Music fans in Timmins should be ready to rock on the nation's birthday, in what will be an explosive evening at Hollinger Park.
Moose Factory's Relic Kings are the headlining act for the city's official Canada Day festivities.
The band was formed in 2013, under the name 'Black Stone'.
"We started as a three-piece. We had songs that we had written, and we went and recorded in Six Nations Reserve at Jukasa Studios (Oshweken, Ontario, near Brantford) in April of 2013. We released the CD in June of 2013," said lead guitarist Michael Archibald.
In their first festival, they opened for The Sam Roberts Band. Off of their first CD, they had a song 'Push Me' that made it into rotation on rock stations across Canada, including Timmins, as well as on the popular Stingray (formerly Galaxie) Rock satellite radio station. Archibald says that's when the band really started to earn respect.
Although, it took many years for it all to come together.
"We've been playing in various bands since we were teenagers. We knew each other. The guys in the band right now, we've known each other since we were teenagers, but we never actually played in a band together. It wasn't until three years ago that we actually hooked up and started writing music together," said Archibald.
"Four of us are actually born in Moose Factory, but only two still live there. I myself, live in Cochrane. Another lives in North Bay, and our drummer lives in London."
He says they play a show in Moose Factory once every summer.
"They really, really support us up there. We have a pretty good following up there," said Archibald
The band recently changed their name to Relic Kings, due to the difficulty in finding them online.
"Black Stone was really common on the Internet. There was a band called Black Stone Cherry. There was an investment group called Black Stone. There were welding rods. If you Google'd Black Stone, you wouldn't be able to find our music," he said.
The band wanted to find something more unique.
"We went through a process, going through names, and finally in February we got down to the final 10. Relic Kings stood out the most," said Archibald.
Relic Kings are described by Archibald as 'straight up rock', but adds that each member of the group brings something different to the table.
"We all have different musical influences. I myself, grew up on AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin. Hard rock bands from the 80s and early 90s. I know the other guys have influences different than mine, so that's what makes our songwriting kind of unique."
This week the band played in London, Ontario for the first time.It is the home of drummer Jimmy McLeish, and was the first chance for his family to see the band play live.
Relic Kings are also headlining a show this week in Toronto at Yonge and Dundas Square. Hogtown has become a favourite stop for the band.
"In the past few years, we've played all the clubs. The Horseshoe Tavern, Phoenix Concert Theatre, Lee's Palace."
They have previously played in Timmins at the Ontario Mining Cup hockey tournament, and at the event formerly known as RibFest.
The story of how they were signed on to play Canada Day in Timmins includes a stroke of bad luck turned good.
"When we recorded our album in Vancouver in December, on the way back, we were at the airport in Toronto and our flight was delayed because of weather. So we all had to book a room. While we were standing in line, we ended up meeting with some employees from the City of Timmins."
The band will be taking the stage immediately at the conclusion of the massive fireworks show, approximately 11 p.m.
Relic Kings are:
- Rob Faries - Vocals
- Michael Archibald - Guitar
- Darrell McLeod - Guitar
- James Gunner - Bass
- Jimmy McLeish - Drums
Relic Kings new album 'Armoury' will be available on iTunes on Thursday, June 23.
