Photo Review – Johnson Crook at the CNE

The unofficial end of summer has begun (gasp) with the annual Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) taking place in Toronto from August 18th to September 4th.  Festival season may slowly be winding down for us too, at Canadian Beats, but not before we take the time to recognize some of the amazing talent performing at this year’s ‘Ex’.  Onsite there are five stages for spectators to take in concerts, free with the price of admission, from all different musical genres.

This week we headed out to the Northern Comfort Saloon, a stage in the heart of the exhibition grounds sponsored by Coors Banquet and KX Country, that features some of the brightest rising country stars around.  It serves as an oasis off the beaten path of the busy festival where one can grab a cold beverage and take in great live music.  Toronto’s own alternative country band, Johnson Crook was performing there for three days this week and we were lucky enough to check out their show and to catch up with them for a backstage chat about their recently released debut album, The Album.  Stay tuned to Canadian Beats for the interview!

Johnson Crook recorded their album live off the floor to keep their sound as closely matched as possible to the amazing live performance they put on!  Despite only having been performing together for a few short years, these country lads have the stage chemistry dialled in.  Lead singer Noel Johnson, along with brothers Nathan and Trevor Crook and Jared Craig dished out the sweet sounds of country and southern/roots rock all afternoon mixing it up between their own original music with a healthy dose crowd-pleasing covers with their trademark rich, warm harmonies.  There was not a dry mouth or unsatisfied customer in the crowd!

For more pictures from the show, head over to our Facebook page.  You can also read up on our recent review of their debut album, here!

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