Road to Go North: Sometimes, all you need is whisky

In preparation for the third installment of the annual Go North Music Festival on St. Joseph Island, SooToday reached out to the participating artists to have a little fun getting to know these hard working musicians.

First up on our Road to Go North series, we meet Stephen Joffe, Adrian Morningstar, Chris Blades, and Kintaro Akiyama, known collectively as Toronto's Birds of Bellwoods.

What are your three favourite things about touring northern Ontario?

1. That gas station/Subway on Highway 17 where you can buy moccasins, jerky and fireworks.
2. How much people appreciate live music.
3. How far away all the cities are from each other…

What are three ways you battle through bug season in northern Ontario?

1. Whisky
2. Whisky
3. Whisky

What are the three most important things to pack for festival season?

1. Sunscreen
2. Whisky
3. Whisky

What are your top three road trip listening essentials?

1. Local radio (lots of interesting music happening all over this country)
2. The Daily Podcast (we like to stay informed)
3. CDs that we have traded with other bands

What are your three favourite ways to pass time on a long tour?

1. Home brew Dungeons and Dragons
2. Whisky (not the driver)
3. Would you rather

What are your three favourite Ontario skinny dipping spots?

1. Hillside Festival (at night)
2. Mariposa Folk Festival (all day)
3. Anywhere the water is welcoming

What are your three favourite Ontario craft brews?

1. Radical Road Yuzu
2. Bellwoods Brewery Jelly King
3. Eastbound Brewery Juniper Saison

What are your three favourite topics to read about?

1. Mycology (the study of Mushrooms)
2. Chris’ Tinder matches
3. The gathering storm of right wing populism

Besides being a musician, what are three skills you'd like to learn?

1. Wealth management
2. Adrian would like to learn how to throw a ball
3. Stevie needs to learn how to drive

What are three things you know about St. Joseph Island and/or Sault Ste. Marie?

1. Supposedly there are a lot of saunas
2. It is pronounced “soo” not “salt”
3. There is an awesome festival up there this summer!

The Go North Music Festival is a one-day event held in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island on July 13.

Headlining the 2019 lineup is the Juno award-winning blues/country artist Crystal Shawanda. Also included on the entertainment roster are Birds of Bellwoods (alt-rock), Sun K (rock), Skye Wallace (folk-rock), Sarah Smith (singer-songwriter), and Another Crush (indie rock), as well as local acts Jesse Merineau (indie pop-rock) and Dustin Jones and The Rising Tide (celtic punk rock).

Other festival highlights include food vendors, locally-crafted beer, and local artisans and producers. In addition to the main stage, there will be activities for kids and a kids stage with performances by the main stage acts (kids 12 and under are admitted to the festival for free).

Overnight camping will again be available for tents and trailers with an additional night of camping available on the Friday night before the festival.

Full festival details and ticket information can be found here.