The Northern Lights Festival Boreal promises to have an impressive array of diverse talent performing at this year's festival.
That includes a pair of North Bay acts, James Gray and Empty House.
For its first two festivals, NLFB relied on the heart and soul of local artists. Each year, NLFB continues to discover and showcase local talent. Meltdown is a separate event created by NLFB, which gives northern Ontario artists the chance to be chosen to play at the festival, competing against other bands or solo artists. It's become another great way for the community to celebrate local talent and the festival months before it arrives.
This year's festival will feature artists such as indie folk-rock band Chanelle Albert & The Easy Company, new band The Cicadas, Pat Therrien's solo project Elephantshoes, Meltdown 2024 winners James Gray and Empty House, multi-genre artist The 555, folk singer-songwriter Chuck Roberts, hip-hop DJ + rapper Johnny Bizness, country artist Andrew Hyatt, fresh off a tour, and classical/rock-fusion extraordinaire 2VPlus.
Gray attended Almaguin Highlands High School.
"A unique finger style guitarist, with a vocal that is hauntingly beautiful, Gray, often accompanied by a rather droll, humorous stage patter, immerses himself in each and every song with a soulfulness and attack that is infectious and disarming. With a broad grin and good-natured chuckle, Gray will often smile into the microphone and state matter-of-factly that he wants you to remember who he is."
See: Local musicians win 'Meltdown' competition
Since its beginning, The Northern Lights Festival Boreal has always valued showcasing diversity.
"As one of their many traits and unique qualities, diversity is also a motive for the various workshops presented at the festival each year," says a news release.
"Having musicians with different backgrounds allows NLFB to create harmonious connections between artists and the audience. Something for everyone to enjoy. Not only from different cultures but also from different genres, energies, and emotions. The idea is to walk over to one stage feeling chilled out, listening to some live reggae, and then walking to another stage feeling a need to groove to EDM."
This year, attendees can find themselves singing along to Jully Black on July 4 at 9 p.m., the raw and energetic July Talk on July 5 at 10:30 p.m., anthemic indie folk-rock trio The Rural Alberta Advantage on July 6 at 10, and captivating singer-songwriter Tim Baker July 7 at 10 p.m.
With Greater Sudbury being home to Canada’s third-largest French population outside of Quebec, NLFB has Franco-Metis artist Willows, the creative Dayv Poulin, the poetic Edouard Landry, along with Montreal-based guitarist Adam Goulet presented as Unfinished Basement, guitarist/composer Jamie Dupuis with his harp guitar, and the violin duo Jacinthe Trudeau & Jeff Wiseman as this year's Francophone artists.
Highlighting Indigenous talent, this year’s festival features the innovative electronic beats of the Godfather of PowWowStep DJ Shub, the inspiring hip-hop rap of blind music producer and recording artist Mattmac, the compelling storytelling of John-Paul Chalykoff & Baabii and the beautiful vocals of energetic force Thea May.
Northern Lights Festival Boreal’s international acts bring a global flair with the eclectic sounds of the multi-cultural band Moskitto Bar, traditional Mixtec musician Ricardo Chavez from Mexico, the vibrant Latin rhythms of multilingual singer/rapper Boogát, and the enchanting music of Arab fusion band Kazdoura.
Northern Lights Festival Boreal is one of Canada’s longest-running music festivals, celebrating festivals, diverse music and arts since 1972. Held annually in Sudbury, Ontario, the festival brings together artists and audiences from around the world for a vibrant cultural experience.
