Oshawa keeps pumping out music, musician after musician, and this June presents several opportunities to get to know those creating the sounds of the city these days.
Oshawa-raised singer, songwriter and producer Dan Clancy is the lead vocals for Canadian icons Lighthouse, who will be performing at the Regent Theatre in downtown Oshawa on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
If you come in the day before, on Friday, June 21, for an overnight stay, you can catch another talent from the city. Darren Roy Clarke will launch his debut album ‘Dirty Face and a Broken Screen’ with help from his backing band, two stalwarts of the Oshawa scene, Jon Sloan on stand-up bass and Daniel Reiff on drums. Opening the show will be Kerri Ough of the Good Lovelies.
Ough guests on Clarke’s album, as does Travis Good of The Sadies, Michale Boguski of Blue Rodeo, Ryan Weber of the Weber Brothers, and Melissa Payne. Kevin Drew, co-founder of Broken Social Scene, also directed a video for one of the tracks. Clarke is one-third of one of Oshawa’s great musical outfits, The Stables.
Across the street on the same eve at Kops Records, Whisper Gang, Sno Daze, and Static Point are doing a free in-store performance. Also, one block north at the Local Lounge in Bond|St Events, singer/songwriter Jake Stauffer is in for the weekly Acoustic Fridays sessions.
Stauffer is also one of the artists on a showcase billed as the Hometown Sounds - Songs of the City. This is an afternoon gathering being held at the Biltmore Theatre on Sunday, June 9, to celebrate in part the centenary of the city and in part to celebrate the people currently performing in the city, carrying on the legacy of scenes dating back to the beginnings of rock ‘n’ rock itself, which of course includes such legends as Mars Bonfire who wrote ‘Born to be Wild’ in the 60s, and 70s hitmakers Wednesday.
This Hometown Sounds lineup includes the aforementioned Stauffer and Jon Sloan as well as Sue Latimer, Homestead Elite, Myke Pulito, Bedford Bells, Will Surphlis, Sean Battams, Jeremy Joseph, and Adam Till, who knew and worked with R&B sensation Daniel Caesar when Caesar was living in Oshawa and just starting out.
Artists just starting out now are the focus of a matinee concert on Saturday, June 15, at the Biltmore Theatre. Come Together: Canada - Youth Benefit Concert, for children’s charities, features Nerima, who was on the emerging artist stage at Oshawa’s inaugural Convergence Festival in 2023, as well as young bands with a buzz, Life of Exile and Incoming Sun. The concert is billed as a coming-together as teen bands from across the United States and Canada come together for an onstage jam. Those from the USA are The Only Bay from New York City and K8 and the Krushers from Texas.
So June is the month for visitors and residents to hear the great music of Oshawa, but of course, there are concerts for all genres of music, no matter where they originate from on the map. Folk artist Maura Mapes is at the Local Lounge Friday, June 7; Country act Shooter is at the TwoTwoTwo Thursday, June 13; Detroit indie rockers Brothers Elsey are at the TwoTwoTwo Saturday, June 15; ex G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks is at the TwoTwoTwo Thursday, June 27 celebrating the 20th anniversary of his ‘The Hunger for More’ album.
At the Regent Theatre throughout the month, there is a Tragically Hip tribute on Saturday, June 8; Friday, June 14, Musical Icons pays tribute to Cher, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, and Freddie Mercury; Abbamania & Night Fever take over on Saturday, June 15, Sunday, June 16 Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison are the subject of Made In Black.
Saint Asonia, performing at the Biltmore Theatre, gathers the talents of Three Days Grace’s Adam Gontier, Mike Mushok of Staind, Cale Gontier and Cody Watkins. They are touring their new EP, ‘Introvert’. Opening is Charlie Edward of London, ON, one of a new generation of rock ‘n rollers getting attention.
Don’t miss out on generation after generation of musicians emerging from Oshawa, and this month is the time to check out the new talent and a few future stars.
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