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Toronto
Toronto’s first album, Lookin’ for Trouble, was released in 1980, and lead single “Even The Score” was a minor hit, just missing the Canadian Top 40. Head On (1981) followed, after which Costello and Fox left the band to be replaced by Gary LaLonde (later of Honeymoon Suite) and Barry Connors (later of Coney Hatch). The band was nominated for a Juno in 1981 for “Most Promising Group of the Year” along with Loverboy, Martha & the Muffins, Red Rider and Powder Blues Band (winner).
This sextet recorded Get It on Credit (1982), with lead single “Your Daddy Don’t Know” reaching top 5 in Canada, and hitting No. 77 in the US. It remains their best-known hit. “Your Daddy Don’t Know” was also nominated for a Juno Award in 1983 for Composer of the Year (the song was written by Geoff Iwamoto and Michael Roth). Lalonde was then replaced by Mike Gingrich for 1983’s Girls’ Night Out in 1983. This album also received attention, as did the band’s Greatest Hits album of 1984. In 1984, Holly Woods was nominated for a Juno for “Female Vocalist of the Year” along with Dalbello, Shari Ulrich and Anne Murray (winner).
There were subsequently several exits and entrances in 1984/85, with founding members Allen and Alton leaving, along with drummer Connors. They were replaced by Marty Walsh (guitars), Daryl Alvara (guitars) and Paul Hanna (drums), and the band rechristened themselves Holly Woods and Toronto. In 1985, the re-vamped sextet released their final album, Assault and Flattery. It featured the single “New Romance”, written by Holly Knight and Anton Fig.
In 1985, the band was forced into breaking up when Solid Gold Records filed for bankruptcy protection. Woods and Kreyer ended up relocating to Atlanta, where they went into Lowery Studios to record a solo album by Woods. However, the album was shelved for over 20 years, until Cyclone Records acquired the rights to the “lost” masters and released the album in 2007.
The band scored a handful of hit singles in their native Canada during the early 1980s, including “Your Daddy Don’t Know”, “Start Tellin’ the Truth”, and “Girls’ Night Out”. “Your Daddy Don’t Know” was covered by The New Pornographers for the 2003 film soundtrack “FUBAR: The Album”.
The song “What About Love” was originally recorded by Toronto during the “Get It on Credit” sessions, having been written by band members Alton and Allen along with outside collaborator Jim Vallance. However, the band elected not to release the song, and the frustration Allen and Alton faced in getting this and other material onto Toronto’s albums eventually led to their departure from the group. In 1985, the song was offered to Heart, who turned “What About Love” into an international top 10 hit. Toronto’s original version was eventually released in 2002 as a bonus track the CD reissues of several of their albums.
Harlequin
Harlequin was originally formed in the mid-seventies. After several demos and trips to Toronto, Harlequin was finally discovered playing in a tiny bar in Toronto by representatives of Jack Douglas, legendary producer of Aerosmith, Patti Smith and John Lennon. Ironically, the scouts for Douglas’ company had actually intended to see Goddo, the band playing downstairs, but were turned away due to a sold old show. Instead they retired upstairs to a much smaller bar – only to be blown away by the band, playing a high-energy set of strong original songs for only a handful of people. This chance meeting led to a production deal with Douglas.
With Douglas’ help, Harlequin signed a deal with CBS/Epic (home to Cheap Trick and Eddie Money) in 1979. The band proceeded to amaze everyone at the label by pushing the first release Victim of a Song (1979) to gold status through sheer hard work, incessant touring, word of mouth and solid song-writing. Songs like “Sweet Things In Life”, “You Are The Light” and “Survive” introduced the band to radio in many markets in Canada – especially Western Canada.
The second release, Love Crimes (1980), came with a bigger push from the label, and went on to go Platinum, powered in part by Harlequin’s biggest hit to date “Innocence”. Another track, “Thinking Of You”, became a staple of rock radio and a highlight of the live show.
One False Move (1982) cemented the band’s radio success with tunes like “I Did It For Love,” “Superstitious Feeling” and “Heart Gone Cold.” The fourth and final album, eponymously titled, featured a change of direction as well as producer – Alfie Agius, former bassist with The Fixx, replaced Jack Douglas. This album produced one single “Take This Heart” and the band’s only video, filmed at the abandoned Don jail in Toronto by Juno-winning Champagne Productions.
Harlequin was, and still remains, something of a work-horse of the Canadian road, soldiering through multiple grueling cross-Canada tours, and working with such bands as Triumph, Streetheart, Nazareth, Heart, April Wine, Pat Benatar and Saga. Saga took the band to Puerto Rico, where they discovered – to their shock and amazement – that “Innocence” had been a huge hit single. To capitalize on the song’s success, the band played in Caracas, Venezuela, headlining two nights at the city’s biggest arena. With Triumph, the band toured through the States and made some headway in the midwest and Texas.
The next album was the Radio Romances greatest hits package, which also featured a new tune (written by Tom Cochrane) entitled “No Mystery”.
“Waking the Jester” was released in 2007. It had two singles which touched every continent of the world, “Shine On” and “Rise”.
In 2009 the band released “On/Q” the first live compilation. Original singer, George Belanger, is proud to release the songs in the style and intent in which they were written and which he had always preferred. Songs representing the band from inception to 2009 are included.
Unlike many bands of their era, Harlequin is still a staple of rock radio in Canada, where the band’s old and new hits still receive remarkable amounts of airplay. Fueled by this continued success at radio, the band still tours, gaining new fans all the time, and attracting anyone who loves Canadian rock at its finest.
The band’s current line-up consists of George Belanger, Chris Burke-Gaffney, Derrick Gottfried, Gary Golden and AJ Chabidon.
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988 with the release of her critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, which led to an appearance on the 1989 Grammy Awards show. For several years, her popularity grew around such memorable originals as "Bring Me Some Water," "No Souvenirs" and "Ain't It Heavy," for which she won a Grammy® in 1992. Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am (1993). The collection featured the massive hits, "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window," a searing song of longing that brought Etheridge her second Grammy® Award for Best Female Rock Performance. In 1995, Etheridge issued her highest charting album, Your Little Secret, which was distinguished by the hit single, "I Want to Come Over." Her astounding success that year led to Etheridge receiving the Songwriter of the Year honor at the ASCAP Pop Awards in 1996.
Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America’s favorite female singer-songwriters for more than two decades. In February 2007, Melissa Etheridge celebrated a career milestone with a victory in the “Best Song” category at the Academy® Awards for “I Need to Wake Up,” written for the Al Gore documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth. As a performer and songwriter, Etheridge has shown herself to be an artist who has never allowed “inconvenient truths” to keep her down. Earlier in her recording career, Etheridge acknowledged her sexual orientation when it was considered less than prudent to do so. In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, a health battle that, with her typical tenacity, she won. Despite losing her hair from chemotherapy, Etheridge appeared on the 2005 Grammy® telecast to sing “Piece of My Heart” in tribute to Janis Joplin. By doing so she gave hope to many women afflicted with the disease.
On October 7, 2016 Melissa Etheridge released Memphis Rock & Soul, her first album since 2014’s critically lauded This Is M.E. Recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis, the album received stellar reviews from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and more. She followed that up with the release of The Medicine Show in April, 2019. For The Medicine Show, Melissa reunited with celebrated producer John Shanks and sounds as rousing as ever, bringing a new level of artistry to her 15th studio recording. The Medicine Show deals with universal themes of renewal, reconciliation, reckoning, compassion and, most profoundly, healing.
In June of 2020, Etheridge launched her own live streaming subscription and single ticket concert platform, Etheridge TV and has done over 200 live streams in 2020.
On September 17, 2021, Melissa released a new album called One Way Out. The 9-track album is a collection of songs Etheridge wrote in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s that never made the cut….until now! The time is finally right, and fans will finally get a deeper glimpse to who Melissa was then.
October 2022 saw Melissa’s return to the theatre with her one woman show, My Window – A Journey Through Life. The critically acclaimed, sold-out run premiered at New World Stages on October 13 and has plans to move to Broadway in 2023.
Artisan Vendors Application
2024 Vendor Registration - Artisan Vendors
REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 8, 2024
The KLMF 2024 Vendor Application Period is Closed
Important Dates
March 31, 2024* – Deadline Vendor Application Submission
(*The deadline may be extended if all the vendor spots are not filled)
April 15, 2024 – Successful Applicants Notified of Conditional Selection
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
In 2023, the Kemptville Live Music Festival (KLMF) welcomed approx. 20,000 visitors over four days in July. We are planning for another successful Festival in July 2024. This year’s event will be held over 4 days, July 18-21, at the Festival site at Kemptville College.
The KLMF is committed to providing our guests with a wide variety of artisan vendors and a unique Vendor Village experience. This year, the KLMF will continue to build on the past success of the Vendor Village and is planning on hosting a diverse group of Artisan Vendors. All applications will be assessed by the KLMF Vendor Jury. Applicants must provide a complete list of products that will be sold, along with the layout and presentation of the Vendor booth (10' x 10' or 10' x 20' space).
The Jury will consider several factors, including:
Artisan Products
- Relevance to the Festival theme (e.g. preference to handmade, handcrafted, and/or local goods);
- Interest to Festival attendees; and,
- Product uniqueness.
Other Criteria
- Preference will be given to returning Artisan Vendors who have "good standing" with the KLMF;
- To avoid duplication of similar work, the Jury reserves the right to limit the sale of certain items (i.e. we will avoid having Vendors selling the same products).
The decisions of the Jury are final.
Hours of Operation for Artisan Vendors
Artisan Vendors must commit to being on site and open for business during the following “open” hours:
- Thursday July 18: 4pm - 9pm*
- Friday July 19: 4pm - 9pm*
- Saturday July 20: 1pm - 9pm*
- Sunday July 21: 11am - 5:30pm
[*Artisan Vendors must stay open until dusk (~9 pm), but can remain open until closing (~11 pm Thurs-Sat) if they have sufficient lighting]
Vendors normally have access to the Festival grounds one (1) hour before opening to prepare their Vendor space.
Set-Up:
Set-up is Thursday July 18 from 8am - 3pm
Fees and Services
The fee to participate is $300 ($266 + $34 HST). This fee includes:
- Two passes (2) to the festival;
- Vendor space of approximately 10’ x 10’ in the Festival Village;
- Free access to dedicated Vendor WiFi;
- Access to the free public parking spaces;
- Vendor business name and location on the Festival program map and on the website; and,
- Support of the dedicated Festival Vendor Care Team- including receiving a copy of the KLMF Vendor Kit.
Please note the following:
- Additional passes (for additional staff) are available, free of charge, from KLMF;
- Vendors are required to provide their own shelter. Keep in mind that we are an outdoor event. Materials for display and weatherproofing are not provided.
- Electricity will be made available, at no cost, for lighting and other small consumption uses (e.g. fans, lighted displays, etc.).
Requesting a Double Space (10’ x 20’)
KLMF may offer Artisan Vendors, who are conditionally accepted for the 2024 Festival, the opportunity to have a double sized Vendor space (10' x 20'). The fee for the space is two times (2x) the normal fee.
The availability of double spaces depends on the number of Artisan Vendors, the layout of the Vendor Village, and other factors.
KLMF will inform Artisan Vendors of the availability of double spaces in late April 2024.
How to Apply
- Complete and submit the online application form
- Applications must be received by midnight (Kemptville time) on March 31, 2024
- • The application form enables applicants to upload photos of their products and their display setup. If an applicant would prefer to provide the photos via e-mail, they can send their photos to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If You Are Accepted as an Artisan Vendor
- Successful Artisan Vendors will be notified, by e-mail, of their conditional acceptance by April 15, 2024.
- The conditional acceptance e-mail will include instructions on how to finalize the application process.
- Successful applicants must pay the full fee of $300 ($266 + $34 HST) by May 15, 2024, to maintain their selection as a Vendor.
- Vendors agree, as a condition of acceptance, to abide by all KLMF guidelines, rules and policies, including those outlined in the KLMF 2024 Vendor's Kit (which will be provided to all Vendors in advance of the Festival).
- Failure to send full payment by the deadline, or meet any other conditions, may result in withdrawal of the Artisan Vendor's conditional selection.