Harbour Nights Concert Series

Owen Sound’s Rob Elder caught the music bug as a kid on the family farm where classic country & western songs, the Beach Boys, and Bob Seeger were the soundtrack to barn chores. Back then, picking up a guitar was an easy way to wind down at the end of a long day. Turned to music, his farm boy’s work ethic led to quick growth and an early creative blossoming, his festival debut at the age of 20, and the release of two self produced albums shortly afterwards. 

Eventually, Rob moved to Toronto where he gigged every weekend and hosted an open mic for two and a half years. All that playing and networking exposed him to a world of musicians and sounds well beyond his parents record collection. Those influences fused into a style that playfully mixes blue-eyed soul, slick guitar, and crooning country rhythms and serves them with a voice that surfs from solid depths to groovy falsetto highs.

By his mid-twenties, Rob was chasing the Canadian dream. He got married, had two kids, and was advancing in a strait-laced career while gigging tirelessly in Toronto. There wasn’t much time for recording back then and Rob and his wife knew that they didn’t want to raise children in the city.  So, in 2012 they moved back to Grey County where a vibrant musical community welcomed them wholeheartedly. Rob put together a band, started mentoring younger musicians through the Georgian Bay Folk Society, and – as always – filled every available moment with music. Now with the release of 'Changer' 12 years after his sophomore record, Rob self-identifies as a re-emerging artist. But make no mistake, his musical growth has never faltered, and his roots have only dug deeper in the intervening years.

2018’s 'Changer' shows off how much Rob has grown and what he’s learned along the way. Where his first two albums ploughed popular themes of young love and heartbreak, Changer explores more mature themes of social unrest and inequality, solidarity, and the deep love that carries a relationship for decades.  Do not think that serious themes make the music less fun, though. With thoughtful lyrics and catchy melodies, Changer proves that Rob Elder still knows how to get audiences dancing – whether there’s a dance floor or not.

Connect with Rob Elder

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Sunday, June 25 - The O'Deadly's - 7 p.m.

WEATHER NOTICE - CHANGE OF LOCATION due to incoming rain this evening! Please note that tonight's Harbour Nights is moving to The Georgian Bay School of the Arts, located at 938 2nd Ave East, starting at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Please bring a lawn chair and join us! The O'Deadlys is a well-sought-after band, and it's a show you don't want to miss! Can't make it? Be sure to tune into Channel 53 on Rogers TV.

From neighbourhood pubs to the Ireland Fund of Canada, The O'Deadlys have lit up the room, large or small, with anything from traditional Celtic tunes to contemporary hits everyone knows and loves.

Regular venues in Southern Ontario include: many Fionn MacCool's locations, Noonan's on the Danforth, St. James's Gate, the Irish Harp, T.J. O'Shea's and Doc Magilligan's.

Connect with The O'Deadlys

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 What unites The Boys & I? The leading role that music plays in each of their lives. Crafted out of a love for music and a passion to create and share, The Boys & I always aim to bring their A game. While The Boys & I might all have other things that keep them busy when off stage they keep on rocking in all areas of their lives.

The Boys & I are an alternative rock band hailing from Kitchener, ON, but The Boys & I travel wherever the roads take them in their pursuit of people who will share a rocking good time. Whether it’s playing at a local bar, joining other musicians on the header or providing entertainment for a private event, The Boys & I tell stories of love and loss, failings and recoveries and our shared humanity. Always professional, always entertaining The Boys & I are top tier in Kitchener and South Central Ontario’s live music scene.

The Boys & I are lead by James Blacktop’s voice, brought to the sonic edge by Marc Reilly’s guitar, kept thumping by Adom Postma’s bass and always on time with Nathan Bonassin’s drums.

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MID LIFE CRISIS will provide a full, clean sound of originals and covers of songs from bands like ZZ Top, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, BTO, Steppenwolf, Johnny Cash, The Doobie Brothers and Steve Miller Band … to name a few.

MID LIFE CRISIS is a local group that is comprised of seasoned, music veterans. You may have seen them at The Salmon Spectacular, Ribfest, Wiarton Willie Festival, Harbourfest, Heartwood Concert Hall, etc.

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Higher FunKtion is an 8-piece funk & soul band that channels the energy, spirit and the infectious, collective aura of this great music. HF moves audiences with soulful vocals, sweet back beats, and inspiring, funky horn lines.

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Ritchie is a born performer. Ever since he could stand, he's had a guitar in his hands and songs in his bones. Ritchie admires music with purpose, and, as a young, ambitious person of colour, he takes pride in weaving social issues into his work. His unique brand of story-driven art-rock will move you, inspire you and, most importantly, have you dancing and singing along.
Ritchie’s commitment to artistic integrity combined with his larger-than-life rock energy make him an exhilarating up-and-coming act that you won’t want to miss.

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Juanita and the Big Deal are a rocking roots Americana band, based in South-Western Ontario. They play music spanning genres from Classic Rock to Country! 

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The MacKenzie Blues Band’s sophomore release Slam! Bam! features straight up rockers such as “Burned When You Play with Fire” and “Ain’t Tryin’ to Hide”, the spiritual “Higher Road”, and the dark, melodic “Bone Cage”. Tributes to love, lust and the confusion that binds the two are featured in “Down with Love”, “Storm Comin'” and “Move On”. The album closes with a strait up gospel track “Spiritual Power” a tribute to a close friend’s struggle with cancer. Slam! Bam! shows a slightly darker side of the band and lyrically explores topics including, substance abuse, suicide, and healing from eating disorders. “Every lyric on this album can be attached to someone close to my life and our shared experiences. I had to crawl down the well of my own bravery to uncover authentic feelings to share with the folks listening to our music”, says Tara MacKenzie. “We couldn't bear the thought of just churning out a record that didn't dig deep. Our band really heard what I was wanting to say and then threw a match to the powder keg and set the melodies on fire.”


Album 3 is in the works and planned for a spring release in 2020. It's been a long time in the coming, and certainly will be worth the wait.

The MacKenzie Blues Band took a musical leave of absence from touring and recording, following vocalist Tara MacKenzie's brain injury in the fall of 2016.

The MacKenzie Blues Band’s live performances encourage the audience to let loose, have fun and enjoy wild electric rockin' blues, or gritty rootsy unplugged acoustic shows. “Awesome vocals, incredible guitar playing, solid rhythm section and inspired song writing -The MacKenzie Blues Band successfully touches all the bases.... a band that grabs you out of your seat and wraps itself around you!” (Rick Clark, Lighthouse Blues Festival). In-demand at venues and festivals across the province and beyond, The MacKenzie Blues Band takes the audience to a place where honesty, positivity and joy are on the menu, and to share in a common love for blues music.

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The Mike McCarthy Band: with their blend of Southern Rock, Alternative Country and Americana, it makes them hard to pigeonhole, but easily accessible to anyone who loves good music.

With Terry Martell (drums), Len Fligg (bass), Gabor Szepesi (keys), Tony Moretta (lead guitar) you have all the ingredients that makes fire burn.

The band’s secret weapon, and the force that pulls all of its diverse influences together, is the voice of Mike McCarthy, an expressive instrument brimming with gritty soul combine that with the sweet harmonies of Erica Prinn-McCarthy you have a hard driving yet melodic sound that is irresistible to the ear and to dancing feet! 

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Toronto born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Sevier is an up and coming country music artist with lots of accomplishments under her belt already.

Sevier has released many singles since her debut “Ghost of Tom” in 2019, with her music being collectively streamed over half a million times. As well, Sevier has had two singles "Heads Up" and "Empty Pockets" reach the top 5 on the Canadian Indie Country Radio Charts.

The integrity of Jessica’s song writing has not gone unnoticed, as her original music gained her a spot to compete on the TV show The Shot: Remastered. As well, Sevier was a 2021 CMW (Canadian Music Week) Featured Artist/Performer, an Indie Week 2021 exhibitor and was chosen as one of the top 12 in the CNE Rising Star Competition 2020. Sevier has spent most of her career touring around Ontario playing notable downtown Toronto venues and music festivals. Most recently Sevier has signed with manager Jordyn Elliott (Meghan Patrick, Eric Ethridge).

Sevier's success has gained the attention of some of Sony/Atv and Liz Rose Music's most talented writers, landing her newest single "Confetti". Recorded down in Nashville with Grady Saxman (Luke Combs, Tenille Arts) this record is set up to be a success.

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Your feet are sore from dancing, your belly is sore from laughing and your heart is stuffed with Canadian pride. You’ve just come home from a Shipyard Kitchen Party show.

With roots in Scotland, Newfoundland and Georgian Bay, Shipyard Kitchen Party blends traditional instrumentation with humour, artistry and history to tell Canadian stories, their stories and even YOUR stories in original ways.

They’re Great Big Sea having a dram too many with Stan Rogers. They’re Gordon Lightfoot meets “Who’s Line is it Anyway?”  They’ll make you stomp your feet and they might even make you shed a tear. But, no matter what, they WILL have a great time with you.

Hear their latest releases and find out more at www.shipyardkitchenparty.com

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Virgil Scott has earned his living entertaining in Canada for over 50 years - "How many people can say that?" he says with a smile.

His entertainment career began in 1968 with his neighbourhood band, "The Innocence Of Virgil Scott".  His natural talent soon found recognition; Virgil was opening for major Canadian recording acts across Southern Ontario.  During the same period, he spent two years in the Music Program at Humber College, as well as private vocal lessons under the mentor ship of world-renowned Rosemary Burns.

The resurgence of Motown and Rhythm & Blues in the 80's propelled Virgil's career, as he became a mainstay headliner at nightclubs and casinos across Canada and the United States, and to this day enjoys an extensive following.

Virgil, moreover, has enjoyed an impressive theatrical career, appearing in such productions as Bye Bye Birdie, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and the Toronto production of Hair.

You may recognize his voice from various jingles throughout the years, such as Hostess Chips, Diamond Cheese, Molson, Labatt's, The Bay, and Sears.  In addition to his musical endeavours, Virgil is also a member of the Child Find organization and has recently received official recognition as the authorized musical spokesperson for Child Find Ontario.  This is an honour he takes seriously, hosting benefit concerts throughout the province year-round.

The past eight years has found Virgil in the recording studio almost as much as on stage. Either with vocals on numerous CDs for other people, or producing several CD’s, and was honoured to be a contributing Executive Producer on the CD  "AURORA"  for David Clayton Thomas. 

Virgil has developed several variations of his live performances.

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