I haven’t always been fair to my hometown of Welland, Ontario. I think the idea that “familiarity breeds contempt” is spot-on when it comes to the places we live. The fact that some people refer to it as the “armpit of Ontario” doesn’t help matters. Welland’s reputation has rested on being an industrial, working class city as opposed to a cultural hot spot for many years, so you really can’t be blamed for raising an eyebrow or two when people talk comes around to raising the Rose City’s profile beyond the canal, vacant steel plants and call centres.
There’s change afoot, though, and I think it’s change for the better. Our proximity to Niagara Falls has always sparked hope that somehow, Welland could cash in on alluring tourists to take day trips here, which prompted the creation of a festival of Arts in the late 80s that put murals up on building walls all over town. The murals have faded (at least some) but the idea that the arts could be a draw to the city has stayed; last year, the inaugural IlluminAqua festival set up a floating stage in the middle of the city and brought a host of musicians in to perform in front of decent sized crowds gathered on the banks of the old Welland Canal. It’s success led the the construction of a permanent amphitheatre right on the bank for this year’s festival, and an expanded concert series including Kathleen Edwards and the Tom Fun Orchestra.
Hot on IlluminAqua’s heels is Bridgestock ‘09, a one-day, three-stage music festival in downtown Welland that’s featuring The Midway State, Poison The Well, and local favourites Street Pharmacy. Being perfectly honest with you, there really aren’t any bands on this year’s bill that I would say I’m a fan of (the majority of bands being more of the hardcore variety), but what I am a fan of is promoting local (both regional and national) musicians, and promoting the great things that are happening in the Niagara Region. It’s still early days, but what’s to stop Bridgestock from going the way of the Hillside Festival in Guelph?
So with all these great music events happening in my own backyard, you must be wondering what part I and Quick Before It Melts have to play in it. No part, actually, which is a little embarrassing and a little sad. Being a small market and finding myself separated (musical taste speaking) from what’s going on in the local scene, QBiM hasn’t really made any inroads into Niagara. The fire is lit, though, friends, and I’m certainly hoping that I can help make Bridgestock ‘09 successful enough to ensure that a Bridgestock ‘10 happens. Who knows, maybe at the 2nd annual festival, there’ll be a Quick Before It Melts Tent, and I can bring new favourites like Kestrels (see yesterday’s post) and Ohbijou down to show ‘em how diverse and excellent Canada’s music scene is.
Exciting times in the armpit of Ontario, but things are definitely smelling a lot rosier in the Rose City. If you’re looking for a staycation this year, my local friends, you might want head on down to Welland the weekend of August 15. It’s yours to discover.
Myspace: Bridgestock ‘09 Music Festival
Facebook: Bridgestock ‘09 Music Festival
Twitter: Bridgestock ‘09 Music Festival
MP3: The Midway State “Change For You”
Myspace: The Midway State
1 Comment so far
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great bands just when does it start and are those three stages all at the civic center
Comment by michael dintino 08.11.09 @ 6:21 pmLeave a comment
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