Four emerging New Brunswick bands will take the stage Friday September 15 as part of annual Harvest event.
The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival have announced the four finalists that will compete to be Harvest’s 2017 Stingray Rising Stars. This year’s Stingray Rising Stars finalists are: The Crossroad Devils (Fredericton, NB), Pony Rouge (Moncton, NB), The Tortoise The Hare & The Millionaire (Fredericton, NB), and Jamie Comeau and the Crooked Teeth (Saint John, NB). Online voting is now open.
The Stingray Rising Stars showcase is presented by the Festival and Stingray Music—Canada’s favourite continuous music network—and offers up-and-coming musicians a chance for local, provincial and national exposure.
An important launching pad for NB artists, Harvest yearly collaboration with the Stingray Rising Stars program, has helped catapult the careers of artists like Ross Neilsen, Keith Hallett, Andy Brown and Matt Andersen – whose band Flat Top was Harvest’s very first Rising Stars in 2001.
As part of Harvest’s commitment to the development of local talent, the Rising Stars Showcase will take place on Friday, September 15th at 2pm in the Toyota Barracks Tent. Each of the four finalists will perform and be judged on talent, originality and stage presence by a panel of music industry experts. A pre-event online voting campaign will take place and votes will also be taken from members of the audience that afternoon, so participants are encouraged to bring out family and friends for support. The panel of industry judges will comprise 50% of the final vote tally and the audience and online voting will represent the remaining 50%. In the event of a tie, the choice of the industry judges will prevail.
“We love to feature up and coming local talent so that festivalgoers can experience the great artists that this city and province keeps producing each year” says Brent Staeben, Harvest Music Director. “We’re so proud that the Stingray Rising Stars Showcase returns for the 16th year to provide these great emerging New Brunswick acts a place to shine.”
These four finalists represent the high caliber of New Brunswick’s music industry, spanning a diverse range of genres.
The winner—who will be announced immediately following the competition at 4:15pm on Friday, September 15th —will receive $2500 and the runner-up will receive $500 provided by Stingray Music and the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival. The winning band will also open Friday’s show in the Toyota Barracks Tent with Paper Lions.
The Crossroad Devils Fredericton, NB
The Crossroad Devils are a four-piece rock outfit based in Fredericton, New Brunswick composed of front man Richie Young (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Liam Kieth-Jacques (guitar), Patrick Gushue (bass), Riley Williams (drums), and live member Adam Tattersall (key) the band’s music is rooted in oldfashioned rock and blues jams. The Crossroad Devils have been playing in this formation for nearly nine months and are an active performing band locally and around the Maritimes.
Jamie Comeau and the Crooked Teeth Saint John, NB
Kenny James brings a twist to rootsy traditional country music and mixes in folk, pop, rockabilly and rock influences from some of the great songwriters from Elliott Smith to Steve Earle to Hank Williams. The music takes unexpected turns, just when you thought you’ve heard it before, it shifts into a new gear. It’s definitely a new take on a retro sound. Catchy hooks, dark and intriguing lyrics, stories about life and death.
Pony Rouge Moncton, NB
Pony Rouge is an instrumental power trio led by Moncton based guitarist Pierre Pitre. As an integral part of this musical force is sought after musician, producer and sound engineer John Maher on bass guitar. Showing prowess and finesse is one of Moncton’s “A” list drummers Pat Browne laying down his signature back beat grooves. From jazz inflicted fusion to surfers’ rock, Pony Rouge is best described clever avant-garde even grandiose in its live presentation.
The Tortoise The Hare & The Millionaire Fredericton, NB
The Tortoise the Hare & the Millionaire is a blues-rock power trio from Fredericton, NB and consists of Matt Carr on guitar, lap steel, and vocals; Ted Nicholson on drums and backing vocals; and Eric Allard on bass guitar and backing vocals. Their music draws inspiration from artists such as Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, the Record Company.
A Harvest Jazz & Blues Media Release
