Voyageur Days announces headliners for 25th anniversary event

The wait is over. Organizers have announced the bands for this year’s Mattawa Voyageur Days.

Friday night is Country Night, and the James Barker Band is headlining, with The Washboard Union opening.

On Saturday, the country turns to rock, and Our Lady Peace will take the stage to close the night. The HIP Experience – a tribute to the Tragically Hip – will open, and the evening will begin with tunes from the Muskoka River Band.

The James Barker Band reached certified gold status with their song “New Old Truck,” which also reached Number 1 in Canada. Band members are no strangers to the top spot, as they hold the title for most Number 1 songs for a Canadian country group – you probably know them well, “Wastin’ Whiskey,” “Over all Over Again,” “There’s a Drink for That,” and many other tracks have skyrocketed up the charts.

Our Lady Peace broke onto the scene with Naveed, the band’s 1994 debut. The album was huge in Canada, reaching 4 x Platinum sales. “Starseed” and “Naveed” seemed to be in constant rotation on radios throughout the land.

Their next three albums all went Platinum, but it was Gravity, released in 2002, that brought the band international attention. “Somewhere Out There,” and “Innocent” were hits in both Canada and the United States, and the record once again went Platinum at home, and Gold in the US.

The band has released 10 studio albums. Spiritual Machines 2 was the most recent, released on April 22nd, 2022.

Along with the music, the weekend festival will have many free family activities.

See: Mattawa Voyageur Days Festival returns for 25th year

Weekend wristbands are now on sale at all area Scotiabank branches, Mattawa Foodland, Wilson’s Builder’s Supply, the Matawa Travel Information Centre, and the Mattawa Town Office. Tickets can also be purchased online at voyageurdays.ca.

Weekend passes are $70 each, and rise to $80 on June 1st, and $90 at the gate on July 26th. The festival runs from Friday, July 26th to Sunday July 28th.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.