Who doesn’t like a comeback?

As jaded and divisive as we’ve increasingly become, there remains a soft spot for those who have returned from a lengthy absence to meet with renewed and re-invigorated success. We’ve seen that happen time and time again in the political, sports, and music entertainment universe and, more often than not, we’re transfixed on some level.

Shawn Desman is a case in point. An explosive force on the Canadian R&B and hip hop landscape early in the new millennium and beyond, the Mississauga-born singer, songwriter, and dancer rode the wave of that success into 2015 when, to spend more time with his family — in particular his wife, who was facing down health challenges — he called it quits.

Flash forward to 2020 when, agreeing to collaborate with Canadian country music artist Tebey on a project called RadioClub, they released a catchy dance mix of Rick Astley’s 1987’s smash single “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Two years later, after being handpicked by Drake for a showcase performance featuring OVO Sound label artists, and being encouraged by the perennial hit music maker to get back at it, Desman went all in again, debuting the single “Maniac” in October 2022 — his first single release since 2015.

Comeback complete or still a work in progress? On Saturday, July 15th at Del Crary Park, the answer will provided by Desman himself as he headlines Peterborough Musicfest. Admission to the 8 p.m. show is free.

Just 18 years old when he recorded his self-titled breakthrough album in 2002, Desman called on the experience of having recorded four Portuguese language albums from age nine to 16 under his birth name of Shawn Fernandes. That debut album under his stage name Shawn Desman produced three top 10 chart singles in “Shook,” “Spread My Wings,” and “Get Ready.”

VIDEO: “Maniac” – Shawn Desman

Three years later, Desman proved he was no one-trick pony. His follow-up album Back For More, strengthened by the single “Let’s Go,” earned him the 2006 Juno award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.

There things sat until 2010 when Desman returned to the studio, the resulting album Fresh bringing him platinum sales for the singles “Electric” and “Night Like This,” and top 20 radio chart standing for “Shiver.”

Three years later, the album Alive spawned two singles, “Nobody Does It Like You” and “Dum Da Dum.” Of note, an accompanying short film of the same name was declared Best Outstanding Short Film at the Reelworld Film Festival in Toronto.

2015 saw Desman at the top of his game — he released the singles Victoria and Obsession the same year — when, as referenced, he made the undoubtedly difficult decision to step away from his music career to be with his wife Chantelle and their three children full-time.

As he related in a November 2022 chat with Erin Davis of View the Vibe, Desman had no intention of getting back at it — until Drake invited him to perform at his OVO Fest music festival. It was there when an executive with Wax Records, one of Canada’s largest and best known independent record labels, told Desman how important the performance could be to resurrecting his career.

“He’s like ‘Do you realize how big of a deal this is?'” recalls Desman. “‘The biggest artist in the world has invited you to do a show … You have to seize this opportunity because if you ever wanted to make a comeback, the time is now.'”

VIDEO: “Shook” – Shawn Desman

Post-performance, Drake’s enthusiasm for Desman’s second coming was no less off the charts.

‘Did you hear those people, man?’,” Desman says, paraphrasing Drake. “‘They love you. Those songs you just did, even the old stuff, feel like they’re brand new and living … Shawn Desman needs to make music again now. People need you.'”

Fortunately for his legion of longtime fans, not to mention the pending Musicfest crowd, Desman listened and recorded “Maniac” a few months later.

“Funny enough, I wrote a version of that song back in 2014 for what would have been my last album that I would have put out that never happened,” recalls Desman during his View the Vibe chat. “One of the guys I was writing the track with puts on this instrumental. I had the title Maniac sitting in my documents and I literally started singing ‘She’s a maniac, yeah, but you love her just like that.’ It was so catchy.”

Desman self-assesses his music as have one requirement to make him satisfied.

“It’s got to make people feel something,” he says. “I don’t want to just write cookie-cutter music. We’ve got to do something that’s catchy, makes people feel good, and is easy to remember. Easier said than done but I think we really nailed that with Maniac.”

VIDEO: “Nobody Does It Like You” – Shawn Desman

Now on the north side of 40, Desman is as curious as anyone to see what’s next in his musical rebirth. That said, it’s clear he’s again in a very good place, professionally and personally. Even clearer is his gratitude for the voice that whispered in his ear.

After launching his comeback with a show at Toronto’s Rivoli, a text message from Drake got his full attention.

“He wrote ‘Dude, I’m so proud of you … I’m so glad you listened to me that night. You didn’t just leave it up on stage and let it fizzle out. I can’t wait to see what you do next.'”

It’s a safe bet Drake is not alone in that regard.

Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 15 free-admission concerts during its 36th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until August 19th, and supported by more than 100 sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them.

Overseen by general manager 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 and the entire 2023 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 2023 season.

After 30 years of outdoor summer theatre, Picton’s Driftwood Theatre Group is bringing its celebrated Bard’s Bus Tour to a close and will be presenting a performance of Living With Shakespeare at the Peterborough Museum and Archives on August 12 and 13.

“The past few years have prompted significant reflection about Driftwood’s history, legacy, and long-term goals,” says Jeremy Smith, artistic director of Driftwood Theatre, in a media release. “We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished and grateful to our partners, supporters, and audience members across the province who have supported The Bard’s Bus Tour since 1995.”

To close out its final season, Driftwood Theatre is presenting Living With Shakespeare, a love letter to the poetry and plays of William Shakespeare created by Smith and Steven Gallagher and performed by Smith, who is returning to the stage for the first time in over a decade.

“It has been a privilege to work alongside one of the greatest playwrights in the history of English theatre for almost 30 years but all things come to an end,” Smith says. “I’m so thankful and thrilled to be able to personally share this final tour with our audiences across Ontario.”

Weaving scenes, passages, and music from Shakespeare’s greatest plays with personal stories from Smith’s lifelong relationship to the Bard, Living With Shakespeare is an exploration of the continuing fascination with the world’s most recognizable playwright more than 400 years after his death.

“Shakespeare has taken over my life,” Smith says. “He’s the Oscar to my Felix, the Ernie to my Bert, the R2 to my 3P0. He’s my constant and not always welcome companion.”

Smith will perform Living With Shakespeare, with musical accompaniment by Tom Lillington, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 12th and Sunday, August 13th outside at the Peterborough Museum and Archives on the top of Armour Hill at 300 Hunter Street East. The performance runs around 90 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets are pay what you can ($15, $35, $50, or $75). Every ticket purchased at the $75 level will include a pair of free tickets that Driftwood Theatre will distribute to organizations representing underserved members of communities across Ontario.

Living With Shakespeare is also being performed during August in Kingston, Prince Edward County, Quinte West, Oshawa, Pickering, Ingersoll, Toronto, and Burlington. For more information and tickets, visit www.driftwoodtheatre.com.

As Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season continues with the world premiere of The Tilco Strike until July 22, the outdoor theatre company is already preparing for its August production: the seventh remounting of 4th Line’s flagship play The Cavan Blazers.

Running from August 1 to 26, The Cavan Blazers chronicles the 19th-century conflicts between the Protestant and Catholic Irish settlers of Cavan Township. The intense production tells the violent tale of the Protestant vigilante gang known as the Cavan Blazers as they aim to prevent the establishment of a Catholic settlement.

The Cavan Blazers is a significant historical event both for the township and as a production for 4th Line, whose mandate is to promote Canadian cultural heritage through regional and environmentally staged dramas.

Written by the 4th Line founder Robert Winslow, The Cavan Blazers was the first play produced by the theatre company back in 1992 shortly after its establishment. The original production featured horses, chickens, fire, fights, torches, and a cast of 44 actors — including Winslow himself, who will be returning to the stage again in the role of Justice John Knowlsen.

The 1992 debut of The Cavan Blazers set the stage for the more than 60 productions that have since followed in its footsteps over the last three decades. The play continues to build upon its own legacy, proving to be one of the outdoor theatre’s most popular productions, as evident through its five previous restagings in 1993, 1996, 2001, 2004, and 2011.

In her 30th season with the organization, 4th Line’s managing artistic director Kim Blackwell is designing the set and will be directing, as she did during the 2004 production.

“The story inside The Cavan Blazers is one as old as time and as modern as the recent conflicts in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Ukraine,” explains Blackwell in a media release. “It is a cautionary story of what can happen when people become entrenched in a way of thinking and are then unable to free themselves from that thinking.”

Local volunteer actors and professional actors have come together for the sixth remounting. Along with Robert Winslow, returning to the 4th Line stage in The Cavan Blazers are JD “Jack” Nicholsen, Colin A. Doyle, Thomas Fournier, Matt Gilbert, Justin Hiscox, Mark Hiscox, Ken Houston, Robert Morrison, Kelsey Powell, and Julia Scaringi. Making their 4th Line debut, actress Katherine Cullen (Stupidhead! A Musical Comedy) and musician Jason Edmunds are bringing their talents to the production.

Joining Blackwell backstage are fight director Edward Belanger, costume designer Korin Cormier, musical director Justin Hiscox, choreographer Rachel Bemrose, sound designer Esther Vincent, directing intern Shelley Simester, and assistant to the director Sierra Gibb-Kahn. Emily Brown and Gailey Monner make up The Cavan Blazers stage management team. The production is sponsored by Miskin Law.

Opening night of The Cavan Blazers is on Thursday, August 3rd with preview nights on August 1 and 2. The production runs every day from Tuesday to Saturday until August 26, with curtain at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $50 ($45 for children and youth ages five to 16), with $38 tickets available for preview nights.

You can order tickets by visiting www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca, calling 705-732-4445 (toll free at 1-800-814-0055), emailing boxoffice@4thlinetheatre.on.ca, or in person at 4th Line Theatre’s box office at 9 Tupper Street in Millbrook.

kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of 4th Line Theatre’s 31st season.