River Town Saints, The Reklaws, and More at CMW 2018
Canadian Music Week took a country twist on Wednesday night when River Town Saints, The Reklaws, and friends took to the stage at The Great Hall for a full night of country music on Queen Street West.
Fresh from a Best New Country Group or Solo Artist award win at the Canadian Radio Music Awards (where The Reklaws were nominated) River Town Saints headlined the KX Country presented concert in Toronto with all of the energy and enthusiasm that we expect from the Woke Up Like This quintet.
It was a solid night of country from start to finish, with Ben Hudson, Cory James Mitchell, The Reklaws, and River Town Saints all taking their turns entertaining the country music fans in the audience, and proving again that country is alive and well in Toronto.
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Ben Hudson started the show with a full band and the task of kicking off the show. The Uxbridge, ON native, came through, playing a mix of covers and originals for the crowd, showing off the depth and richness of his voice, and all of the talent that we’ve always appreciated from him.
With a busy summer schedule coming up, CMW was the perfect spot for Hudson to get up and play his set. And if he can bring the same energy and sound on originals like Wear And Tear, Johnny And June, and Redneck Summer to those crowds, there are going to be a whole lot of country music fans that know what we know… Ben Hudson is one to watch.
Sarnia, ON’s Cory James Mitchell took the stage with his band to continue the show, bringing a legit southern rock/country vibe to Toronto.
The guitar forward set created a great sound and paired perfectly with Mitchell’s voice to show off tracks like If I Could Fly Away (I’d Be Gone) on a Wednesday night. There was enough grit in the set to make us take notice, but not so much that it took over. There was enough guitar to make things sound awesome, but not so much that it took over. The balance was there. The sound was solid, and the tattooed singer-songwriter and his band should be on more stages for more people to show it off.
Robby Johnson hit the middle slot of the mid-week show, ripping through a set of originals and covers that kept the crowd entertained from start to finish.
The singer, backed by a band of three, was tight throughout, bringing their best to CMW. Originals, 1 2 3 4, South Of Me, and Ring, Ring, Ring were all well received by the Toronto audience, with dancing and grooving easy to spot from the front of the room to the back.
With a new EP, Trouble, out now, we expect we’ll be seeing more of Robby Johnson soon.
The Reklaws took the stage in the second-to-last spot, getting cheers from the crowd, and continuing their rise through the Canadian country music ranks.
Jenna and Stuart were energetic, charming and on point as the rolled through a set of their songs and medleys. When the duo played Hometown Kids, Last Call, Wish You Were Beer, and Long Live The Night the response in the crowd proved that people have been listening to The Reklaws’ releases. Knowing how hard they’ve worked to get to where they’re at now (and they’re still pushing, flying to Nashville in the dark hours of the morning on Thursday) made that extra special to see.
As per usual, The Reklaws hit us with a couple of medleys, rolling together My Church (Maren Morris), Heartache On The Dance Floor (Jon Pardi), H.O.L.Y. (FGL), and Body Like A Backroad (Sam Hunt) for their country collection. They followed that up a little later with Wake Me Up (Avicii), Mr. Brightside (The Killers), Style (Taylor Swift), and Thunder (Imagine Dragons) for their pop/rock collection.
The unexpected cherry on top of the set was Feels Like That, a brand new track that we’re expecting to hear more of before the end of the year… maybe on another EP.
Stay tuned to see what comes next from The Reklaws.
The River Town Saints came to the stage to headline the show with a clear goal of entertaining the hell out of the Queen Street West audience.
CMW 2018 marks our anniversary with the band, with our first show coming at Boots & Bourbon at CMW 2015 when they opened for Kira Isabella. In the time since the boys have crossed the country on stage, made fans from coast-to-coast, and released their debut, self-titled album in 2017. It’s been a roller coaster ride, and on Wednesday night, they showed everyone how it’s paying off.
The RTS set is a fun one, with a mix of their songs, medleys of favourites, and opportunities for the fans to be involved as they sang and danced along.
From fan favourites, like You Get To Me, A Little Bit Goes A Long Way, and Hungover It to a brand new track like My Bad, the Toronto audience was in and loving it.
With a busy schedule of fairs and festivals lined up, Canadian Music Week served as a jumping off point for the band’s summer season. And, if they bring the same energy and enthusiasm to those outdoor stages and good weather we can promise that country music fans are going to have a great time.
The River Town Saints live show has always been a highlight for us. And this time, for the third CMW in the last four years (they bowed out in 2017 to tour with Kip Moore) we enjoyed the heck out of our chance to hang out with Dan, Labelle, Jeremy, McComb, and Jordan – and watch them do what they do.
Keep an eye on the 2018 Canadian Radio Music Awards’ Best New Country Group or Solo Artist winners… there’s more where this came from.
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