Even without a music festival going on, Riverstone Retreat would be a gorgeous place to visit — a dog-friendly camping spot near Durham, ON, located on the banks of the Saugeen River and surrounded by forest.
Throw in the second annual Four Winds Music Fest, and it makes for the perfect getaway spot this summer. The festival runs for three days, from July 12 to 14, with a stacked lineup emphasizing outstanding folk, rock and rootsy music.
Of the many acts gracing the stage over those days, here are Exclaim!’s picks of five must-see acts. Tickets and festival details can be found here.
Bahamas
Afie Jurvanen is one of Canada’s most accomplished six-stringers and producers — but he really comes into his own as a smooth, sensitive frontman, where he displays a serve-the-song sense of restraint in delivering his heartfelt tunes.
Boy Golden
The Winnipeg songwriter turns audiences into rousing congregations for his Church of Better Daze (the name of his excellent 2021 album), while 2023’s For Jimmy EP and subsequent singles hint at an exciting new chapter in his lively blend of atmospheric country and weed-smokin’ boogie.
Terra Lightfoot
The Hamilton singer-songwriter has been on the scene for over a decade, and last year’s Healing Power album is a rounding realization of her hooky pop and roots rock blend.
Joel Plaskett
One of the most charming, instantly loveable presences on the Canadian indie circuit, there’s a very good reason why Joel Plaskett has been a staple of festival stages for so many years.
Daniel Romano’s Outfit
Romano is one of Canada’s most feverishly prolific songwriters, with eras that span rhinestone country and ragged garage rock, with this year’s Too Hot to Sleep shifting in the direction of psychedelic power pop. Through every era, his raw on-stage energy is not to be missed.
