Local Vibe

This weekend Collingwood is going to be the place to be for a fantastic combination of boards, bands & bikini’s. Live bands, wakeboarding, and an amazing skatepark all roll together to make for an amazing weekend that you are going to remember for a long time. This year is the biggest party ever planned for Wakestock, and no matter where you are from Collingwood to Blue Mountain Village to Wasaga Beach, there are going to be plenty of parties and after-parties.

The Billabong Pro Men’s and Women’s Wakeboard Championships are the main events at Wakestock. It is part of the World Wakeboarding Association (WWA) World Series, a five-stop global wakeboard tour featuring the top wake athletes in the world. Forty of the best pro men and 15 of the best pro women wakeboarders, from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand will compete for the Wakestock titles and valuable points in the chase for the WWA World Series overall title.

For those of you that prefer to stick to the in-land boarding, check out the SBC skatepark. Last year there was a fantastic response to this street course that offers features that are friendly to people of all ages and skill levels. It is sure to be just as popular this year, so make sure you bring your board and safety equipment with you.

Now for the bands. They have put together an impressive lineup that is sure to please the crowds. Saturday you will find Toronto’s Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (aka USS) taking over the main stage with their sound of an infectious and unforgettable mixture of drum and bass beats, grunge-like guitar riffs and 2-step rhythms. USS won the award for Favourite Group/Duo at the 2009 CMW Indie Awards. Next up is Closet Monster and after releasing records and touring in almost 20 different countries in over 10 years only to abruptly enter a hiatus which left them never to be smelled again, Closet Monster has reunited for Wakestock 2009. Then we have Classified, who appeared and performed one of the biggest shows at Wakestock 2008. This East-Coast hip-hop heavyweight Classified was recently honoured with the 2009 MuchVibe “Best Hiphop Video of the Year” award for Anybody Listening. Headlining Saturday’s main stage will be Social Distortion. Fresh off of their European Tour, Orange County, California’s most enduring punk band will make their first highly anticipated Ontario appearance in years.

Sunday is designed to not disappoint after Saturdays wicked lineup. Rebel Emergency is an innovative new band from Toronto who will kick off the action with their sound which is an eclectic mix of Rock, Reggae and Ska that is undeniable in both its energy and originality. Next up is Fall and Divide who are coming off a tour of Eastern Canada including an opening act for The Black Crowes in St. John’s, Nfld and a performance at Toronto’s Tattoo Rock Parlour. Now, this Sunday they are going to be performing at Wakestock 2009. Stereos are next and nobody who has been following our website needs to be told about these guys. We have hundreds of pictures up from Beat Rocks The Block and the Cutting Edge Music Festival and many of these are of these guys. They are a crowd favourite wherever they go, and they are extremely personable and enjoy getting to know their fans. Headlining Sunday’s action is The Midway State who were also in attendance at Beat Rocks The Block. Two of the band members are local boys and they first performed as a band in Collingwood 7 years ago, and just this year at the 2009 Much Music Video Awards they won “Favourite New Artist” and “Best Independent Video” for Never Again.

There are after parties galore that are planned to entertain once the sun goes down. No matter what your flavour, you are sure to find something that suits your taste. Bands, bars, and a bikini contest. Who can ask for anything more. Check out the Wakestock website to find out where all the action is taking place.

This may not be an official long weekend as the calendar calls it, but you may still want to book some time off to recover from this one. Have fun and stay safe, and return to party again. This long weekend that just passed saw many tragedies taking the lives of several people trying to enjoy some time with their friends and family. If some extra caution is taken, perhaps we can make this weekend a little less traumatic for those around us.