Who's thirsty for some great music? Paris, ON — located close to Brantford, less than an hour outside of Hamilton — is home to Paris Drinks Fest, combining mouth-watering food and drink with equally delectable tunes.
Now in its fifth year, Paris Drinks Fest will be coming to Lion's Park on August 16 and 17. With weekend passes and single-day tickets on sale now, here are Exclaim!'s five must-see picks at the event.
Boy Golden
Winnipeg songwriter Boy Golden brings trashy charm with his mullet, moustache and Stetson-topped Canadian tuxedo. But don't be fooled by his cheeky, weed-referencing persona — he's a laser-precise songwriter, injecting humour into psych-country jams full of giant-sized hooks.
Dwayne Gretzky
Dwayne Gretzky have reached the absolute pinnacle of the cover band circuit in Canada, rising above their bar-band peers by bringing their crowd-pleasing classic rock and pop tunes to festivals and theatres across the country. So, should you go see them at Paris Drinks Fest? Let's put it this way: you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.
Two Hours Traffic
Remember Two Hours Traffic? Charlottetown's '00s indie rock heroes split in 2013 and haven't released an album since, but they've quietly reunited to play East Coast shows in recent years. Nobody wants to get stuck for the summer, so they're making it out to Ontario for Paris Drinks Fest.
Julianna Riolino
Having previously played in Daniel Romano's Outfit, Riolino has been known to kick up an old-school racket, channelling roots rock and vintage '60s pop on some of the barn-burning cuts from 2022's All Blue. But even more often, she sinks into cosmic melancholy, artfully layering her tender tunes with spacious textures.
Wintersleep
Two Hours Traffic aren't the only '00s indie rock champs heading from the East Coast to Paris, ON. Halifax's Wintersleep are carrying their "Weighty Ghost" to Ontario to share their anthemic brand of indie rock, which spans clanging electric guitars, tenderly dusty folk and harmony-drenched melodicism.