Press Release
The Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship has finalized the lineup of entertainment for this year’s tournament, with entertainment director Anthony Mason saying it’s going to be a jam-packed week with exciting performers.
The entertainment will start on Thursday, July 22 with the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Quest for the Best” in the Ice For Kids Arena.
Then Friday night (July 23) will feature two hot country acts, starting with Julian Austin.
Born in Sussex, N.B., Austin has written and played music since he was in his mid-teens, dabbling in every genre from heavy metal to rock to ’80s pop before falling in love with the new country music sound that was taking shape in the early ’90s.
His first single, “Little Ol’ Kisses,” went #1 on radio and also made the CMT Top 30 videos of 1997, followed in 1998 with the Best Country Single award at the first-annual Canadian Radio Music Awards.
Austin also earned several Juno nominations that year.
Capping the Friday night will be George Canyon, a country neo-traditionalist par excellence, producing music situated somewhere between the bright and studio-tooled Nashville ideal and something a little older, with a voice that can soar with emotion or linger in a heavy bottom-end that feels like a kick in the chest from a faith healer.
When you see the man, with piercing eyes that hang above his square jaw, the star appeal becomes even more obvious.
And you remember all those achievements–the string of hits, a shelf-full of Junos and Canadian Country Music Awards, not to mention his rocket-ride to American fame on Nashville Star 2 in 2004 and the subsequent blockbuster albums, “One Good Friend” and “Somebody Wrote Love.”
The Saturday night (July 24) will go back to good old rock & roll, beginning with Pushing Daisies.
In 2006, Pushing Daisies wrote and recorded “C’Mon C’Mon,” the official song of the CFL’s Grey Cup that year.
The single was played on major TV stations in Canada and the U.S., and released on radio in Canada.
More recently, The Daisies started “Inspiration Needs An Instrument,” a fundraising campaign to supply instruments for Manitoba schools.
They played for 24 hours to raise money and kick off the fund.
To close out the 16th year of the FFCBC, old favourite “A IS A” is being brought back.
The band has an album out called “Thinking Chair,” from which three singles and one video were released.
The video was played extensively on MuchMusic while the singles were played on radio across the country.
A new album titled “Poetic Justice” will be released in the next year.
Tickets for the Friday and Saturday night shows will be available soon at Canada Safeway, Northwoods Gallery & Gifts, the Chamber of Commerce office, Sight & Sound, and Cloverleaf in Emo.
Advanced ticket prices are $50 for the Friday and Saturday night.
For more information, contact Anthony Mason at 274-5773.
