“I remember Sarah Harmer playing, and it was just a beautiful summer night. We ended up hooking up that night and becoming a couple.”
Fast forward to 2015, and Harmer is returning to the festival as its Saturday headliner. Poulin, who released his second solo album, “Le Paysagiste: Alter Ego,” last September, will take the stage right before Harmer.
“First of all, I'm a huge fan, so I think that's great,” Poulin said. “It's also special for me. It's like a 10-year anniversary.”
Paul Loewenberg, who's been the festival's artistic director for 16 years, said organizers are excited to have Harmer back.
The multiple Juno nominee and gold and platinum selling musician's sound touches on folk and indie rock, as well as bluegrass and country.
She's also an environmental activist, working with Protecting Escarpment Rural Lands (PERL) while continuing to perform and write.
Northern Lights' Friday headliner will be familiar to those who attended last year's event. The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, a 26-piece Australian contemporary ska big band, was invited back for the second year in a row.
“You've never seen 2,000 people dancing with such joy,” Loewenberg said. “People from two to 90 years old were dancing in the aisles. There was not a person in the seats when the Melbourne Ska Orchestra is on.”
The festival's Sunday headliner is Dan Mangan + Blacksmith. Mangan is a two-time Juno award-winning musician who's been featured across the country as a festival headliner.
“This will be his first time in Sudbury, so I'm very excited to present this artist, who is fast becoming one of Canada's great indie rock champions,” said Loewenberg.
Also on the bill for this year's festival are Lee Harvey Osmond, Quique Escamilla, J.P. Cormier, Five Alarm Funk, Adonis Puentes, The Bombadils, Les Poules a Colin, Pistol George Warren, House of David Gang, Jayme Stone's Alan Lomax Project, Night Terrors, Alfie Smith, Bustamento and Drumhand.
Northern Lights also features many local acts, including Poulin, Edouard Landry, Billy John & The Irish Wake, Sean Barrette, Tuba Boy, The Wild Geese, Hello Holiday and Lisa Marie Naponse.
“The reason we've been able to exist for 44 years is that we do have a high calibre of programming,” Loewenberg said.
“It's not just about the three headliners. It's about who you're going to discover in the afternoon at a workshop that blows your mind away, and who you're going to discover on the second stage that absolutely changes your life.”
For more information about the festival, or to purchase tickets, visit nlfbsudbury.com.
Original story
The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Dan Mangan and Sarah Harmer will headline this year's Northern Lights Festival Boréal.
NLFB welcomes back the Melbourne Ska Orchestra for the second consecutive year. They will headline the Friday evening festivities.
Harmer is a multiple Juno award nominee. A songwriter, environmental activist and beyond, she has been headlining festivals for many years. Harmer headlines the Saturday evening festivities.
Mangan is a two-time Juno award-winning and two-time Polaris Prize listed musician and songwriter. Mangan will headline the Sunday festivities.
Check back with NorthernLife.ca later today for more on this story.
