WayHome Music and Arts Festival Day 1

Thousand Foot Krutch, Bear Mountain, For Esmé, Hosier and Neil Young + Promise of the Real

A fantastic music filled, gorgeous Ontario day at the brand new Burl's Creek Facility. If you were wondering if they could pull it off, they absolutely did.

Everything was perfect. Lots of lights for safe night walking, lots of staff, lots of security, lots of free water and lots and lots of amazing acts to choose from. While I wasn't chosen for the short list for Neil Young I did get some great shots throughout the day.

I ran into a little traffic on the way up and weren't able to see Cross Dog. I could hear them when I arrived to check into the media tent and I'm hoping this Peterborough based band has some upcoming shows in Toronto.

Thousand Foot Crutch

Our first band at the main stage, WayHome, was Thousand Foot Krutch. Originally based in Peterborough the band now calls Toronto home. They were loud, energetic, engaging and fun. They've been around since 1995, released eight albums and have sold over a million albums. Frontman Trevor McNevan is the only original member left and he also happens to be the brother of WayHome's founding member Shannon McNevan.

Bear Mountain

Next up we headed to the WayAway stage to see Bear Mountain. An electronic band out of Vancouver they took their time getting ready but when they started, they sounded amazing! The crowd loved them and they clearly loved their fans. A big crowd for a small stage so early in the festival.

On my way in, I'd run in to Nathan Crook, who'll be playing in the Emerging Artist Showcase at Boots and Hearts with his band Johnson Crook in a couple of weeks. He let us know that For Esmé's set time at the WayBold stage had been changed and they were up at 4:45. I made sure to add them to my list and they're up next in this post. Another great crowd, another great performance. For Esmé is, lead singer and many other things, Martha Meredith, bass player, Dave Thiel and guitar player Nathan Crook. A very talented group of musicians out of Toronto with an art pop twist.

A quick break for dinner in the VIP area and I have to say The Drake is killing it with the food. So good! Fresh fruits and home cooked food, flowers on the picnic tables and friendly staff, nicely done.

And back to the Main Stage, WayHome for Hozier. This set was magic. We all know the Irish singer's big hit Take Me To Church, but his fans were out in full force and they knew everything! His band was a joy to watch and a pleasure to shoot.

Next up on the big stage was Neil Young, first alone and then Promise of the Real joined him. This set was 3+ hours long. Mr. Young who born in 1945 gave us a lesson in life, a music lesson and a life lesson. His latest album The Monsanto Years let's us all know how he feels about Monsanto and what they've done to our food supplies. There's no room for wondering which side of the issue Neil is on. He delivers this message to the masses and we eat it up. No pun intended. The man speaks the truth.

So how does an act play for three hours? 24 songs with an average song play length over seven minutes. If you'd never heard Neil play guitar, you were in for a treat. He's a master. There's no question about keeping up with his younger band, he's clearly the master. Wow, just wow!

There's a video clip of Heart of Gold on our Facebook Page. Check it out.

Looking forward to Day 2!