Scott Roos
Special to the Herald
The third edition of the Sunset Country Music Festival took place on Friday, Aug. 9 at artist Josh Stumpf’s family farm near MacDowell.
The lineup included emerging artists Morgan Desjardins, Brett Down, Aiden Edwards & East Side of Second, Mercy Glover, and headliner Josh Stumpf, creating a youthful atmosphere that resonated with both performers and the audience. The festival proceeds were earmarked to purchase musical instruments and instructional booklets for Ranch Ehrlo, collectively making it an enjoyable evening for a great cause.
The first performer was Desjardins, a 17-year-old country singer from Prince Albert, who had only started singing publicly just over a year ago, as mentioned by emcees Stumpf and Glover. She impressed the audience with her smooth voice and performed various country songs, gaining valuable experience for her budding singing career.
Following her was Brett Down from Regina, who brought a folk-oriented vibe to the stage. Down, accompanied by guitarist Andy Schmack and later by backing band “The Boys Downtown,” showcased his talent on the acoustic guitar and piano, leaving a lasting impression to be sure.
Next up were Aiden Edwards and the East Side of Second, a new band (they started formally playing together this past March) with a youthful energy. Their performance included a mix of classic country and rock songs, demonstrating their enthusiasm and potential for growth.
Glover, festival co-organizer, with “The Boys Downtown” in tow, followed next. With a voice that evokes memories of the legendary country artist Dolly Parton, Glover clearly possesses immense potential. Her performance featured a mix of excellent country covers and some unexpected classic rock songs such as Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69” and pop hits like Taylor Swift’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Towards the end of her set, Stumpf joined her for an exciting duet of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”. By this point in the evening, numerous young audience members were gathered at the front of the stage, singing and dancing along to Glover’s performance. Admittedly, the unexpected launching of fireworks near the end of her set also helped hype everyone up.
“Sunset’s genuinely my favourite show to play,” Glover told the Herald in a brief interview the morning after the festival, “There’s a different type of energy and feel to it, which makes it a blast to be on stage. People seemed to enjoy my set and were having fun, which is really what I look for the most, so I’d say it went really well.”
To conclude the evening, Stumpf performed alongside “The Boys Downtown”. Among the many talented artists at the festival, Stumpf stood out for his remarkable achievements, such as reaching the number one position with his popular song “Drink Me a Lullaby” on the Canadian indie country music charts. His distinctive raspy voice and energetic presence provided a perfect ending to the event. He was definitely “on point” and was a great headliner. Stumpf is currently involved in a number of exciting projects, underscoring the well-deserved recognition he has garnered in his short career. The audience truly appreciated his authentic performance.
“(The Festival) keeps getting bigger and bigger, and seeing more and more support from the community. We got a lot of great feedback, and people seemed to really enjoy it. I could not be happier with how it turned out, and it makes me really excited to keep doing it and to continue growing the festival. We already have lots of cool ideas for next year,” Glover told the Herald.
Having close to 450 attendees (based on ticket sales), Glover and Stumpf are hopeful that the donations gathered for Ranch Ehrlo will reach a total estimated close to $8,000. While the festival featured an impressive showcase of young talent on stage, what really shines is the admirable charitable purpose and the collaborative work of the organizers to make it all happen. Kudos to Glover and Stumpf and all the volunteers that worked hard to make this event a success.
