With live music, delicious complimentary appetizers, a cosmopolitan cash bar, acres of fine art, and not one but two draws for original artwork, opening night at the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival will be the party of the season.

Festival Director Allyson Allin says opening night is an all-access opportunity for patrons to connect with artists and be the first to check out acres of original art while enjoying a party vibe as the sun sets on the pines in Festival Park.

Starting as a wildlife art show, the weekend-long fine art display — which runs this year from Friday, August 17th to Sunday, August 19th — has grown into a world-class festival that showcases over 80 Canadian visual artists, sculptors, jewelers, and photographers in pavilions that fill a park in the small town.

At the heart of the park is the Buckhorn Community Centre, the recipient of funds raised by the festival.

“Opening night is where excitement builds,” Allin says.

“This is the first chance to meet the artists and to see their work and it gives you more time to develop a relationship with a new piece of art.

“Sometimes people will come back a few times over the weekend as they are making a decision.”

And for those who want to make multiple visits to the festival, the opening night ticket is a deal — it also acts as a weekend pass after the Friday night party wraps-up.

VIDEO: “Hallelujah I Love Him So” – Bridget Foley & The Channel Cats

Besides the gorgeous views offered all weekend, Allin says she is proud of the sounds and tastes that will create a rich experience for festival patrons.

Opening night features lively musical guests, Bridget Foley and the Pocket Kings. Catering is provided by Swanky Events and Executive Chef Doris Hiller.

Opening night also offers an opportunity to take home some special pieces of art.

For those interested in trying their luck, guests can purchase a numbered ticket for $75 to enter a draw for a “Mystery Masterpiece” from an 2018 Arts Festival exhibitor. If your ticket is drawn on opening night, you get to choose any piece of art as your prize. Tickets sold are limited to the number of pieces of artwork available.

As another opening night perk, one of the original artists who helped launch the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival 41 years ago has donated a piece for a second opening night prize draw.

The original graphite study by Michael Dumas, “Looking Out”, has a value of $1,000 and is the featured painting in this at this year’s special exhibit “The Lives of Birds”. Opening night ticket holders are automatically entered into this draw and additional tickets are available for $75 each.

Opening night takes place from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, August 17th. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 (cash only) at the gate, and include parking and re-entry to the festival all weekend.

The festival continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with single day passes available for $8, or $25 for a group of four adults. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. Art is available for purchase using Mastercard, VISA, Interac (debit), and cash.

Proceeds of the festival continue to support the Buckhorn Community Centre, the home of Festival Park at 1782 Lakehurst Road in Buckhorn. Shuttle busses will be running from the parking locations.

To purchase opening night tickets and day passes, visit www.buckhornfineart.com/festival-info/opening-night/. For more information about the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival, visit www.buckhornfineart.com. You can also follow the festival on Facebook and Twitter.

If there was ever a time to apply the descriptor “renaissance man” in anticipation of a pending Peterborough Musicfest concert, now is that time.

Musician, songwriter, producer, actor and author, Newfoundland native Alan Doyle has endeared himself to the masses in a number of ways, perhaps most notably as the frontman for iconic folk rock band Great Big Sea.

When that band called it a day in 2013, Doyle’s story could have ended there except for one thing — a renaissance man is always reinventing himself. To coin one of the band’s signature songs, Great Big Sea’s demise was not the end of the world as Doyle knew it.

Doyle has fashioned a superb solo music career since, the fruits of which will be clearly audible Wednesday, August 8th when he headlines Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park. Admission is free to the 8 p.m. show.

In June 2013, when Doyle opened that year’s edition of the annual summer concert series, he arrived in Peterborough with his 2012 debut solo album Boy On Bridge — the title a reference to his credit as an extra in the 1981 film A Whale For The Killing — still doing well with its singles “I’ve Seen A Little” and “Testify”. The video for the latter earned him a 2012 Juno Award nomination.

VIDEO: “I’ve Seen A Little” – Alan Doyle

VIDEO: “Testify” – Alan Doyle featuring Colin James

Since then, the 49 year old has been very busy. He has released two more albums: So Let’s Go in 2015 and, just last October, A Week At The Warehouse featuring the singles “Summer Summer Night” and “Bully Boys”.

He paused long enough last summer to be named a Member of the Order of Canada — affirmation of “his contributions to the musical traditions of his home province and his commitment to numerous local charitable initiatives.”

Still, for all the success Doyle has met since he parted ways with Great Big Sea members Sean McCann, Bob Hallet, and Darrell Power — they met as students at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s and played their first gig there in March 1993 — he has nothing but wonderful memories of his time with the band.

“My fondest memory? August 3, 1993 … the day our first CD showed up,” says Doyle in a February 2017 interview with Jason Setnyk of The Cornwall Seeker.

“I’ve played in bands my whole life and I always thought, for whatever reason, as long as I got a record out, then it would legitimize my whole life in some kind of way. When that little indie record (Great Big Sea) showed up on that day it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I couldn’t believe there was something permanent — a permanent record of our music. It was a brilliant day.”

Great Big Sea would enjoy a number of brilliant days, its high-energy rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs resonating with fans across North America. Eight studio recordings followed that initial album. In 1997, the single “When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down)”, a cover of a song by British folk group Oysterband, reached the top 10 of the Canadian RPM pop chart.

VIDEO: “So Let’s Go” – Alan Doyle

In addition, every year from 1996 to 2000 saw Great Big Sea named Entertainer of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards, and there were numerous Juno Award nominations as well.

“At the end of 2013, after our 20th anniversary tour, Sean (McCann) quit and left the band,” recounts Doyle in a November 2015 interview with Christopher Tessmer for the Regina Leader-Post.

“We spent a length of time to find an amicable way that Bob (Hallett) and I could continue without him. We couldn’t, so we came to the realization that we didn’t want to go on like that.”

VIDEO: “Summer Summer” – Alan Doyle

Among the numerous collaborations that have marked Doyle’s career, his friendship with actor and musician Russell Crowe has borne the most fruit.

Crowe joined Doyle for a track on Boy On Bridge while Doyle was cast in the Crowe films Robin Hood and Winter’s Tale. Doyle also produced one of Crowe’s albums and co-wrote some of his songs.

“He’s the hardest working guy in show biz,” praises Doyle.

“It’s fantastic to see how a guy at his level still values the craft of acting and song writing and story telling. He’s so passionate about everything he does. It’s a real honest to God inspiration.”

VIDEO: “Bully Boys” – Alan Doyle

Doyle has found a home on the small screen as well, portraying Wolf Redmond in three episodes of the CBC television series Republic of Doyle as well as a 10th season episode of Murdoch Mysteries. In addition, he has written two books, the most recent being A Newfoundlander In Canada: Always Going Somewhere, Always Coming Home.

But as varied as his creative experiences have been, Doyle first passion is performing music and songwriting. He says studying literature in university helped him develop the latter talent but his East Coast roots have been, and remain, his biggest influence.

“I loved how some of the great writers used language, ” he says.

“From Shakespeare to modern guys, the way they can turn a phrase. I got to read a lot of that stuff while doing an English degree — a lot of books I wouldn’t have read otherwise. That was undeniably an effect, but I think it’s probably small compared to the oral tradition of Newfoundland and Labrador. That’s by far the biggest influence in trying to tell stories and writing songs.”

“Come Out With Me” – Alan Doyle

Note: For his Peterborough Musicfest concert, a guitar signed by Doyle — generously donated by First Stop Swap Shop in Peterborough — will be raffled off with all proceeds supporting Musicfest programming. Tickets cost $5 each.

Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 18 free-admission concerts featuring a total of 20 acts during its 32nd season — each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights at Del Crary Park.

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 or the entire 2018 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.

In the tribute band universe, substantial are the rewards for those acts that dare to present the music and style of artists who are incomparable — and do so exceedingly well.

When The Funk Frequency was formed in 2015, the subject of their tribute band — singer, songwriter and guitarist Prince — was very much alive.

Less than a year later, when the Minneapolis native died suddenly at age 57 as the result of an accidental fentanyl overdose, The Funk Frequency’s tribute to the iconic artist took on much greater significance and poignancy for the many still looking to party like it was 1999.

On Saturday, August 4th at Del Crary Park, Peterborough Musicfest welcomes The Funk Frequency to the Fred Anderson Stage, fronted by lead singer Chris Rouse. Admission is free to the 8 p.m. show.

“You have Beatles tributes, you have Journey tributes, you have Motown tributes, you have all types of different tributes, but you don’t have anyone that’s really focusing on the heyday of the Minneapolis sound, which is Prince, but also what Prince did with a lot of other artists, like Sheila E., Vanity 6, The Time, Sheena Easton and The Bangles.

“So we decided we wanted to focus on that period, because it was a golden era and it meant so much to a lot of people. There was only one person I felt we could do this with. We couldn’t do it without Chris (Rouse) accepting it. I prayed and did a little rain dance — a Purple Rain dance — and he said he was free and we started. It’s important to note this concept started long before the unfortunate demise (of Prince). It’s not like we jumped on some sort of bandwagon.”

In bringing Rouse on board, Alexander and Roscetti had the perfect frontman for The Funk Frequency. Embodying Prince’s unique essence, sound, and vocal styling, he also bears a striking physical similarity to Prince. When decked out in the singer’s signature purple duds, the transformation is complete.

VIDEO: “1999” by Prince performed by The Funk Frequency

“Gratitude and humility,” says Rouse of the experience of performing as Prince in The Funk Frequency. “I’m trying to fill some huge, huge shoes. It’s always a challenge in a real healthy, positive, exciting way. It pushes me forward. It pushes me to be a better artist and a better person. I’ve been learning so much being a part of this group — how to be my best in a group scenario and really honour that sense of team energy that Prince was all about.”

With album sales in excess of 100 million worldwide, Prince’s huge popularity over five decades — he released his debut album For You in 1978 at age 20 — remains a testament to his music’s message and relevancy to multi generations of fans.

Fuelled by a long list of hit songs such as “Little Red Corvette”, “Kiss”, “When Doves Cry”, “Let’s Go Crazy”, and “1999”, to name but a few, Prince remains one of the most awarded music figures of his generation with eight Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Oscar for Best Original Song Score for the 1984 film Purple Rain, in which he also starred. In addition, in 2004, he was inducted the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

VIDEO: “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince performed by The Funk Frequency

“Sometimes it brings me tears, it gets emotional,” says Rouse of replicating Prince’s flamboyant stage presence, his extravagant fashion sense and use of makeup, and his wide vocal range.

“When we’re all performing, we get moved at the same time. We look around at each other and it’s like ‘What’s going on? Is Prince here with us.’ I think he is. That’s what it feels like for me.”

Besides bringing Prince’s extensive music catalogue to the masses, The Funk Frequency also performs the music of noted Prince collaborators such as Morris Day and The Time (“Jungle Love” and “The Bird”) and Sheila E. (“The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre”).

VIDEO: “Raspberry Beret” by Prince performed by The Funk Frequency

“There are things we all do as individuals on our own and we respect that for each other,” Rouse says.

“We do this because we love to do it. We do it for the passion, for the music. We love Prince, not just for what he did for his own career but for the careers of so many different artists, and for what he did for the music industry.”

Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 18 free-admission concerts featuring a total of 20 acts during its 32nd season — each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights at Del Crary Park.

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 or the entire 2018 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.