After a scorching Friday afternoon with temperatures breaking 30 degrees, the heat kept coming with Sunfest’s main stage performances.
North Vancouver’s Dave Hartney kicked it off. He was followed by Me and Mae. Shawn Meehan, Colette Trudeau, Adam Reid, Ben Parker and Joe Fazio make up the British Columbia based band which racked up a number of awards and nominations for their debut album, Off the Rails, including the 2014 BC Country Music Awards Ray McAuley Horizon Award.
Their single “Feel Good Feelin” captured the atmosphere at the festival.
As the sun went down over Laketown Ranch, the Alberta duo High Valley (brothers Brad and Curtis Rempel) took to the stage with a sound they’ve described as “bluegrass roots with a modern pulse.”
The brothers were raised in a Mennonite community in a Mennonite community near La Crete in northern Alberta. They attribute their musical ideals and love of “simple, classic country” to their upbringing in such a close-knit, rural community. Last year they played their hit US single “Make You Mine” on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.
Dallas Smith brought Friday night to a close on the main stage. The former lead vocalist for the rock/post-grunge band Default, Smith is also a country singer-songwriter. His latest—single “One Little Kiss”—was released in April and reached #1 on the iTunes Country singles chart.
He also played one of his biggest hits from his Default days—“Wasting My Time”—to thunderous applause.
On tap for tomorrow:
At the Flats Stage there’s line dancing at noon, Jaimey Hamilton (2:30 p.m.), Ajaye Jardine (4 p.m.) and Completely Creedence (11:30 p.m.).
Meanwhile at the north end of Laketown Ranch at the Saloon Stage She Could Be Trouble gets things underway at 5:40 p.m. Next are double sets by Ben Klick (7:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.) followed by Trinity Bradshaw (11:30 p.m.)
And the main stage has Trinity Bradshaw starting at 5 p.m., Raquel Cole (6:20 p.m.), Chase Bryant (7:50 p.m.) and then the Sunfest 2016 festival headliner Carrie Underwood at 9:50 p.m.
