Along with the range of exhibitions and attractions at this weekend’s Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest will also be the sounds of local talent emanating from six local bands.
Separate from Country Fest performers, the Maple Ridge Music Fest runs Friday night only at the Albion Fairgrounds.
“The idea behind the festival is to create a venue where local residents can enjoy local artists at a local venue,” said Wes Reamsbottom, singer and rhythm guitarist of The Little Brother Band, and SRT School of Rock teacher.
The line-up of artists consists 100 per cent of local talent, performing back-to-back, hour-long sets.
The Wild Boys, recent grads of SRT’s School of Rock program, describe their sound as “My Chemical Romance meets Weezer at a backyard jam session.” To the five piece band, this means music and entertainment for all ages and tastes. The Wild Boys’ performance begins at 3 p.m. Friday.
Familia, a fusion of North American indie rock and British pop rock, perform next. The band consists of Tamara Umlah (vocals, keys), Dwight Abell (bass), Cody Hiles (drums, percussion, vocals), and Bronson Izzard.
The Simon Jarrett Band follows Familia, with the musical stylings of singer and lead guitarist Simon Jarrett, a graduate of L.A.’s Guitar Institute by way of the U.K.. Jarrett fuses a range of tastes, from rock to jazz, country to blues.
The four-piece band known as Uncle Nestor has been performing together since 2000. Guitarist/vocalist Oless Pasichnyk, bassist/vocalist Steve Halfnights, drummer Chris Waldner, and fiddler Nikki Hildebrand claim to leave audiences with “hoarse throats and tired legs.”
The Little Brother Band is next, mixing bluesy guitar lines, funk, and jazzy sax solos. True to its title, the band consists of two sets of brothers, Wes and Greg Reamsbottom, Davis and Tyler Friesen, as well as, Dan Myers and Kelly McQuillan.
The Latency will close the show. The pop/rock trio of vocalist Brandon Lehti, guitarist Ryan Stead and bassist Mathew Gendron formed in 2006, releasing their first single, “Tonight, I Love You” in 2009. This year the band toured with the likes of Simple Plan, Mariana’s Trench, Plain White T’s, and Hedley.