WayHome Music & Arts Festival is just around the corner and I’m super excited to see headliners Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Sam Smith and Kendrick Lamar, but today I thought I’d talk about five non-headlining acts, that I’m really excited to see.
Yukon Blonde
Out of Kelowna, BC I’m happy to see lots of Canadian content on the festival line up. They’ve just released the new album, On Blonde on Dine Alone Records and it’s fantastic! At $7.99 on the iTunes store, you should go download the new Yukon Blonde album so you can sing along next month. I’m looking forward to hearing the new songs as well as some of my older favourites including Stairway, which I now can’t hear without thinking about The Blue Jays.
Yukon Blonde is on the schedule for Sunday.
The Sheepdogs
This band, who calls Saskatoon home, is also on our list. I’ve been a fan since the first time I heard them on Fearless Fred‘s show on the 102.1 The Edge. I was thrilled when they got their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Their sound is right up my alley and I can’t wait to see them live. They’ve already got three Junos under their belts and I’ve heard they put on a really great live show. I can hardly wait. They’re on tour until November so if WayHome Music & Arts Festival isn’t in your neck of the woods, check out their tour schedule. They’re on the schedule for Saturday.
Vance Joy
I can’t get enough of Atlantic Records/Liberation recording artist Vance Joy. The singer/songwriter hailing from Australia is described as easy listening or acoustic. I’ve listened to Dream Your Life Away from beginning to end, over and over. It’s on my playlist and I love it. Vance is selling out shows across the U.S. and he’s getting rave reviews. I’m expecting an easygoing attitude, effortless melodies and jokes. Looking forward to it.
Next up The Ascot Royals, the band members are originally from Britain, Israel and Canada, they met at McMaster in Hamilton. I’ve never seen them live but I’m looking forward to seeing them up on the festival stage. They came to my attention while they were competing in the Molson Canadian Open Live competition. They’ve been busy since and I’m thrilled to see them included at WayHome. They list their influences as “everything under the sun”. That sounds perfect to me.
Ascot Royals are also on Sunday’s schedule.
Brandon Flowers
As the frontman for The Killers, Brandon isn’t new to the festival stage. And as fans of The Killers, I’m expecting a lot and based on the reviews of Brandon’s live shows, I won’t be disappointed. His solo album The Desired Effect gives us the Brandon we love but perhaps a slightly softer, warmer, friendlier version. I really like it and I can’t wait to see him perform songs from this album.
