By Joanne Dorr
The Haldimand Press
HAGERSVILLE—The annual Hagersville Rocks Music Festival, presented by Empire Communities, has set the bar for its iconic moments each year – and this year’s all-Canadian lineup promises nothing less!
As previously reported in The Press, the Friday “Country night” lineup for the festival includes Jess Moskaluke, Shawn Austin, One Ugly Cowboy, the Cory James Mitchell Band, New Moon Junction, Fiddlestix, and the Practically Hip.
The 2023 headliners for day two were announced this week and include the multi-award-winning Canadian musician Colin James, alongside special guest David Wilcox.
James’ 30-year career includes 20 studio albums, eight Juno Awards, 27 Maple Blues Awards, and multi-platinum record sales. His latest release, Open Road, is a celebration of personal connections. It includes original tunes written with long-time collaborators such as Colin Linden, Craig Northey, and Tom Wilson.
After 20 acclaimed albums, James remains at the top of his game, always challenging himself musically. The confidence that comes with maturity can be heard in his voice and seen in his performances.
Wilcox has been dubbed a superb entertainer, a master guitar player, a soulful singer, and a unique songwriter. Until you have seen Wilcox in concert, you have yet to experience something truly remarkable.
With multiple gold and platinum albums and countless fans spanning many generations, Wilcox’s music has been showcased by Olympic champions Salé and Pelletier and his songs have appeared in movies like Cocktail. From backyard barbecues to Carnegie Hall and the Montreux Jazz Festival with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Wilcox’s blend of rock, blues, country, ragtime, and other roots styles continues to evolve.
Joining the Saturday lineup is the energetic and dynamic 12-piece brass-dance band My Son the Hurricane, a multi-horn, multi-drummer, multi-singer brass funk beast from Niagara. The 12-piece brass-dance crew has toured multiple countries and played some of North America’s and Europe’s biggest festivals. There is no live show like My Son the Hurricane. The band features trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums, guitar, keys, percussion, and a wild front woman!
Whether you like Canadian rock legends, 12-piece dance bands, gritty country, or a cover band singing about “constellations revealing themselves one star at a time”, there is something for everyone at the 2023 Hagersville Rocks Music Festival.
Hagersville Rocks will be held at the Heaslip Ford Amphitheatre at Grant Kett Memorial Park on July 14 and 15, 2023.
Pre-sale tickets for the Saturday show start at $79.50 and go on sale on February 9 at 10 a.m. Pre-sale tickets for Friday night are now on sale for $44.50. For tickets and details, visit hagersvillerocks.com or ticketscene.ca.
