My Son the Hurricane performing at the 2019 Mariposa Folk Festival. Photo: Good Noise
It’s hard to believe that just three months ago we were soaking up the sun at the 2023 Mariposa Folk Festival, with a sold-out weekend of world-class musicians, artists and storytellers. As the colours of the leaves start to change from vibrant green to the warm hues of red, orange and yellow, we don’t have to let go of summer quite yet – or rather, bring some of summer into the fall.
On Saturday, October 14th, the Mariposa Folk Foundation presents An Autumn Mariposa III, an open-air afternoon concert featuring four popular musical acts from 1-5pm at the Orillia District Agricultural Society (ODAS) Park. Premiering in 2021, this fall event has become its own extension of the festival, showcasing great musical line ups, and offering enthusiastic audiences a chance to reconnect and reminisce, all against the backdrop of Orillia & Lake Country’s kaleidoscope of autumn colours.
Those who have attended the Mariposa Folk Festival will know the powerhouse setting that is the Pub Tent stage. Featuring an array of eclectic acts to energized audiences, this stage creates some of the festival’s most memorable moments. An Autumn Mariposa III sets to emulate that energy and atmosphere with this year’s event under a large tent at ODAS Park. This is a licensed event with the added bonus of delicious flavours from Sunshine BBQ and Provenance Wine Bar as the two food vendors on site. Enjoy food from the grill or a delicious selection of tacos from each vendor respectively.
The Line Up
Juno-nominated artist Aysanabee is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer songwriter currently based in Toronto. He is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation a remote fly-in community in the far reaches of Northwestern Ontario.
Solemn and soaring, backed by a swirling blend of indie, soul and electronic soundscapes, mournful saxophone and pulse-quickening finger-picking, Aysanabee’s striking sound is equal parts hypnotic and melodic which has been compared to Bon Iver, Matt Corby, Don Ross, Kim Churchill, Kings of Leon and Sam Smith.
My Son the Hurricane is a multi-horn, multi-drummer, multi-singer brass funk beast from Niagara, Ontario. The 12-piece brass dance crew has toured through multiple countries and played some of Canada, USA and Europe’s biggest festivals. Over 45 sold out shows in 2022 proves that there is no live show like My Son the Hurricane. The band features trumpets, saxophones, trombones, drums, guitar, keys, percussion and a wild front woman … we dare you not to dance!
Aleksi Campagne is uniquely qualified to offer a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honoured fiddle-singing tradition.
Aleksi grew up on stage. At five years old, he began performing alongside his mother, Canadian folk icon, Connie Kaldor. At nineteen, Aleksi moved to Paris to study under Jazz-violin legend Didier Lockwood. At twenty-one, Aleksi became the only student to have ever been accepted into the classical violin, the jazz violin and the jazz voice performance programs at McGill University. And, by twenty-five, with only a six-song EP, Aleksi graced the lineups of some of the most competitive folk festivals across Canada for three consecutive years – including the Regina, Canmore, Bear Creek and Mariposa Folk Festivals.
Aleksi floors audiences by singing while bowing his violin and seamlessly navigating songs in English and in French. His original music blends folk songwriting with an edgy, multi-layered sound resulting from his unique combination of voice, violin, and looping-effect pedals.
JUNO Award winning artist Angelique Francis, is a versatile and exceptionally gifted musician. This multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist, multi-genre singer song writer and composer has wowed audiences across the globe with her electrifying performances, instrumental abilities and powerful textured vocals.
Angelique has appeared in Orillia three times, the first time at the 2018 Festival, then as part of Lance Anderson’s annual Blues and Gospel Concert in 2020 and lastly at the first Autumn Mariposa in 2021. She is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including Blues, Soul, Folk, Americana, Jazz, Gospel and Rock.
Know before you go:
- Dress for the weather! An Autumn Mariposa III is a rain or shine event
- Free on-site parking available. There is no shuttle bus for this year’s event.
- Seating will be provided under the pub tent but patrons are welcome to bring their own chairs if they prefer
Tickets are $50 each, and are available at the Mariposa Folk Foundation office in downtown Orillia or online here.
