When it comes to debuting a new sound, one’s band is typically formed well before new songs are written and composed. But sometimes circumstances dictate the opposite.

In 2005, Tim Baker returned home to St. John’s, Newfoundland, his head brimming with new songs penned during a lengthy trek across North America. Written with the piano and acoustic guitar in mind, those songs, Baker realized, needed a fuller sound to really take flight. So it was that calls were made and a group of St. John’s musicians came together as one.

More than 10 years later, Hey Rosetta! continues to enjoy heady success on the strength of four studio albums, numerous East Coast Music Award nods, a Juno Award nomination, and a dogged work ethic which sees it tour extensively. On Wednesday, July 13th, the seven-member indie rock band will make its inaugural Peterborough Musicfest appearance, taking to the Fred Anderson Stage at 8 p.m.

“It was just sort of this crazy project that I had and that I brought people into; in our spare time, we went at it,” explained Baker of the band’s formation in an October 2015 interview with www.berkeleybside.com.

“We arranged these songs that I had written for the strings and a sort of garage-y, early 2000s kind of acoustic rock band. When we first started, we really had no idea about production or capturing sounds or creating sound really. It was just about the songs and playing them as best we could, and our first couple records, I think, really reflect that. But innovation sort of became a focus for us.”

With the 2006 release of debut album Plan Your Escape, Hey Rosetta! turned heads in its home province. Four honours came the band’s way at the 2006 Music NL Awards, including Group of the Year.

“Kintsukuroi” – Hey Rosetta!

Just two years later, the band’s follow-up record Into Your Lungs proved that the layered sound of Hey Rosetta! — courtesy of a traditional four-piece rock set-up combined with a string section — resonated with the masses. The band toured worldwide and claimed a Polaris Prize nomination in the process.

But it was 2011’s Seeds that really provided the springboard for more good things to come. It attained #1 album status on iTunes and led to a 2012 Juno Award nomination in the New Group of the Year category — ironically some seven years after Hey Rosetta! actually was a new group.

“It was about metaphorically starting over,” noted Baker about Seeds.

“It was about the songs as seeds themselves; these little things that hopefully could germinate and become something bigger for you as you live with them.”

“For the first thousand CDs, we put actual seeds in the package so people could take the record and, as they listen to it, could plant real seeds and see them grow in real life and sort of experience that hopeful kind of metaphor in real time.”

Buoyed by that success, Hey Rosetta! recorded and released Second Sight in 2014, spawning the singles “Kintsukoroi” and “Soft Offering (For The Oft Suffering)”.

“We didn’t have a single, which seems a perennial problem for us. We’ve never really had a single but boy, do people want one,” notes Baker at www.heyrosetta.com.

“At first we kicked against it but then eventually saw it as a challenge.”

Hey Rosetta! comes to Peterborough with Baker right where he has been since day one all those years ago — on lead vocals with his acoustic guitar or at the piano keyboard. Joining him will be original members Adam Hogan (electric guitar) and Josh Ward (bass) with Phil Moloney (drums), Kinley Dowling (violin), Romesh Thavanathan (cello) and Mara Pellerin (horns/keyboards).

“Soft Offering (For The Oft Suffering)” – Hey Rosetta!

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.

One half of Peterborough-based fuzz-folk alt-country duo Mayhemingways, Josh and bandmate Benj Rowland have embarked on a cross-Canada tour from Peterborough to St. John’s to B.C.

This is Josh’s third report from the road, read part one and part two.

In my last column, we were heading back to the mainland from beautiful Newfoundland and now I’m writing this one from Calgary, Alberta. In a matter of just a few weeks, we’ll have played every province (sorry to the territories, you’re just a little too far this time).

Canada’s makeup is much like a quilt. It’s one big blanket, but there are so many differences, subtle and otherwise. Each time we cross the country, I am left in awe of the variations in our geographic, cultural and artistic landscapes.

My third column will attempt to chauffeur you from Halifax to Peterborough to rural Alberta in a few hundred words, giving you a window into what a tour is like and how there is often a connection to Peterborough just around the corner.

From the Peterborough Folk Festival to fish & chips and a special song in Dartmouth

Benj and I played a fun Peterborough Folk Festival volunteer party last August at The Spill. That evening, none other than Joel Plaskett and Mo Kenney walked into the bar as we were playing a set.

We proceeded to chat with Joel, who is as engaging and kind of a musician as one can imagine. He invited us to drop him a line to meet up and to see check out his studio in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia — which also houses a coffee shop, a barber, and a record store.

The @MAYHEMINGWAYS @CarletonHalifax . Go see this band. pic.twitter.com/DnL41iqBa3

— Joel Plaskett (@joelplaskett) June 10, 2016

So while we were out east we got ahold of him and he invited us to meet up. He has a really neat studio space in a former furrier’s warehouse. It was our lucky day on numerous levels, as Joel proceeded to play us an almost-finished version of his epic rock tune written for Gord Downie (it was a secret then but not so much now.

Joel then led us to a great local spot for fish and chips, and later made it out to our show at the lovely Carleton in downtown Halifax.

Just another day on tour.

Cool version of @springsteen 's Atlantic City by @MAYHEMINGWAYS last night @CarletonHalifax pic.twitter.com/6cZ7T8MMwa

— Joel Plaskett (@joelplaskett) June 10, 2016

Back for a brief “home-cation”

There is an indescribable feeling when you edge closer and closer to home during a big drive.

This time it was during a 14-hour drive from Shediac, New Brunswick. We had played a house show the night before that was full of … um … colourful people.

The evening was highlighted by an older lady dancing and then falling into our equipment. No one was hurt, but we knew maybe it was time to get home.

You know you’ve been away from home a lot when being back feels like a vacation. We had eight days in Peterborough between journeys east and west. It was nice to see loved ones and friends, play a couple of games of softball, and see our city in all of its summer glory.

From Peterborough to Alberta: a brief synopsis

I had barely unpacked my suitcase and we were readying ourselves for departure once again.

There were some memorable settings for shows as we headed out west.

In Sault Ste. Marie, we played in a laundromat attached to the Gore St. Cafe.

In Thunder Bay, we played a Finnish hall that sits above the famous Hoito, home of amazing Finnish pancakes.

In Red Lake and then in Winnipeg, we played house concerts at two beautiful homes.

In Saskatchewan, we played in the church of what used to be a ghost town.

This run of shows made me realize that perhaps we like venues that are a little different than your average bar room.

We also played in Vulcan, Alberta. Yes, Vulcan. It was named long before Spock’s home planet in Star Trek, but the town decided to go Trekkie for an extra tourism boost.

Downtown features teleporters built on the side of buildings and a large Enterprise sculpture. The tourism office looks like a space station.

I could write paragraphs about the music scene in Alberta, including the venues where it would seem only fields and coulees sit. There are a lot of great venues and the talent here is palpable.

I’m just going to leave you with one more Peterborough connection.

We were lucky enough to be a part of the great Wild Oats and Notes Festival that takes place every two years in Tofield, Alberta (about 30 minutes from Edmonton). The setting is a beautiful farm property surrounded by bright yellow canola and big sky.

You know who was headlining the final night? The great Weber Brothers.

It’s one thing to see and hear these guys back home, but it was magic to hear them light up a big outdoor crowd in rural Alberta. The band received four — count ’em, four — encores. These guys are a musical treasure right in our city.

After months of preparation and media buzz, 4th Line Theatre’s much anticipated production of The Hero of Hunter Street opened last week at Winslow Farm in Millbrook. A brand new production written by Dora-winning playwright Maja Ardal and directed by Kim Blackwell, The Hero of Hunter Street continues 4th Line’s commitment to bring the history of The Kawarthas to life.

The Hero of Hunter Street is a hybrid of fact and fiction about the family of Dennis and Laura O’Brien, and how their lives were changed forever by one of the most severe tragedies in Peterborough’s history — the night on December 11th, 1916 when the Quaker Oats factory exploded and burned to the ground.

The play is a delicately written tapestry that weaves a lot within its script. At the core of the production is the Quaker Oats tragedy, but the true heart of the drama is the narrative of the O’Brien family, which came from real-life stories passed down to long-time 4th Line Theatre volunteer Lorna Green by her grandfather George O’Brien, the son of the Dennis and Laura O’Brien.

However, playwright Maja goes much further than a family drama by painting a complete portrait of Peterborough’s social and political landscape in 1916, including issues at City Hall, the subtle rivalry between Irish and Italian workers, and the continuing reality of World War I. The Hero of Hunter Street is very much an historical overview, but presented in an entertaining performance. Pathos and comedy are combined with music, movement, drama, and storytelling in an emotionally engaging production.

The play opens with the people of Peterborough preparing for Christmas in 1916. The men are working overtime at Quaker Oats to have something extra under the tree, while the women are sewing bags to package the oats. The factory is working in overdrive to send food overseas for soldiers fighting in the war.

Dennis O’Brien (Mac Fyfe), along with his father-in-law William Hogan (Geoff Hewitson), has been working even longer hours at the factory with plans to purchase a house that will better accommodate Dennis’s family of five. But when he reveals his plans to his wife Laura (Monica Dottor), he doesn’t get the reaction that he expected. Unknown to him, Laura has news of her own and, although the couple loves each other very much, the pair goes to bed with many words unspoken.

Meanwhile, the couple’s young son George (Liam Davidson) has a habit of exploring the streets of Peterborough, much to his mother’s chagrin, where he meets a vaudevillian strong man named Ajax (Mac Fyfe in a dual role) who claims he can lift three 250-pound men over his head.

Obsessed with Ajax’s claims, George begins to plot on how to get enough money to go to the show.

That night, as the O’Brien family sleeps, the oldest O’Brien son Joe (Justin Laurie) sneaks out to enlist in the war, not knowing that the next day life for the O’Brien family — as well as hundreds of families across Peterborough — will change forever.

At 10 a.m., an explosion in the boiler room will decimate the Quaker Oats factory. Hundreds of men will be injured and out of work and 26 men will not be coming home. The Hero of Hunter Street explores the grief, as well as the strength, of the O’Brien family as they struggle to survive in the wake of the tragedy.

It takes a lot of people to recreate an entire community, and director Kim Blackwell uses her huge cast well. Bringing together performers of varying ages, Kim successfully creates the illusion of an entire city of people with the majority of the actors playing multiple roles. Through the excellent efforts of the cast, Peterborough in 1916 comes alive for the audience.

While he’s rarely part of the actual narrative, the busiest actor in the show is actor Ryan Hollyman who plays an unnamed character known only as “The Man.” Hollyman is always on stage and carries the crux of the show on his shoulders. He’s the audience’s guide and host for the play, setting up the scenes, introducing the characters, and providing narration when needed. Lively and engaging, Hollyman is part narrator and part historian, but draws the audience in without making it seem like he’s giving a university lecture.

It takes a lot of charisma to be able to pull off a role whose primary function is to give the audience lots of historical facts, but Hollyman succeeds, and as a result draws the audience into the show and places them solidly in 1916. Hollyman is a joy and in my opinion the true hero of the production.

Meanwhile, Mac Fyfe and Monica Dottor bring both tragedy and laughter to the show by playing two very different dual roles. In the main plot, they play the key characters of Dennis and Laura O’Brien, but in the subplot they play Ajax the strong man and his wife/assistant Gertie. With a quick costume change — and some over the top vocal changes — the pair go from turning on the tears to bringing out the laughter at a snap of the fingers.

It’s a testament to the talents of these two great actors, who help set up the show’s tension and then tear it down with comedic relief. The pair also has an unmistakable chemistry with one another, creating an intimate connection between both sets of characters. The result is that both the O’Briens and Ajax and Gertie become the stand-out characters of the show.

The O’Brien children — Irene (Frances Loiselle), Joe (Justin Laurie), George (Liam Davidson), Kay (Maude Rose Craig), and baby Michael (Eli Fisher/Kolton Menzies) — bring a lot to the table in their roles, with the stand-out being Liam Davidson as George, who takes much of the second act on his shoulders.

Another subplot revolves around the O’Brien’s Italian neighbors the Lorenos, whose matriarch Sophia (Hilary Wear) is not only raising six children alone while her husband’s lies in a sanitarium, but also works sewing oat bags and becomes the first to aid the wounded after the Quaker factory. Hilary gives a remarkable performance, also making her stand out amongst the huge cast.

Although not exactly a musical, The Hero of Hunter Street contains 17 original songs written by Maja Ardal and arranged by musical director Justin Hiscox. With Hiscox and his band (including Rob Fortin, Mark Hiscox, and Saskia Tomkins) remaining on the set throughout the entire production, the musical numbers fit nicely within the production, usually acting in place of soliloquies as a way for the characters to let the audience to know what they are thinking.

The most important of the musical numbers is “Something to Tell You”, sung in the first act by Laura and Dennis. It’s key to the family drama, allowing the audience to understand the situation within the home while the words go unspoken between characters. Just as “The Man” gives narration, the songs become another entertaining tool for communicating historical and emotional information.

The use of choreography throughout the show is also important to the play’s success. Along with the music, there’s also a lot of stylized movement, especially in the final part of the first act as Quaker Oats burns. Obviously not actually able to burn down the Winslow Farm barn, the cast partakes in a ballet to create the illusion of flames, chaos, and death. It’s a powerful and haunting effect, creating a sense of horror where time seems to slow down as bodies burn.

The comedic moment of the night belongs to a clever dance performance by Monica and Mac in their roles of Ajax and Gertie in the second act, proving again that dance and movement are as important to the show as the music and drama.

I also want to give special praise to Maja for her wonderful twist ending to the show. Although I’m hesitant to say too much as not to give away the ending, Maja includes more recent legend and lore tied into the Quaker Oats factory, especially surrounding building eleven where the fire originated. As a fan of local Peterborough legends, I really appreciated the way Maja finishes the play.

Bringing history to life is something 4th Line Theatre is known for, but they go above and beyond with The Hero of Hunter Street. The show brings a lot to the table and it succeeds in so many ways. It is both a tragedy and a comedy, a social and political tapestry, and a family drama.

But most of all it brings the reality and the tragedy of the Quaker Oats fire back to life for today’s audience so we can understand and relate to what happened on that tragic day and how it affected an entire city. The Quaker Oats fire is an important part of Peterborough’s history.

Since nobody who was around for the tragedy is still alive today, before this play the men who died and the families affected could have been forgotten. The Hero of Hunter Street retells their stories and struggles to ensure we won’t forget. The play is another 4th Line Theatre triumph that will surely be remembered as one of their best and most important productions.

The Hero of Hunter Street runs until July 23rd at the Winslow Farm in Millbrook. Although most performances are sold out (or close to it), more tickets will be available next week.

All photos by Wayne Eardley, courtesy of Wayne Eardley Photography.