Northern Lights Festival thrilled to have Tim Baker to close out Main Stage

Baker and band headline July 7th, joining Andrew Hyatt, DJ Shub, July Talk and many more on the roster

Northern Ontario’s ‘O.G.’ music festival returns to the beautiful shores of Lake Ramsey in Sudbury, July 4-7. In December the festival announced a lineup of 35+ artists, and over 75 performances, including: July Talk, Jully Black, The Rural Alberta Advantage, DJ Shub, and Tim Baker. The full schedule, passes, and recently launched hotel packages can be found online at www.nlfb.ca.

Festival organizers are beyond excited to bring Tim Baker to the festival’s Main Stage on July 7th. Best known as the writer and front man of Canadian indie darlings Hey Rosetta!, a Juno-nominated, Polaris-shortlisted, and multi award-winning band based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. With over 15 years of performing their high-energy spectacle in stadiums, clubs, theatres and major festivals all over the world, Hey Rosetta! called it quits in 2017.

Baker has since transitioned from being the leader and songwriter of a major indie rock band, and ascended to a profound songwriter and producer. His solo LP, Forever Overhead (Arts and Crafts), garnered him a Juno nomination for Songwriter of the Year, three East Coast Music Awards (and several nominations), and a Polaris longlist. In 2019, he released The Eighteenth Hole Variations EP, the Side Door Sessions LP in 2020, and that same year, he released the Survivors EP. The Festival was released October 21, 2022 and saw Tim play his biggest headlining shows to date, including a sold-out performance at Massey Hall in Toronto. In fall 2023, he embarked on his first coast-to-coast solo tour, showcasing his skills as a songwriter and storyteller and cementing his status as one of Canada’s leading troubadours.

Tim Baker has returned with Along The Mountain Road, a sonic embrace, a call in for love, and a cry out for connection. Baker wants us to bring our pain and suffering, and align it all with melody. The 5-song EP, a companion piece to The Festival (2022), is a kaleidoscopic view in these complicated times. Tickets for his July 7 show and more are available now, at www.nlfb.ca/tickets.

Also appearing on the festival’s Main Stage on July 7th will be Sudbury native and country music star Andrew Hyatt. Andrew Hyatt spent years working as an ironworker at a nickel mine before deciding to pursue his true passion with music, and his journey is nothing short of amazing so far. Hyatt released his debut full-length Iron & Ashes in May of 2017 and quickly soared into the Top 10 at Country Radio with the hit single “On Me”. Thoughtful, contemplative lyricism, peppered with country-rock riffs and smoky vocals, Iron & Ashes gave Hyatt a robust catalogue of hit songs to showcase during his major performances. Hyatt released his second (back to back) Top 10 hit “Do It With You” written by country superstars Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins and Jimmy Robbins and produced by Scott Cooke in October of 2017, and was featured as a special guest on Dallas Smith’s national “Side Effects Tour”. In Spring of 2018 Hyatt also joined Gold-certified US country artist Chris Lane as he hit the road for a slew of Canadian dates. On May 11th, Hyatt released his latest single “Habit”, available via 604 Records.

Traveling to attend the festival? Northern Lights has recently launched accommodation packages which include exclusive discounts on combos of Full Festival Passes and accommodations including hotel rooms with Radisson Hotel Sudbury (85 Ste Anne Rd.). Information and booking is available at www.nlfb.ca/tickets.

An expansive lineup of numerous musical genres will take over Sudbury’s Bell Park, July 4-7. Juno winning, Indigenous DJ & Producer DJ Shub will appear on July 7, guaranteed to move festival crowds. Award-winning folksinger Lynn Miles will appear throughout the festival, making a much-anticipated return this summer.

Northern Lights’ special workshop performances are a unique element that can’t be seen just anywhere. For these performances, artists from different groups/acts join each other on stage and share music – often based around a particular theme, style, instrument or influence. These unique, collaborative performances give artists the chance to share the stories behind the music, and occasionally lead to spontaneous collaborations. One special workshop is titled “Heartstrings – First Guitars”. Based on the theme of his recent book of the same title, Sudbury author and musician Sean Barrette hosts a workshop with Lynn Miles, Keith Glass, Andrew Hyatt and Nils Edenloff of The Rural Alberta Advantage. Artists will share stories of their first guitars, and share songs – perhaps played on those guitars, or written using them.

While the music makes up the essence of the festival energy, there are so many other beautiful aspects for the community to enjoy. A colourful artisan vendor market fills the park with creative, unique treasures that can’t be found anywhere else. Installation and visual arts activities appear throughout the festival site, as a further expression of the event’s commitment to inspire, dazzle and unite. A diverse selection of food trucks, interactive activities, beer gardens and family amusements add to this beautiful patchwork of culture and celebration.

Tickets, information, schedule and artist profiles can be found at www.nlfb.ca. Ages 14 and under attend FREE with a ticket bearing adult. Advance passes available online, with the Full Festival Pass being of greatest value, and extra discounts available for Youth. Also, a $20 afternoon-only pass will be available at the gate only for July 6 and 7 daytime programming (does not include evening-night shows). The public is free to walk the grounds and Artisans Village free of charge, each day, from 5pm until close (outside of ticketed stages).