies to each other. It’s really very, very cool … the highlight of my week.”

As for the August 7th event, Watson is equal parts excited and humbled. He says a range of material will be performed by himself and Jackson Delta Electric, including “some new stuff” and a solo acoustic set.

SLAB Productions, meanwhile, sees the event as addressing its primary motivation: building awareness of the PMBA’s work while raising dollars for it, and making people at large aware that local musicians remain undervalued and underpaid for their talent. To that end, organizers hope the corporate community steps to the plate and snaps up the four-seat cabaret tables at $200 apiece.

And, as has been the case at so many prior local benefits, most of which Watson has lent his time and talent too, the lyrics of a Lennon/McCartney classic will be at its centre.

“With a little help from my friends is hugely true,” says Watson.

“I’m somewhat of a loner, but I’ve been really fortunate that people have had my back.”

“Since I Fell for You” by Buddy Johnson, performed by Bobby Watson