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Summersault gives young bands a chance to show off

By Sherry White
St. Michael's All Grade School
Arnold's Cove, Newfoundland



Despite the rain, drizzle and fog, the Summersault ‘98 (www.summersault98.com) concert in St. John's was an overwhelming success.

Close to 12,000 people, with rain jackets and umbrellas, showed up for the event which took place in Bowring Park, St. John's on September 3rd. The concert was created by the popular Canadian band, Our Lady Peace and featured bands that OLP played with in the past or found to be an inspiration. The concert also visited Barrie, Ontario; Shediac, New Brunswick; and Quebec City with a slightly different line-up in each location.

Other than the poor weather conditions, the organizers of Summersault were faced with an additional problem. Because of an airline strike, one of the headlining bands, Sloan was unable to make the trip to St. John's. Many fans were disappointed but none the less enjoyed the concert.

"I love Sloan, I was really disappointed that they didn't show," explained Krista Gregory, a fan of Sloan's. "But, the concert was great. I had a good time and it seemed that everyone else did too."

Newfoundland's growing contribution to the Canadian music scene was evident as I Mother Earth took the stage. Steady Brook native, Brian Byrne, who is now lead vocalist for the band, made a huge impression on the fans. He is certainly something to be proud of.

"I always liked I Mother Earth's sound," said Michael Penney, who attended the concert. "Now they're even better with Brian up there singing."

In addition to the headlining bands, several local groups also appeared including Hung Up and Bucket Truck, both are St. John's based. Lead singer, Matt Wells, of Bucket Truck hoped that their performance at Summersault would help to push the bands music career ahead. The concert was possibly the band's big break, the crowd really loved their raw energy.

Summersault ‘98 was successful, despite a couple hitches. With any luck, it will help attract other bands and festivals to the province next summer.


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