Line Spike – Seeking A Path Forward
There is a quirky show on CBC radio called “Now or Never” that is all about people attempting things, often against all odds. The hour-long show usually focusses on three very personal stories about people facing challenges of various kinds, and how they manage to address those challenges. The stories are tied together through a common theme.
One of the episodes of Now or Never that aired last fall was about epic failures, and how individuals had undergone them, and what they were going to do next.
Jeremy Campbell of Sydenham, the organiser of the Line Spike Music Festival in 2025, was featured in that episode.
The two-day festival, which featured Burton Cummings, Chantal Krevaziuk and Walk Off The Earth, did not draw anywhere near the crowds that Campbell had hoped to bring in, and ticket sales were hindered when it lost its liquor license just days before taking place. At the time, Campbell was bitter over the actions of the Township of South Frontenac and the Ontario Liquor Control Board.
By the time Now or Never came out, he was in a different place, less interested in what had happened and the role others had played in making Line Spike lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. But he was still haunted as he recounted what it was like to tell some of the major bands, just before they were about to go on stage, that he was not going to be able to pay them on time. He was heartened that they all decided to play, nonetheless.
The second part of the interview, and this was what had attracted the team at Now or Never, was about Campbell's intention to carry Line Spike forward in 2026, on a different model, and throughout the fall and winter he has been putting the pieces together for the second incarnation of the two-day festival on the weekend of June 27th and 28th.
“We are more interested in featuring local and regional acts that Frontenac County people will be familiar with, and will draw people from outside to our community to see what we are all about,” he said, in an interview this week.
He said he is trying to break even or make a small profit from this year's festival, not putting the burden of the debt from last year onto the bands and the people who buy tickets for the festival. There will be no alcohol for sale at the festival again this year, this time by design, and that alleviates any of the concerns with South Frontenac that dogged the festival last year. All that was required was a noise bylaw exemption, which was granted by Council in April, without comment
There are a number of bands that have already been announced, and a few that are pending. Those that have been announced include local stars: Crooked Wood, Graven, Lowery, Emilie Steele & The Deal, Abby Stewart, and Jessie T. They will be joined by RAXX, Vancamp, Grievous Angels, who played last year, The Soul Shakers Union, and Devin Cuddy.
Campell is particularly excited about presenting I The Mountain, a band from Kitchener who have a Frontenac Connection, having recorded their iconic first record Little Wild at Port William Sound, the studio that is run by Jonas Bonnetta and Caylie Runciman in Mountain Grove. He also thinks Wil & Company, from Vancouver Island, will be a revelation to the Line Spike audience.
Announcements about five other acts, including one that appeared last year, are pending.
“Last year, in spite of all the financial issues, which I am dealing with, the festival was full of positive energy, and at the time we were all defiant about the threat from down South. That hasn't changed, it is just more normal now. I made a big decision last year to book only Canadian Acts, but this year, it is not even a decision, it is normal. And to be able to feature some of the best local talent, is also a privilege,” said Campbell.
Tickets for the festival are currently priced at $139. per person for the weekend, and will go up to $149. in June. Tickets include parking, and the ability to put up a canopy up to 10' x 10' that can remain in place for the weekend. There is a cooler fee of $49. for the weekend for a ten-litre cooler (large enough to hold 12 cans) and $100. for a large cooler.
The cooler fee is akin to a corkage fee at a restaurant.
“From talking to people in the industry, I know that the average concert goer will have 2.5 drinks during a festival day,” said Campbell, “and a group of people can easily share a cooler to bring the cost down. It is still less than it would cost to buy drinks on site, and it will help with our costs.
Water will be available on site for a set price of $2 for a 500ml bottle, and the audience is being asked not to bring water or food to the site.
Food vendors who have already committed include, 38 Special from Harrowsmith, More Smoke, Hot and Messy, Over the Top Catering, and others are coming on board this month.
The performance schedule will be announced soon, but the show will run each day from the early afternoon into the evening.
The festival site is the same as last year's, at the Day farm on Harrowsmith-Sydenham Road (east of the bridge).
For further information, go to LineSpike.ca
