MEDIA RELEASE: Local talent set to rock this year's Northern Lights Festival Boreal

Roots/country star Crystal Shawanda, one of the local acts at this year's Northern Lights Festival Boreal.

"Bloodgrass" group Murder Murder, one of the local acts at this year's Northern Lights Festival Boreal.

Pop-rock group Almighty Rhombus, one of the local acts at this year's Northern Lights Festival Boreal.

For Immediate Release

Shining Northern Lights: Local talent at this year’s Festival Boréal

Northern Lights Festival Boréal (NLFB) returns to Bell Park next week (July 4-6)! The festival has a highly acclaimed lineup, from all across Canada and beyond. Festival headliners include Canadian music icon Bruce Cockburn, as well as Canadian rock sensations Tokyo Police Club and Wintersleep. Several enhancements have been introduced to the festival including: site décor enhancements, a professional development program for artists, and a greater variety of vendors and crafters. NLFB presents some of the best in Canadian roots and modern music, however the festival has long-been a valuable outlet for local emerging artists getting their first appearances of festival stages.

“Our Artistic Director Paul Loewenberg has done a fantastic job of making this year’s lineup multi-faceted and well-rounded” says Max Merrifield, Executive Director with the festival. “The local roster is an especially great example of this,” he says.

Crystal Shawanda is a roots/country star and an international sensation, originally hailing from Wikwemikong, on Manitoulin Island. She signed to RCA/Sony in 2007 and has since released a string of hit albums and singles that has put her at the front of Canadian Country music. Her 2012 album, “Just Like You”, won the Juno for Aboriginal Album of the year and now she is preparing for the long tour to promote her newest album, where Crystal explores the rich history of Delta blues.

One of the exciting local acts gracing the NLFB stages will be Murder Murder. Coining the term ‘bloodgrass’, the group plays murder ballads and gunfighting songs exclusively, spinning their own dark folk tales and doing some traditional material as well. Though the tales are often fictional, the songs seem raw and real, and intrigue the listener. Murder Murder reminds us why we love such classics as ‘Long Black Veil’ (done by The Band, Johnny Cash etc.) and ‘Hey Joe’ (Jimi Hendrix).

The Almighty Rhombus is a pop-rock band from Sudbury Ontario, known for their infectious pop melodies and amped-up energy on-stage. They’ve been touring heavily all over Canada, promoting their first full-length release ‘Lucid Living’. Most recently they’ve been featured in showcases at Canada Music Week and at North by Northeast. This band will provide the perfect soundtrack for some good old fashioned ‘fun in the sun’.

With a lineup of fantastic locals, emerging artists from Canada and abroad, and some very highly acclaimed headliners, NLFB makes an assertion as the musical event of the year for the North. The weekend promises to be a must-see cultural event that is all about THE LOVE OF REAL MUSIC.

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