IROQUOIS – The weather was great and the music was hot.
Bluegrass fans gathered at the Iroquois Lock park from Thursday, June 13 to Saturday, June 15, to enjoy some of the best fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass and vocals this side of the river.
Organized by Barb Rabideau and her outstanding team, with Rick Leben taking on MC duties and John Cameron, assisted by Joey Lambert, handling the sound, the three day event drew some of the finest bands in Canada and the US.
Making their first appearance in Canada was Deeper Shade of Blue from North Carolina, scoring a big hit with the crowd with their mix of old songs like ‘Carolina Highway’ and new ones like ‘Please Say No.’ Band members shared how very much they had enjoyed their debut gig in Canada, thrilled with “how great” everyone was at the Festival. (They also loved seeing the ships in the locks, and savouring their first taste of “Canadian food” – poutine.)
Travelling up from West Virginia to delight everyone was Circa Blue. Out of New Brunswick came Shane Douthwright & the Virtuosos and Bluegrass Diamonds, both groups proving to be huge crowd pleasers. Matt Lunn and Echo Mountain drove to the Festival from Nova Scotia while Tyler Comeau & Highway 10 Boys arrived from Quebec. Both these bands had fans singing and clapping through their sets. The award winning group, Maple Hill, from Ontario, delivered a great show. Crowds at the Point cheered and applauded the true bluegrass hearts and exciting music as all these outstanding bands rocked the Locks for three days. And, as an added delight, sitting in with some of the bands, was internationally renowned artist, Canada’s own Champion fiddler, Ray Legere.
The 12th annual Galop Canal Bluegrass Festival, 2024, was full of fun and spectacular music. Fans were delighted all weekend.
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