Australian indie-folk duo The Dreggs are growing their audiences across the globe, with a tour hitting many countries – including Canada – for the first time.
Paddy Macrae and Zane Harris, a.k.a. The Dreggs performing at The Drake Underground on Sunday, September 21, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
On Sunday, September 21, the pair made their Toronto debut at the Drake Underground, expanding to a three piece by adding a friend on drums, helping amp up their live sound.
It was the band’s first time touring in North America, with a few stops in both Canada and the U.S.A., and while they didn’t speak much on politics, they did note they had a harder time bringing merch into a certain country (i.e. not Canada).
Unfortunately, finding parking was a true exercise in frustration, made worse in my case by thinking that a green P parking symbol I saw on my map and decided to set my navigation destination to was gonna be within walking distance of the venue. After parking and realizing it would be a walk of over an hour to get there from where I had left my car, I hopped back in and had about another 15 minute drive to actually get to the venue.
I drove up and down Queen West, and nearby side streets, attempting to park in several spots, including a nearby grocery store, before seeing signs labelled “For permit holders only” or “Max. 15 minute parking,” and all of them threatening to tow violators. Not something I wanted to deal with on what was already going to be a late Sunday night, so I kept going until I found a lucky empty spot a few twists and turns down a couple of side roads, with no obvious signage.
Suffice it to say, I missed the opening act.
Fortunately, however, The Dreggs had not yet taken the stage, so I got there in just enough time to hit up the bathroom and grab a drink at the bar before making my way closer to the stage.
I’d initially heard about The Dreggs through listening to Ziggy Alberts, who in turn I’d heard about by listening to Hollow Coves… who in turn I’d found through some YouTube acoustic folk playlist that I put on at work to help me chill out and try not to lose my mind over things that really do not matter. My most listened to music stylings oscillate between hard, fast and angry punk/rock, and soft, soothing, acoustic folk, and for a few years there I went through a time where my nervous system could not handle the fast, angry stuff at all anymore (long story), so I turned more heavily to folk for quite some time. Usually I do like a bit of grit in my folk though, and The Dreggs offer that in some of their songs, including “Give Myself to You,” which they played that night.
I will admit, there was no way this was going to compare to seeing Propagandhi the weekened before for me, so I maybe wasn’t quite as hyped for this show as I otherwise would have been – not wanting to move on so fast from one of the best concerts I’d been to in a long time (though I have been very spoiled this year in that sense) – but to their credit, The Dreggs put on an excellent, intimate evening, and I was quite happy to take it in – and that I made it in time to catch all of their set.
The Drake Underground’s max. standing capacity is only about 150 people, so it was easy to get a decent view from pretty much anywhere – just had to find an angle looking between people’s heads, but I wound up only about 3 rows back from the stage, so I was good with that. There were a few Aussies in the crowd, who were some of the most pumped fans in attendance, given that, from what I gather, these guys are a pretty big deal back in Australia, and I can imagine seeing them in such an intimate setting would be quite a treat for those that know them in that capacity. In fact, the band referenced their larger-scale success back home a bit on stage, saying they usually had guitar techs, etc., to tune and hand them their gear, as I guess they felt a bit less polished while lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Paddy Macrae switched between guitar and banjo for different songs throughout their set.
The Dreggs performing at The Drake Underground with Macrae having switched to playing banjo for part of the set on Sunday, September 21, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Macrae said he was struggling with his voice a bit, as he was getting over some kind of chest infection, and they were only 5 days into a 12-day Canada/U.S. tour, so he encouraged the crowd to sing along several times throughout the night. The band also kept egging the crowd on, comparing audience participation between us and the people in Montreal where they’d played the day before. They did say a couple who’d been right up front the night before had looked at each other, shrugged, and left after they played one of their biggest hits, and co-guitarist/co-songwriter Zane Harris joked that he would chase anyone down the street if they repeated that behaviour on this night. In the end, I think the Toronto crowd did enough to re-energize them and make up for the half-hearted Montreal couple, however, as they ended up finishing the set with a song they said they weren’t initially going to play, being another of their biggest hits, “Take a Little Time,” which they explained had been written about performing at an indie showcase/competition of sorts in Australia, after which no one had clapped. In spite of this, they kept pushing and found success on their own, and then wrote a song about the whole ordeal, which as far as I can tell has become one of their most successful tracks. (I wouldn’t have guessed that to be the meaning of the lyrics, having assumed them to be about rebuilding after a relationship fallout of some kind, but we (I) tend to interpret songs to fit our (my) own circumstances when we (I) don’t know the backstory, and of course the lyrics perfectly suit their struggles in finding success as independent musicians.) While that particular situation may not be the most relatable to most of us, I think it can still be taken as a general idea of having to fight for the life you want in this world – which is still something I’m trying to figure out/find energy for, and love to be inspired in hearing of others’ success.
The band stuck around to sell what they had of merch at a table at the back, but I high-tailed it out of there to head back up north to Huntsville to try to catch some sleep before work the next day (and in case there was going to be any kind of ticket/tow situation to deal with with my car – which thankfully there wasn’t). I’m also considering that my anxiety has taken me out of so many situations of potentially chatting with musicians, since I’m not actually doing the journalism thing professionally at the moment, and I feel a bit out of my element just talking to people as a fan rather than an interviewer. Maybe I will look back and regret not having taken the chance to have a chat, but I was quite happy just to see the set and hit the road back home again – though it was not lost on me that, if these guys continue to grow in popularity around the world as they have back in their home of Australia, the next time I see them may be in a bigger venue with less potential for interaction. So I will cherish the night for the opportunity to have seen such an intimate set with talented performers, and keep an eye on what I’m sure will be their continued success throughout the years.
The Tall Pines music festival has continued its tradition of bringing big name Canadian bands to the little town of Gravenhurst, ON.
This year’s festival was held July 18 and 19 at Gull Lake Park in Gravenhurst, ON. It was the fourth year of the festival, which has been a big hit since its start in 2022. Tall Pines actually evolved from a free livestreaming festival called The Summer House Party which began during the Covid-19 lockdowns, bringing live performances from popular Canadian bands into people’s homes via the internet, for the first two years of the pandemic. The second Summer House Party festival was filmed in Algonquin Park, and the organizers loved the atmosphere so much, that when things opened back up and they were able to host an in-person event, they decided Muskoka was the perfect place for it.
I was able to score tickets for this year’s festival back in October of 2024, when it was announced that a concert would be held in neighbouring Bracebridge, ON, and anyone who bought a ticket for that show would get a free weekend pass to Tall Pines. We didn’t know which bands would be performing at the festival at that time, but it was a bit of a no-brainer to buy a $30 ticket to the small Bracebridge concert, to save the door price of $199 for a weekend full of music, regardless of who would be performing! Past years have brought a number of fun acts to the area, including Tokyo Police Club, K-OS, Bedouin Soundclash, I Mother Earth, and many, many more.
When this year’s lineup was announced, I was looking forward to seeing headliners Strumbellas, Choclair, and Moist, as well as Loviet, and Georgia Harmer. There were two stages setup this year – well three, if you include the Kids Zone, which offered periodic performances for youngsters to sing, dance and interact. The main stage was setup in the outfield of the park’s ball diamond, and another stage, dubbed the “Unplugged North” stage was a big stage over the water that the Town of Gravenhurst has been using for decades to host weekly “Music on the Barge” nights in the summer – which just made sense to make use of for this event.
Female rocker Loviet with her band performing on the main stage at the Tall Pines music festival in Gravenhurst, ON, on Friday, July 18, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
I arrived Friday, just in time to catch Loviet’s set on the main stage, which I was looking forward to especially because I had missed her at Büddies Fest the weekend before. To be honest, I was expecting her sound to be a bit more punk rock than it was, given the festival she’d performed at the weekend before, but I wouldn’t really say she fit that genre specifically. Still, she delivered a high-energy performance, and is definitely a talented singer and performer, so lots of fun to watch, and great to see a girl taking charge of the stage the way she does.
After Loviet I caught Nixon Boyd of indie-rock band Hollerado performing on the Unplugged North stage (though he was, in fact, plugged in; it was a solo set played on an acoustic guitar). It was cool to catch a performer from a pretty successful band on the Gravenhurst barge, where I remember seeing, I think it was Eric Nagler, or some other famous children’s performer when I was a small child, and where my parents also used to catch shows, I believe, back in the ‘70’s. I’m pretty sure there are pictures of my sister and I, and our family friends, with balloons painted on our faces, and the barge stage in the background, from the time Nagler played, down in my dad’s basement.
Nixon Boyd of Hollerado performing on the barge in Gravenhurst, ON, dubbed the Unplugged North stage, for the Tall Pines music festival on Friday, July 18, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
I didn’t have plans to attend this festival with anyone per se, but knew that, being a local event, I would see people I knew there – as I had every year in the past. I had chatted about it beforehand with some friends, however, who fortunately agreed to let me crash their hang-outs throughout the weekend, which just made things even more fun. I mean, I would have been fine enough on my own, but good company always makes good times even better.
One of the friends (who I hadn’t mentioned I was going to) invited me to join them back at his place for some dinner before catching the Strumbellas, and I happily obliged. He lives within walking distance of the festival, and had already cooked a bunch of food, which he was so kind to share with me, so I got a great dinner and didn’t have to spend extra money at the festival. (I ended up buying a unique tye-dyed pair of black jean overalls, with roses on the pockets instead, because they were really cute, and I just couldn’t help myself. And with the money I’d saved on entry and now dinner, I didn’t feel too too guilty about it!)
I had been looking forward to catching Georgia Harmer, who I’d previously seen open for Dan Mangan at the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville, ON, back in 2022. Harmer actually also opened the first ever Tall Pines festival in 2022 as well, so she was one of a few returning artists to perform at the event, also including Saturday night headliners Sloan. Harmer has a very sweet, soothing voice, and music to match, which just runs through the ears and into the brain like melted butter, and was a perfect fit for festival goers to take in at the barge stage overlooking Gull Lake. I ended up missing it, however, because of being at my friend’s for dinner, but I know those that caught her got a real treat that night.
The Strumbellas performing on the main stage at Tall Pines on Friday, July 18, 2025 (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
After dinner we rushed back to catch most of the Strumbellas set. They’re a really fun group, but I have to say, I think violinist Isabel Ritchie kinda stole the show, as I’ve never seen a violin player perform like such a rock star before (even though I have seen the Strumbellas in concert before)! To be fair though, the whole band put on a great, lively set. They were a pleasure to watch, and definitely dialed in as a band. They of course played their hit Spirits, but also did a fantastic cover of the Paul McCartney and Wings’ classic, Band on the Run, with keyboardist David Ritter nailing the distinctive synthesizer bit in the intro, and the whole song coming together so well – it was just a captivating pleasure to witness.
After the Strumbellas, my friends and I hung around at the back/near the bar while the last band closed out the night. Little side story, but stay with me here; interestingly enough, one of the friend’s I was hanging out with and I have both met I Mother Earth bassist, Bruce Gordon, in different capacities. For me, it was a phone interview for a story I was writing, while my friend actually met him in person while biking in Toronto. Fast forward to Friday night, and that same friend tells me he had run into IME drummer, Christian Tanna, when I had separated from them to get closer to the stage during the Strumbellas set. I was a little bummed to have missed out, but was ready to move on with my life when that same friend and I both had to go to the washroom. On the way there, standing right in our path, was none other than Tanna himself, with his unmistakable long red dreads, taking in the show. Happy to have not missed the opportunity, I went over and said hello, and told him I was a fan. He was so polite, and introduced me to his wife and son, and even gave me a hug. I have to say both he and Gordon have been some of the nicest musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
After the show we headed back to my friend’s for a bit of a fire and some more socializing before heading home to catch some sleep and prepare for day two.
I arrived Saturday just before five, and caught Natasha Fisher performing on the main stage as I parked and walked past on my way to my friend’s. (I parked near the festival so I could leave things in my car and retrieve them if needed, rather than walk the couple blocks back to my friend’s). She sounded really fun, and was a great vocalist, with a very strong voice. I will definitely be checking out more of her stuff.
Margaritas and snacks to start day two of the festival on July 19, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Back at my friend’s we had masterfully mixed margaritas, and some snacks before heading back to the festival to catch Choclair. There seemed to have been a bit of confusion with the set times, and when we heard Choclair’s set starting from my friend’s place, we hauled ass to get back in time to catch most of it at the stage. He performed Northern Touch just before we reached the gate, so a couple of us were dancing and singing along on the (closed) street, to the entertainment of a few people leaving the festival, before reaching the gate. We were able to catch a good portion of his set, which was very uplifting and fun, with the crowd demanding an encore despite there being more acts to come.
Choclair performing on the main stage at Tall Pines on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Following Choclair’s set we headed over to the barge to catch Jordan MacDonald of the band Texas King. I had never heard of him or his band before, but let me tell you, this man’s voice was so captivating I was immediately a fan, and couldn’t turn away. Although he wasn’t one of the performers I’d been looking forward to, I would say his performance was probably the highlight of the event for me. I’ve listened to Texas King since, and while they are good, there was something really special about this near-solo set (he was accompanied by another guitarist and back-up vocalist) that I won’t soon forget.
Jordan MacDonald of the band Texas King performs on the Unplugged North stage at Tall Pines on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Next up was Sloan on the main stage, and with them came a little bit of rain. To be honest, I’m not the biggest Sloan fan, but I do know some of their songs, and I found myself singing, and even dancing along to some of their set. I’d bought a couple disposable ponchos (I know, bad for the environment, but I had them already from a previous event, and my actual rain jacket was locked in my office at work) that I could fit in my purse, and busted them out for myself and one of my friends who had come unprepared, and when it started raining we just embraced it and started dancing around in our ponchos while Sloan played. We caught the attention of one of the festival videographers who asked to capture a couple takes of us being dancing fools for his footage. We agreed and pretended to dance like no-one was watching while being filmed. It was an interesting reverse of roles for me, but I didn’t mind – I was having a great time. (My friend and I also decided to start a band, and even came up with a band and album name inspired by the night’s events.)
There was a slight gap between Sloan’s set and the final headliner, Moist, and the chips I’d had earlier weren’t quite cutting it for me, so I went and got some food from one of the food trucks on the ball diamond. I met a man in line who had come from the states to take it in and we had a nice conversation about how he and his friends were enjoying themselves, but left their chairs at the festival overnight, only to find they had been collected/claimed by someone else while they were gone. He was easy-going about it though. We also talked about music, of course, and he recommended I get my newly formed band on an NPR show in Detroit that features indie artists. I don’t know if they will still exist under Trump’s rule, unfortunately, but once we have some tunes together, I just might try.
Moist closing out the Tall Pines music festival on Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Finally, headliners Moist came on, bringing their hits from the ‘90’s that everyone remembers, including Push and Silver. I always liked Moist, but my sister, more than myself, was a huge fan back in the day, so I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry she wasn’t there for the event. I do believe Moist’s biggest fan ever was in the crowd that night though, standing right beside us for a time, singing along to every word, and doing his best to get the crowd as pumped as he was to watch them perform. His enthusiasm was definitely contagious, and I was happy for him to be having the time of his life.
Mother Nature, however, decided it would be punny to bring on the worst of the rain while Moist performed. While a few people packed it in, the majority of the crowd stuck around despite the near torrential downpour. Lead singer David Usher, who said it had been the first time the band had performed after a three-year break, kept reassuring the crowd that as long as the fans were sticking it out, they would perform. They remained true to their word, though they had to pause for a moment to get the keyboards working again, and move things back to be better protected by the roof of the stage. Ultimately they kept going for most of their allotted time, only being cut-off by the sound guy in the midst of what became their final song due to lightning in the sky. There was only about ten minutes left in their set time anyway, so I don’t think any of the fans really felt robbed of the experience, but it was a quick end and exit to get everyone out of the park as quickly as possible once the lightning started.
And just like that, Tall Pines was done for another year, as was my run of back-to-back summer weekend music festivals. It’s always fun to take this one in so close to home, and you can bet I’ll be looking forward to who they bring to the area next year.
A crowd is gathered for The Sheepdogs’ performance at the Mariposa Folk Festival on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Orillia’s Mariposa Folk Festival has continued its long tradition of bringing a multitude of impressive more-than-just-folk musical acts to the big festival in the small southern Ontario city.
The 65th annual Mariposa Folk Festival took place in the town’s Tudhope Park from Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6, with more than a little something for just about everyone, and was a sellout success by Sunday.
As always, with the event’s many stages (eight this year), plus events including yoga and craft sessions for all ages, vendors, and food trucks, it would be completely impossible for one person to catch all of the action that goes on over the course of the weekend event, but with many of the artists performing multiple sets on different stages, festival goers stood a good chance of being able to catch all their favourites in attendance at least once.
Performers ranged from open mic acts – with one stage offering the opportunity for attendees to sign up and perform a small set of their own – and local bands, to long standing legends including Ron Sexsmith, and children’s performer Sharon Hampson, of Elephant Show/Sharon, Lois, and Bram fame, who purportedly originally linked up as a trio through an educational music program organized by the Mariposa Folk Festival back in the ‘70’s!
I signed up to volunteer as a videographer for the event, as a fun way to get involved and make use of some of the skills I picked up in my journalism school days, while taking in some great musical acts. My shifts were Saturday and Sunday, but I drove down Friday night to pick up my wrist band, meet my team leads, and take in some of the shows, of course!
I timed my arrival perfectly to coincide with The Paper Kites performance on the main stage, known as the Lightfoot Stage (in honour of Gordon Lightfoot). The Paper Kites hail from Australia and have a soft, poetic, almost lullaby-esque sound to them which soothes my heart, whether singing sad lyrics, as in their song “Paint”, or happy, as in “Bloom”, (both of which are great songs which you should check out if unfamiliar with the band).
Following The Paper Kites’ set, I made my way to the Pub Stage to try to check out The East Pointers, only to find most people in the park, it seemed, had the same idea, as the fenced-off pub area was at capacity before I got there, with a long line of people at the entrance hoping to get in, or at least stand outside the gate and listen. I think The East Pointers were the surprise stars of this year’s festival in a way, as both of their performances drew much larger crowds than it seemed the festival organizers had anticipated. I’m thinking they may be back as main stage performers in the not-too-distant future.
I wasn’t too disappointed though, as I knew they were performing another set later in the weekend, sharing the stage with festival darlings My Son the Hurricane, who I saw perform at my first Mariposa back in 2019 (which was also the last time I attended the festival, until this year, but more on that later). Plus it meant I got to catch all of Langhorne Slim’s set, which I knew was going to be great.
Langhorne Slim mingling with the crowd while singing during his performance on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
I met Langhorne, a.k.a. Sean Scolnick, once before, in 2017, down at the Newport Folk Festival, in Newport, Rhode Island, in the United States, where he performed at a festival pre-party. A guy I met in line waiting to get in seemed to know him (or at least knew where to go to chat with him) and when the show was done he brought me around to the back of the building and introduced me, which was pretty rad. (I also got a hug from Charles Bradley that night, who blew me away with his performance at the same party, particularly of the song “Changes”, originally by Black Sabbath. Bradley sadly passed away later that year.) It was a memorable night, and so I was excited to catch Langhorne Slim perform live again. He’s definitely a natural entertainer, and draws a crowd with his enthusiastic performances. If you don’t know who he is before seeing him, you won’t soon forget him after. He even took it upon himself to hop down off the main stage and sing one of his songs while mingling with the crowd, sharing handshakes, hugs and just true authentic humanity with the crowd gathered to see him; interacting with as many people as he could, before returning to the stage to close out the song. On his second-to-last song, the high e string on his guitar broke, but he kept playing like a true pro, only looking like he might have wanted to smash the instrument for a split second at the end of the song. His very last song didn’t include himself on guitar, so it all worked out in the end anyway (and there was no guitar smashing, which was definitely for the best in the long run. It looked like a nice guitar).
Friday’s headliners were Canadian rockers, The Sheepdogs, who played for an hour and a half, despite the swarms of bugs that came out as the sun went down. I don’t think anyone in the crowd was getting bitten too badly by the bugs, but the band, unfortunately, suffered as the main feast to the flies, which admittedly did look kind of pretty, lit up and dancing like stars under the bright stage lights, but I’m sure were VERY annoying to deal with. I remember the same scene watching Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perform when they headlined one of the nights of the 2019 Mariposa Festival. Sheepdogs’ lead singer Ewan Currie did comment on the bugs, but the band continued to perform like the true professionals they are, displaying their impressive talent. The Sheepdogs have played the Kee before, but I’ve never gone to see them, as the shows I believe usually either sold out before I got around to checking for tickets, or just weren’t in the budget for me at the time. And even knowing that they’re a solid, popular rock band, I didn’t realize the extent of their talent as musicians until seeing them live that night. Although I was sort of near the front of the crowd for the performance, I was way off to one side, so I didn’t have the best angle for capturing pictures, as there was a tall fence and one of the big Mariposa side stage flags kind of screening my view. It was fine for watching the show, but definitely didn’t make for great photos. Luckily for me, however, one of the people with a media access pass had me pass my phone to him through the fence, so he could snap some picture for me, unobstructed, front and centre.
The Sheepdogs closed out night one of the Mariposa Folk Festival on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Photo taken on my phone by a kind media tech whose name I didn’t get!)
Saturday and Sunday I got to work capturing videos of the crowd starting a little after noon, so I didn’t have as much time to sit and enjoy any of the shows, or catch the little details of what was happening with the performers as much. I’m not complaining though; I had a lot of fun, and was able to make time to see some special performances.
On Saturday, I had my first shift as a camera operator, and with this I had an all-access pass, and was able to get into all of the venues-within-the-venue to capture footage at whatever stage I wanted, so I of course jumped at the opportunity to capture footage of The East Pointers’ performance that day, which was just as popular as the day before, and I knew would also give me some great B-roll for the festival organizers. This time they were setup at the Bohemian Stage, which was also fenced off, down by the shore of Lake Couchiching. The popularity of this performance was likely amplified by the fact that many people also wanted to catch – and dance to – My Son the Hurricane, as well as The East Pointers, and fortunately there was lots of room for people to sit around the outside of the fenced off area to still hear, and in some cases see, the show. The set started out with high-energy instrumental pieces by each band, and continued to bring the energy with light-hearted dance-inducing songs throughout. As it was wrapping up, I noticed a guy on the other side of the fence trying to capture a photo with his phone, and looking disappointed that he couldn’t seem to get a good one, so much like the media personnel had done for me the day before, I had him pass me his phone through the fence so I could run up to the stage and capture a few close-ups for him – which he appreciated just as much, if not more, as I had when it was done for me. I was quite happy to have been able to pay it forward!
Basia Bulat performing at the Mariposa Folk Festival on Saturday, July 5, 2025, just before a huge rain storm set in. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Following that show, I made my way to the main stage to catch Basia Bulat’s beautiful, bewitching voice and unique, Polish-inspired, folk-personified performance. I have been a fan of hers for at least the last decade and was quite happy to finally have the chance to catch her live. (She’s played many places throughout Ontario over the years, but the timing or location never quite worked out for me, until that day.) Unfortunately a heavy rainstorm hit partway through her set, and as I was operating a fairly expensive, NOT-water-resistant camera, I quickly made my way to our little media-team tent to keep myself, and it, dry. Bulat finished her performance, however, and many in the crowd stuck around for the whole set, in spite of the drenching downfall. Our team waited the rain out in the tent for close to an hour, though the performances continued pretty much as regularly scheduled, but after quite some time we decided to call it a day, knowing we had the day tomorrow – weather pending, of course – to capture more B-roll.
The rain did ease up, and eventually stop, and as the temperature that day was somewhere above the 30 degree Celsius mark, it wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened, but by the time we had called it a day it was about 7 p.m. The only other group I had really wanted to see that day was the headliner, Iron & Wine, but at this point I was soaked (with sweat, not rain), and sore from running around capturing footage all day, and I had an hour drive home, with my dog waiting to be let out – and me knowing I had to do it all over again tomorrow – so I decided to drive home, eat something, and walk the dog. I told myself, if I really wanted, I had enough time to do all of that and come back for the 10 p.m. performance – but I knew it wasn’t likely going to happen, and it didn’t. I can only imagine they put on an excellent set though.
Sunday there were less performances I was personally eager to make sure I caught, though I did want to see Benjamin Doerksen, as I had heard him perform a little bit from a distance on Friday night as a “tweener,” (which is what they were calling acts who performed a small set on the main stage between the main acts) and I wanted to hear more.
Doerksen’s full set was really good; he has a solid, powerful voice and he and his bandmates sound like seasoned pros together. I think he has what it takes to become a big name in the Canadian country/folk circuit, which he already seems to be making great strides in.
Rock/folk artist Hayden, whose music I’d come to know as a teenager, with a number of songs I was quite into for a period of time, also played Sunday, so I wanted to catch some of his set as well. It was of course a nice, mellow set, and the crowd loved him, with many fans from his more than 30 years of making music, collected on the grass, mesmerized as he told stories about and through his songs.
After Hayden’s set I didn’t have any specific agenda, other than to keep capturing video, but I could hear a big, dance-inducing beat coming from across the park, and just had to follow the sound. There, at the Bohemian Stage I caught a set called “Folkin’ Rude Boys” which was a collaboration of two bands, being Danny Rebel & the KGB, and Melbourne Ska Orchestra. If you couldn’t guess from the title, they were putting on a clinic in ska music – and the crowd was loving it. This was the biggest crowd of dancing people I saw the entire time. (To be fair though, both of these bands had performed elsewhere earlier in the festival, and I hadn’t caught those sets, but I bet there was lots of dancing happening then too.) During this particular performance, they were talking a bit about how they came to find ska music for themselves, and as bands, and then giving a bit of a history/music lesson on where it came from, and the fundamentals of playing it. It was a really fun set, and these are two bands I would definitely recommend checking out if ever given the opportunity.
Danny Rebel and the KGB, and Melbourne Ska Orchestra performing together on Sunday, July 6, 2025 at the Mariposa Folk Festival. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
After that I wandered over to where another huge crowd was gathered at the Pub Stage and caught a bit of Corook’s set. I have to be honest here, when I saw Corook on the schedule, I didn’t know who they were, but once I started listening I recognized them as being a social media star (as far as I know) with viral hits including “It’s OK” (you know, the one that goes “hey, hey, it’s ok; everybody feels kinda weird some days”) and “If I Were a Fish”. It was definitely a beloved act by many fans, and I caught a few different people asking to take a photo with them a little later on in the day.
I then caught a bit of some of the big Sunday acts on the main stage, including Ron Sexsmith, and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, while I captured some final footage for the day.
I finished my volunteer hours at 7 p.m., and went to sit in my car for a few minutes, contemplating if I should stay and enjoy a little of the festival in my free time, or just head home and rest my weary bones. Fortunately I convinced myself I should definitely take just a little time to enjoy myself and take in the festival without any responsibilities, before heading back to my regular job the next day, so I headed back in to catch Born Ruffians before hitting the road. I definitely made the right choice, as it was a fun, rocking, free-spirited boost of energy, and just what I needed to wake myself up for the drive home.
The festival was a huge success as always, and I was happy to be a part of it. My first time volunteering was back in 2019, on the greening crew, where I helped ensure people put their waste in the right receptacles to keep the least amount possible from going into the actual garbage, making maximum use of the compost and recycling options.
Mariposa is a green-focused festival, in that they require all of their food vendors to use compostable containers and cutlery. This year they were able to divert 90% of festival waste from the landfill, so I’d say that’s a huge success, and they had refillable water stations throughout the grounds, which was especially necessary given the heat of the weekend.
There were also booths of all kinds of information and groups, including mental health assistance, Parks Canada, Simcoe County Black Coalition, LGBTQ+ Simcoe County, Indigenous activist groups, and more.
All-in-all, it really is such a well-run festival, which is no surprise, considering this was its 65th year; you don’t last that long without the people at the helm knowing a thing or two about what they’re doing. I’m sure lessons are passed on to younger generations throughout the years, as more than 700 volunteers help keep the festival going, and many, I’m sure, are enthusiastic to ensure it continues to be a success for many years to come.
I can’t wait to see who they line up for next year, but in the meantime, I’m already headed to another festival this weekend, being the first ever Buddies Fest, down in Tillsonburg, Ontario, and I hope to post an update on that soon!
The Kee to Bala has delivered, once again, bringing an epic performance to its near century-old stage, in the little town of Bala, ON, and proving itself to be one of the best places to catch a concert.
On Wednesday, June 11, Billy Corgan and The Machines of God rocked the Kee with their Return to Zero tour.
And it was awesome.
Billy Corgan performs with The Machines of God, at the Kee to Bala, in Bala, ON on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Corgan’s better known band, The Smashing Pumpkins, made their Kee debut in the summer of 2024, as a surprise bombshell announcement following Live Nation’s takeover of the venue. That show sold out immediately, with re-sale tickets going for $700 and up. As a long-time Pumpkins fan, I was absolutely heartbroken not to have scored tickets – but as a broke single lady, paying $700 to be a part of it wasn’t really an option. I did consider sitting outside on the lawn just to hear it, but in the end decided it might just break my heart that much more to be so close, yet still so out of reach.
When I first heard Billy Corgan would be playing the Kee again this summer, but without the Pumpkins, I, like many others I’m sure, was intrigued, but unsure of what to expect. Would it be Corgan and an acoustic guitar doing his cover of Landslide and maybe some SP songs? Was he releasing a solo album and touring in support of all new material?
I think the fact that many people were in the same boat as me in terms of not knowing what this tour meant, at first anyway, is why tickets didn’t sell out immediately – and I was still able to get one at a reasonable rate, even after they were first released. The fact that the Kee was just the third stop on the tour, and that the show was on a Wednesday night, likely also kept it from selling out completely, but to be honest, I think mostly people just didn’t know what they were missing.
Being a huge Smashing Pumpkins – and Corgan – fan for almost three decades now, I was stoked to get a ticket regardless, but admittedly I did keep checking the internet, and especially social media sites, for updates on what to expect. As details were revealed, including the setlist, I got more and more excited for what was to come: a full, four-piece band (two guitars, a bass and drums), playing electric/close-to-original versions of Smashing Pumpkins’ songs from select albums (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; Machina/The Machines of God; Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music; and their latest release, 2024’s Aghori Mhori Mei), with Corgan of course remaining at the helm.
L.A. Based band Return to Dust opening for Billy Corgan and The Machines of God at the Kee to Bala on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
L.A. based rockers Return to Dust have had the privilege of opening for the Machines of God on this tour. With their long-haired, head-banging performance, rife with guitar riffs and powerful vocals, they were definitely a great fit to get fans in the mood for the show to come, and reminiscent of the 90’s grunge era the Pumpkins were a part of.
As a long time Pumpkins fan, but also a fan of music in general, I was not in the least bit disappointed by the performance or song selection Corgan and The Machines of God put on. In fact, I was thrilled.
Billy Corgan performs with The Machines of God at the Kee to Bala on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
They played a full two-hour set, opening with tracks Le Deux Machina, Glass, and Heavy Metal Machine from the second Machina album, before getting into Where Boys Fear to Tread from the Mellon Collie double album, and then Pentagrams from the recent Aghori Mhori Mei. They continued on, alternating through tracks from the various albums, taking a pause near the end of the set only for Corgan to pretend to play an acoustic cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s Sundown, before actually performing an acoustic rendition of his own Tonight, Tonight.
My favourite tracks from the show included Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Muzzle, and Bodies, all from the Mellon Collie double album, as well as the encore, The Everlasting Gaze, from the first Machina album. Just so well done, and impressive to see the sounds from the albums carried forward so well with the live performance. My only disappointment – though I hesitate to call it that, because the show was truly incredible – was that I know they played longer encores with a few more songs at other venues in larger cities. But really, I can’t complain because these guys did give it their all, for a full two-hour set, and may have been bound by time given that they didn’t finish until just after midnight as it was, on a Wednesday night, in little old Bala, ON.
Kiki Wong on guitar for Billy Corgan and The Machines of God at the Kee to Bala on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
I’ve seen some reviews from the tour in general lamenting the lack of Jimmy Chamberlin’s more artistic and less methodical approach to drumming, and James Iha’s expert shoegaze-style guitar sound, but to me, The Machines of God performed an outstanding live set, layering their sound phenomenally, and hitting their marks like true pros. The showmanship of guitarist Kiki Wong was a great fit, and it’s easy to see why Corgan would select her, not only to perform as one of The Machines of God, but also as a touring guitarist with the Pumpkins. Even as a hetero-sexual female in the audience, I adored watching her and would have been completely captivated by her, had it not been for the fact that Corgan himself was also there, in front of my very eyes, for the first time in the 29 years since I was first entranced by him.
Corgan and The Machines of God bassist Jenna Fournier, a.k.a. Kid Tigrrr performing at the Kee to Bala on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
Rounding out The Machines of God were L.A. based session and touring drummer Jake Hayden, and shoegaze indie rocker Jenna Fournier, a.k.a. Kid Tigrrr, on bass, whose soft dreamy presence (and outfit) countered Wong’s embodiment of devilish heavy metal in a perfect symbiosis of good vs. it-feels-good-to-be-bad influences over each of Corgan’s shoulders. Corgan of course donned a trench-coat, a mainstay since the Pumpkins 1998 album Adore, though this one was silver and gave more mad-scientist vibes than his earlier Nosferatu-leaning versions of the look. The outfits and showmanship definitely added to the feeling that we were in the presence of true rock stars, or at least a band having fun with embodying that idea, and definitely added a little something to an already epic show.
The alternate band name – The Machines of God – came out of the Pumpkins’ 2000 albums “Machina/the Machines of God,” and “Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music,” and follows a theme that really started to emerge on 1995’s “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” double album, where Billy Corgan first refers to himself as Zero. From what I gather through reading various articles, Zero is basically Corgan’s public persona, as his band became somewhat larger than life, and public assumptions and interpretations created a caricature of the man behind the music. From there, within the Machina albums, the storyline of Zero is furthered, as he is influenced by the voice of God he believes himself to be hearing, and renames himself from Zero to Glass, and his band to The Machines of God, as they are essentially a conduit of what Zero (now Glass) is receiving as downloads from a higher power. Even on the track Zero, from the Mellon Collie album, however, Corgan sings “I’m the face in your dreams of Glass” hinting that the concept was already at play in his mind long before the Machina albums were compiled. To delve a little further, Corgan has apparently said his experience of the writing process feels like this in a sense, as he’s sometimes unsure of where and how the songs are coming from within him.
Though the concept may be lost on some, it’s certainly not necessary to wrap your head around it to enjoy the music or the shows that Corgan and The Machines of God are bringing on this tour. That being said, I do think it’s highly relatable as a creative person, and especially as a writer myself; we often hear of musicians and other writers feeling as though they’re plucking lines from the sky, or that come to them in dreams, seemingly from somewhere outside their own psyche. Understanding this definitely adds layers of appreciation to what Corgan was going for with this tour, but as noted, is not essential to enjoying the songs, sound, or showmanship the band is delivering.
Since my first introduction to the Smashing Pumpkins’ music, they’ve always seemed to me to be these huge, beyond human entities. Probably, in part, because I was so young (about 10 years old) when I first got into them, under the influence of my older sister and some of her friends. But even the description ‘rock star’ doesn’t seem to do justice to the way I have viewed the Smashing Pumpkins, and Corgan himself, over the years. If the Arkells, as described in my previous post, are seemingly some of the most relatable, down-to-earth musicians to have reached huge levels of success in the industry (albeit more-so in Canada than the states, and maybe that’s part of the difference), the Smashing Pumpkins always seemed so out of reach to me, as both musicians and people. In fact, thinking of them as just people like everyone else is still something my brain struggles with.
Billy Corgan surrounding by a glow of green light at the Kee to Bala on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Lisa Gillan)
It could be due, in part, to the fact that the same year I was first getting into them (1996) they were immortalized in cartoon form on one of my – and the world’s – favourite TV shows, being The Simpsons.
A couple years later (1998), I remember they visited Much Music in Toronto, ON for a show called “Intimate & Interactive,” where the station would have a band come in and play songs, be interviewed by one of the resident VJ’s, and also take questions from the audience. I was so excited, I think I even had goosebumps just knowing the band was in Toronto, despite the fact that that was still about two hours away, and at 12 years old, my mom was not driving me to the city for something like this.
But they were seemingly still so close, and I so badly wanted to call in with a question, yet I remember feeling so intimidated that they would think I was just some dumb kid. I have this vision of me, phone in hand, half dialing the number for the station, and then hanging up before going through with it, because the anxiety had gotten the better of me. Still, I sat and watched the whole thing, in awe that they were in a city so close to me (in rural Ontario terms, anyway).
I figured I would never have the chance to see them live because by the time I grew up, they wouldn’t be a band anymore. Although that didn’t end up being the case exactly, and there have been chances, here and there for me to see them as an adult, I think this Machines of God show in particular, with its focus on songs from that initial era of my familiarity with the Pumpkins, and in such an intimate venue as the Kee, was such a fitting first time for me to see Corgan and these songs performed live, and I couldn’t be happier that I finally got to do it!
Lisa goes to shows 