Here you will find some interesting stories that have occurred over the many wonderful years of Summerfest!
Enjoy
Stories will be added frequently
Harmonies. 2014 – Chilliwack
After their set, Chilliwack walked off stage energized by the incredible Parkland crowd. Bill Henderson turned to me and said, “Give us five minutes and we’ll come back to sign autographs.”
Five or ten minutes passed, so I headed into the green room to check in.
As I approached, I could hear harmonies—beautiful. I stepped inside to find the entire band standing in a circle, arms around each other, laughing and singing.
“Remember this one?” someone said, followed by more laughter—and then the singing started again.
I stood there for a moment, taking it in. It was one of those rare glimpses behind the scenes—a band that had been together for decades, still genuinely enjoying each other’s company.
It took another ten minutes to gently convince them to head back out and sign autographs.
And honestly, it was worth the wait.
April Wine - June 2022
April Wine rolled into Calgary for Parkland’s Summerfest, part of what would quietly become their final stretch on the road.
The morning after the show, before the city had really woken up, I got a call: 5:00 am early morning hotel pickup. Myles Goodwyn needed a ride to catch an early flight back to Toronto and then on to his home in Halifax. I’d helped with driving the day before, so I jumped at it — not every day you get twenty quiet minutes with a Canadian rock legend.
What struck me wasn’t the resume or the voice behind decades of hits — it was how present he was. No ego, no rockstar distance. He spent most of the drive asking questions: what Summerfest meant to the community, who the volunteers were, how long people had been coming. He seemed genuinely touched by the way he and the band had been treated.
At one point, he smiled and said how much he’d always loved playing Calgary — how many good memories he had coming through over the years. But there was also a softness there, a sense that home was calling. He was clearly looking forward to getting back home to Halifax.
A few months later, Myles stepped away from touring as his health was declining.
On December 3, 2023, Myles Goodwyn passed away peacefully in Halifax.
Looking back, that early morning drive feels different now. Summerfest 2022 wasn’t just another stop — it was one of his last times on stage. And for a brief, quiet stretch of road in Calgary, I got to see the man behind the music: humble, kind, and deeply appreciative of the people around him.
Bedouin Soundclash - Kids at Heart - 2011
The band arrives, no alcohol on their rider, in fact, they requested no alcohol near the green room, easy to do.
At the time we still had a table tennis table and a foosball table, which we left in the green room. Show time arrives and I go to get them but 2 of them are embroiled in a very heated game of table tennis and there is only a couple points left, I couldn’t get them to leave before the end of the game.
Tennessee 3 - W.S “Fluke” Holland - 2006
The Father of Rock n Roll Drumming. 2006 – Tennessee Three W.S “Fluke” Holland
A long one, but one of my favourites.
In 2006, The Tennessee Three played both Friday and Saturday night. This was Johnny Cash’s legendary band—together for nearly his entire career. The guitarist had changed over the years, but the drummer never did.
The day of a show usually follows a strict order: the headliner does their soundcheck first, and once they’re done, nothing gets touched—especially the drum kit, which sits on a riser at the back of the stage and takes up a lot of space.
That day, Tom Cochrane did his soundcheck and headed back to the hotel. Next up was The Tennessee Three.
During Tom’s soundcheck, I found myself sitting backstage talking with their drummer, W.S. Holland. We had a great conversation—he was incredibly humble for someone with such a résumé. I asked if he had always played with Johnny Cash.
“Every tour, every album,” he said. “Except the last one.”
I asked who else he had played with.
“Well,” he said casually, “I was Carl Perkins’ drummer… and I played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley.”
I was stunned.
“I was the house drummer at Sun Studio,” he added. “Played with just about everyone who came through.”
He also mentioned he was the first drummer allowed to use a full kit at the Grand Ole Opry.
At that point, it hit me—I was talking to one of the people who helped define rock and roll drumming.
Our conversation wrapped up, and he headed to the stage for soundcheck. A few minutes later, he came back and said, “We’ve got a real hornet’s nest on the stage.”
Not being familiar with the expression, I thought he meant that literally.
He didn’t.
There just wasn’t enough room for his drum kit—Tom Cochrane’s kit was taking most of the space.
He looked at it and said, “Can’t I just use that one?”
How do you tell someone like that he can’t use a drum kit? It felt like telling Wayne Gretzky he couldn’t use your hockey stick.
He added, “I won’t move it much.”
So… I said yes.
I walked toward the sound booth and called Tom Cochrane’s road manager.
“Hey, we’ve got a bit of a situation—we need to use your drum kit.”
“You touch that F**** drum kit, we’re not playing.”
I told him we didn’t really have a choice… and hung up.
Then I turned back toward the stage.
W.S. Holland already had the kit taken apart. Completely. He was left-handed.
I went to tell the sound guy, expecting another problem. He just laughed.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll figure it out.”
And we did.
The show went on without a hitch—but for a few minutes there, I was in full panic mode.
Harmonies. 2014 – Chilliwack
After their set, Chilliwack walked off stage energized by the incredible Parkland crowd. Bill Henderson turned to me and said, “Give us five minutes and we’ll come back to sign autographs.”
Five or ten minutes passed, so I headed into the green room to check in.
As I approached, I could hear harmonies—beautiful. I stepped inside to find the entire band standing in a circle, arms around each other, laughing and singing.
“Remember this one?” someone said, followed by more laughter—and then the singing started again.
I stood there for a moment, taking it in. It was one of those rare glimpses behind the scenes—a band that had been together for decades, still genuinely enjoying each other’s company.
It took another ten minutes to gently convince them to head back out and sign autographs.
And honestly, it was worth the wait.
April Wine - June 2022
April Wine rolled into Calgary for Parkland’s Summerfest, part of what would quietly become their final stretch on the road.
The morning after the show, before the city had really woken up, I got a call: 5:00 am early morning hotel pickup. Myles Goodwyn needed a ride to catch an early flight back to Toronto and then on to his home in Halifax. I’d helped with driving the day before, so I jumped at it — not every day you get twenty quiet minutes with a Canadian rock legend.
What struck me wasn’t the resume or the voice behind decades of hits — it was how present he was. No ego, no rockstar distance. He spent most of the drive asking questions: what Summerfest meant to the community, who the volunteers were, how long people had been coming. He seemed genuinely touched by the way he and the band had been treated.
At one point, he smiled and said how much he’d always loved playing Calgary — how many good memories he had coming through over the years. But there was also a softness there, a sense that home was calling. He was clearly looking forward to getting back home to Halifax.
A few months later, Myles stepped away from touring as his health was declining.
On December 3, 2023, Myles Goodwyn passed away peacefully in Halifax.
Looking back, that early morning drive feels different now. Summerfest 2022 wasn’t just another stop — it was one of his last times on stage. And for a brief, quiet stretch of road in Calgary, I got to see the man behind the music: humble, kind, and deeply appreciative of the people around him.
Harmonies. 2014 – Chilliwack
After their set, Chilliwack walked off stage energized by the incredible Parkland crowd. Bill Henderson turned to me and said, “Give us five minutes and we’ll come back to sign autographs.”
Five or ten minutes passed, so I headed into the green room to check in.
As I approached, I could hear harmonies—beautiful. I stepped inside to find the entire band standing in a circle, arms around each other, laughing and singing.
“Remember this one?” someone said, followed by more laughter—and then the singing started again.
I stood there for a moment, taking it in. It was one of those rare glimpses behind the scenes—a band that had been together for decades, still genuinely enjoying each other’s company.
It took another ten minutes to gently convince them to head back out and sign autographs.
And honestly, it was worth the wait.