Oshawa's Live Music Legacy Lives On

Oshawa’s love affair with live music runs deep. Decades before even the birth of rock, bands were forming in the city to play for the people. The Oshawa Civic Band’s history began in 1870, over 150 years ago, as the official traditional Military band of the 34th Ontario Regiment, before merging in 1920 with the Oshawa Citizens' Band, to become the Oshawa Civic and Regimental Band, finally becoming the Oshawa Civic Band as we now know it in the late 1960s. 

For more than 150 years, the Oshawa Civic Band has filled the city with live music.

Col. Sam McLaughlin (founder of General Motors Canada) was a patron and in 1942 built the bandshell and bandroom in Memorial Park just south of the four corners and within walking distance of what is now Oshawa’s entertainment district. Memorial Park is still the home of the Oshawa Civic Band and the band is scheduled to perform the evening of Wednesday July 15 in the Bandshell as part of their summer concert series. 

Catch the Oshawa Civic Band on Wednesday, July 15 at the McLaughlin Bandshell in Memorial Park.

Make it a Midweek Music Break and stay over for the Mystic, Rooted, Wild all female line-up of local musicians at the Biltmore Theatre on Thursday July 16. The Biltmore Theatre is located at 39 King Street East in downtown Oshawa. The show takes place on the Mezzanine level and is hosted by local emerging artists Cool Missy. The line-up includes performances by Melanie J. Hébert, Katie Layne, and Natalie Garcia. 

Cool Missy hosts Mystic, Rooted, Wild at the Biltmore Theatre on Thursday, July 16.

Local ladies are also featured the week prior. Saturday July 11 Juno nominated artist Lindsay Schoolcraft releases her latest ethereal goth metal album ‘Harrowing’ to a hometown crowd at Bond Street Event Centre. Opening will be indie rockers Nerima. Bond Street Event Centre is located at 44 Bond St East, also downtown Oshawa.

Lindsay Schoolcraft returns home for her Harrowing album release show on Saturday, July 11.

Metal and rock are also on the menu a block south at the Biltmore Theatre with the inaugural Summer Noise Fest. Lot of loud locals on this one too with punk, hard rock, and metal in the forms of The Wild High,
 Excuses Excuses,
 The Jailbirds,
 Double Experience,
 Zaftig, and Army of One.

Excuses Excuses joins the lineup for Summer Noise Fest at the Biltmore Theatre on Saturday, July 11.

So yes Oshawa music goes history from Army of One all the way back to one for the army.