The Barrie Music Scene Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sarah McLachlan

Although Sarah McLachlan is a Canadian artist, she performed in the Philadelphia Live 8 concert. Live 8 was watched by three billion people around the world as it was held eight different cities- one of which was Barrie, Ontario. More than one thousand musicians performed at these concerts, and twenty-two bands performed in Barrie.

Some of these included Motley Crue, Gordon Lightfoot, Great Big Sea, Our Lady Peace, and Blue Rodeo. This event was hosted by Tom Green and Dan Aykroyd.

Answer: Jazz and Blues

The Jazz and Blues Festival is celebrated every June and during the event the shops and cafés on Dunlop Street in downtown Barrie feature many jazz musicians and patios that overlook Lake Simcoe and Kempenfelt Bay. Although this music festival is a major event for Downtown Barrie, the region also hosts Promenade Days, the Rib Festival, the Dragon Boat Racing Festival, and Kempenfest.

Answer: Warped Tour

Although Vans Warped Tour never left the States and Australia until the new millennium, it now reaches Calgary, Montreal, Barrie, and other Canadian cities and it features some of the more famous punk rock bands of the year. Once again, the event is held at Molson Park Place in the south end of Barrie. Bands over the years have included Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, The Spill Canvas, and local rockers Moneen.

Answer: Green Day

To promote the recently-released Green Day album, they traveled around North America and Australia and made a stop in Barrie. During the concert, most visitors remember the band members allowing audience members to go onto the stage and sing with the band (as well as play the instruments).

A local man even walked away with one of the guitars! The tour also stopped in Ottawa and Montreal.

Answer: EdgeFest

CFNY is better known to GTA (Greater Toronto Area) radio listeners as 102.1 The Edge, and in 1987 they held their first EdgeFest celebration (to commemorate ten years on the radio waves) at Molson Park Place. When Molson began hosting its own concert line-up in 1993, EdgeFest was slowly kicked out of the venue and moved to Ontario Place before becoming a national tour.

In 2000, following the national tour, EdgeFest returned to Barrie, but then settled back down at the newly-built Molson Amphitheater in Toronto.

This well-known music event has brought lesser-known bands like 54-40, Nickelback, Creed, Three Doors Down, and Sugar Ray into the public's eye, and they're now popular groups.

Answer: St. Eves

St. Eves is a Barrie duo that made it to the top 100 of "Canadian Idol's" second season. Although the two didn't make it, they met up in Barrie and created their first songs. The band has frequently performed in Barrie and in 2006 their first (self-titled) album was released. Songs like "Easy Come, Easy Go" and "All That I Need" have been found on the radio charts in the province.
The other three choices are also local bands (past and present) which have had a rock sound. St. Eves has more of a pop/reggae sound.

Answer: Wasaga Beach

Occurring in August on the shores of Georgian Bay, Beachfest brings many lesser-known bands to the stage. Since Wasaga is known as a major tourist attraction, not only can one experience the music, but they can swim in the bay, ride water slides, or walk up and down the shop-lined boardwalks. Bands come from all around Ontario to complete the line-up, and Wasaga is less than an hour away from Barrie.

Answer: The Barrie Molson Center

The Barrie Molson Center (Home of the Barrie Colts) has housed many great musicians in the off-season from the Barenaked Ladies to Nickelback, and despite the fact that there is just over 4,000 seats in this sporting venue, the tickets are always sought ever and the performances are always excellent.

The center frequently showcases famous Canadian bands, and it's right next door to Molson Park Place.

Answer: Elvis Presley

Since 1995, the annual Elvis Festival has been held in Collingwood, and each year the festival expands. Frequently, visitors to the Collingwood/Wasaga area may spot an Elvis impersonator lounging on the beach or walking the streets due to the overwhelming popularity of the event.

The festival is often listed one of the top 50 festivals in Canada, and each year they have something new. In 2005, the festival introduced a poker championship and a gospel competition.

Answer: Muskoka, to the north of Barrie

The Kee was originally built as a top-notch dance hall in the forties on Lake Muskoka, and every summer since, the area has been host to some of Canada's most famous bands coming to perform. Frequently, guests have come to see bands such as Blue Rodeo, Sloan, and April Wine.

In fact, in older days, Louis Armstrong appeared at the hall at least once to perform. The Kee is often visited by residents of the various cottages around Lake Muskoka and beyond who simply anchor their boats in the lake and stay for the performances.