Kitchener Blues Festival announces 2022 lineup

The biggest blues festival in Canada is back, and promises to be better than ever. 

Kitchener Blues Festival announced its lineup Saturday night at a launch party at Bobby O'Briens, including the likes of Sam Roberts Band and David Wilcox. 

The festival will run from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7, 2022. 

Speaking to CityNews 570 was the festival's President, Rob Barkshire, who called the lineup a great mix of “super quality acts” that offer something for everyone – and thanks to support from sponsors and grants from different levels of government, the event will be completely free other than the planned Thursday fundraiser. 

“There's no barrier to attend. If you want to come out and see some great music in a great setting, just come to downtown Kitchener. It's all there, you can walk stage to stage…” said Barkshire. 

After two years of pausing for the pandemic, The Kitchener Blues Festival will be marking their 20th anniversary this year, as Berkshire said he's hopeful the event will be able to draw the usual hundres of thousands of attendees seen over previous years. After that substantial pause, Berkshire said that many of the volunteers involved in the festival have been missing the outdoor live music atmosphere, and while Crossroads 2021 was a success in its pandemic pivot, it's just not the same. 

“We did the best we could under those guidelines that were presented to us, put some acts inside some restaurants where each venue had to very carefully manage and control the number of people and where they sat, wearing their masks and all those things we had to do to fight the virus.” said Barkshire. “Hopefully we're coming out the other side of that now, and live events are starting to happen. We're pushing ahead with ours and we're looking to have (…) pretty much a return to normal – and hoping everybody's going to come out and enjoy.”

When asked about the sort of benefit the festival offers to those in the region, Barkshire noted that independent auditors have shown the event provides roughly $4-million dollars in economic benefit – though he added that the cultural benefit is also significant. 

“… it's art, it's culture – it's what drives the community.” said Barkshire. “A community is not a bunch of houses with everybody sitting inside (…) you've got to go out and enjoy what the community has to offer: and that's not just our festival. There are lots and lots of other attractions and things to do and see in the region outside.”

The acts hitting up the major stages are as follows:

• Whitehorse 
• Sam Roberts Band 
• GRBS Blues Camp performance 
• Cheryl Lescom And The Tucson Choir Boys
• LMT Connection 
• Miss Angel and The Homewreckers 
• Mike McDonald 
• Bywater Call 
• JJ Wilde 
• Lachy Doley Group 
• Everyday People: The Music Of Sly And The Family Stone Sloan 
• The Old Souls (YLC Winner) 
• Harrison Kennedy 
• The Vaudevillian 
• The Angelina Hunter Trio 
• Matt Weidinger 
• Douglas Watson Group featuring Gary Martin
• David Wilcox 
• Bette Smith 
• Blackburn Brothers  
• Five Alarm Funk 
• Texas Hill 
• Ronnie Baker Brooks 
• The Kramdens 
• Coco Montoya 
• Samantha Fish 
• Tribute To Albert Collins (Ronnie Brooks/Coco Montoya)
• Headstones 
• Drive By Truckers 
• Erin McCallum Band 
• Chairmen Of The Boards 
• Gospel Breakfast 
• Elliott & The Audio Kings 
• Zoom featuring Shawn Kellerman 
• Matchedash Parish 
• Western Swing Authority 
• Lowest Of The Low 
• Fabulous Thunderbirds

Tickets are required for the festival's fundraising concert featuring Sam Roberts Band and Whitehorse in Victoria Park on August 4, which go on sale May 22. 

In addition, Barkshire noted that the festival will be offering live music through its “12 Bar Blues” line-up: with blues artists showcasing their skills at local bars and clubs around the main stages in the evening hour. While the focus continues to be oin the urban festival environment and the Victoria Park stage, Barkshire said those additional evening venues will be within walking distance from the main performances. 

“… that's always tremendous, because we have acts that come in from out of town that otherwise wouldn't be in Kitchener…” said Barkshire. “The schedule will be on the website as soon as we get the final t's crossed and i's dotted, but it's pretty close.”