Emerging Artist Showdown

WOW, what a showdown!

We want to start off by thanking the 13,000+ voters for helping us choose our 2022 Emerging Artist Showdown winners! It was neck & neck, and we're so proud to announce The Holy Gamblers as our Grand Prize Winner and local Owen Riegling as our Runner-Up 🎉

Support them in the fields as they open for our Saturday night headliners! 🎟 Lastly, we're honoured to host this competition in memory of James Cameron. This year we will be donating festival proceeds towards Wes for Youth, a local mental health organization - thanks to all of your support! 💛

Good luck to our finalists - let the voting begin!

Good luck to our finalists - let the voting begin!

Vote Now

WOW, what a showdown!

We want to start off by thanking the 13,000+ voters for helping us choose our 2022 Emerging Artist Showdown winners! It was neck & neck, and we're so proud to announce The Holy Gamblers as our Grand Prize Winner and local Owen Riegling as our Runner-Up 🎉

Support them in the fields as they open for our Saturday night headliners! 🎟 Lastly, we're honoured to host this competition in memory of James Cameron. This year we will be donating festival proceeds towards Wes for Youth, a local mental health organization - thanks to all of your support! 💛

Good luck to our finalists - let the voting begin!

Good luck to our finalists - let the voting begin!

Vote Now

Emerging Artist Showdown 2022 Finalists

We were absolutely blown away by the number of submissions and incredible talent that came pouring in for this competition. Typically we release 4 finalists, but our panel of judges had such a tough time narrowing it down, and ultimately decided to release 6 finalists this year to celebrate more of our talented Canadian artists! In no particular order, we present to you the Emerging Artist Showdown Finalists! Please vote for your top pick by July 27th, 2022. The finalist with the most votes will go on to perform on the Emerging Artist Side Stage to open for Brothers Osborne and Chris Janson. The runner-up will also perform on stage opening for Tenille Arts and 54•40.

Good luck to our finalists - let the voting begin!

Good luck to our finalists - let the voting begin!

Vote Now

Grand Prize Winner

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The Holy Gamblers

City/ Town: Toronto

About

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The Holy Gamblers are a Toronto-based honky tonk band, playing a combination of classic country and rock, hence the honky tonk moniker. Drawing heavily on influences like Willie Nelson, the Eagles, and The Rolling Stones - The Holy Gamblers offer a unique blend of tradition and modernity. All in all, they’re a young and energetic group ready to “kick ass and play the music that people want to dance and drink to”!

Runner-Up

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Owen Riegling

City/Town: Mildmay

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ABOUT US

Great Music for a Greater Cause is more than just a catchphrase, it’s our mission. In 2008, our local Kinsmen Club had the idea to bring a large-scale festival to our small town in rural Ontario. Since then, we’ve celebrated over a decade of Lucknow’s Music in the Fields and our festival has expanded from a Kinsmen event, to a community-wide one. Every year, our non-profit and volunteer-run event attracts upwards of 8000 attendees (that's almost 8X the population of Lucknow)! You can feel good know that 100% of proceeds go directly to local charities in need when supporting our festival.

Of course we pride ourselves on the world-class talent that joins us in the fields every year - but we’re also proud to offer the opportunity for local artists as well. That’s why every year, our Emerging Artist Showdown encourages artists to apply for their chance to take the stage and perform for thousands of festival goers!

EMERGING ARTIST 
SHOWDOWN

EMERGING ARTIST SHOWDOWN

Every Spring, we open the gates to the Emerging Artist Showdown and welcome video submissions from across the province. Our Lucknow’s Music in the Fields committee carefully reviews the applications and releases the finalists for public voting! The fan favourite and runner-up is decided based on votes, and will be added to the official 2022 lineup as the side-stage openers for our Saturday night headliners!

Are you ready to PERFORM in the fields?

HONOURING JAMES CAMERON

We love hosting new talent on stage to share with the world, and this contest has become even more meaningful to us in recent years. Back in 2012, Kitchener-local James Cameron entered his band into our first ever Emerging Artist Showdown as an energetic teenager. The crowd was so impressed that we brought them back in 2013, and again in 2018 to celebrate our 10th year in the fields. Since then, he continued to play events across southern Ontario to an ever-growing fan base -always owning the stage with his incredible energy and trademark red pants. Sadly in 2020, we lost James to his ongoing battle with mental health. We wanted to honour him by dedicating this contest in his memory, incorporating his band logo, and making the commitment to donate festival proceeds towards local mental health organizations.

wes for youth

This year, we will be partnering with WES for Youth - an organization that provides wellness & emotional support for youth through online professional counselling. Thank you to the Cameron family for allowing us to organize this tribute.

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past CMAO SPotlight performers

Since 2014, Lucknow’s Music in the Fields has partnered with the Country Music Association of Ontario (CMA Ontario) to bring even more amazing talent to the fields. Every Spring, the CMA Ontario seeks out a Rising Star to perform in Lucknow to open for our Friday night headliners! This incredible organization actively services emerging artists across the province by providing strategies and advice on how to make it in the Country Music industry. Our 2022 spot has been filled!